After reinventing himself as more of a headphone artist with 2006’s glitchy album This Binary Universe, BT takes it a step further on These Hopeful Machines, an effort that breaks the two-hour mark with only 12 songs.
If that sounds like the progressive trance version of Saturnz Return, BT’s magnum opus does share some of the indulgence problems found on Goldie’s epic, but this effort is much more humble.
The driving force behind Machines seems to be the producer’s love of freedom and exploration, as most tracks build, fade away, morph, and wander about with little care for what radio, clubs, or a major label might require.
Fans who enjoy the glitch-meets-trance textures of Universe will find even more to love here, and more songs, too, as BT, the returning JES, and a handful of guest vocalists deliver the usual lyrics filled with modern mysticism.
Riding “Suddenly” from its crunchy, avant opening to its Black Eyed Peas-like middle and onto its glitch-fueled flame-out is exciting, while the closing take on the Psychedelic Furs’ “Ghost in You” is a different trip, something akin to calmly floating in an ‘80s pop hit for eight minutes.
“Forget Me” combines alt-rock angst and field recordings to great effect, while “Le Nocturne De Lumiere” creates a dream world out of thumb pianos and thumping house beats.
Listeners who don’t mind so many devices and left turns must still be predisposed to BT’s airy, big-sky style of electronica to get the most out of this long, involved journey.
These Hopeful Machines doesn’t try to convince, it’s meant to reward the already converted with a vast wonderland of melodic glitch and prolonged bliss.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SuddenlyBT, Christian Burns | BT | Play | 08:06 | 18 MB | 64 MB |
| 2 | The EmergencyBT, Andrew Bayer, Christian Burns | BT | Play | 10:38 | 24 MB | 73 MB |
| 3 | Every Other WayBT, Jes | BT | Play | 09:40 | 22 MB | 68 MB |
| 4 | The Light in ThingsBT, Jes | BT | Play | 10:47 | 24 MB | 81 MB |
| 5 | Rose of JerichoBT | BT | Play | 07:43 | 17 MB | 54 MB |
| 6 | Forget MeBT, Christian Burns | BT | Play | 09:33 | 21 MB | 70 MB |
| 7 | A Million StarsBT, Kirsty Hawkshaw, Ulrich Schnauss | BT | Play | 12:26 | 28 MB | 88 MB |
| 8 | Love Can Kill YouBT | BT | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 9 | AlwaysBT, Rob Dickinson | BT | Play | 06:12 | 14 MB | 45 MB |
| 10 | Le Nocturne de LumièreBT | BT | Play | 11:38 | 26 MB | 85 MB |
| 11 | The UnbreakableBT, Rob Dickinson | BT | Play | 10:25 | 23 MB | 77 MB |
| 12 | The Ghost in YouThe Psychedelic Furs | BT | Play | 07:57 | 18 MB | 49 MB |
| 110 mins | 254 MB | |||||
| 110 mins | 796 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amelia | Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Andrew Bayer | Additional Production, Composer, Mixing, Programming |
| 3 | Brain | Drums |
| 4 | BT | Analogue Synthesizer, Arp 2600, Arranger, Bass, Composer, Creative Director, Drums, Engineer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Classical), Hammer Dulcimer, Kalimba, Mixing, Musician, Primary Artist, Producer, Programming, String Arrangements, Strumstick, Toy Piano, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Christian Burns | Composer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Greg Collins | Guitar, Mixing |
| 7 | Rob Dickinson | Composer, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals |
| 8 | Øistein Johan Eide | Programming |
| 9 | Kirsty Hawkshaw | Composer, Vocals |
| 10 | Aaron Jasinski | Paintings |
| 11 | Jes | Composer, Vocals |
| 12 | Matt Lange | Percussion |
| 13 | Joe LaPorta | Mastering |
| 14 | Emily Lazar | Mastering |
| 15 | The Psychedelic Furs | Composer |
| 16 | Kevin Sawka | Drums |
| 17 | Ulrich Schnauss | Composer |
| 18 | Ned Shepard | Additional Production, Programming, Remixing |
| 19 | Gavin Taylor | Art Direction, Creative Director, Design |
| 20 | Kaia Transeau | Vocals |
| 21 | Laurent Veronnez | Programming, Remixing |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |