Clark, formerly known as Chris Clark, seems to have become one of the new stalwarts of Warp Records, in a relatively short space of time. Following the breakaway accessibility of 2005's 'Body Riddle', his second album under the new shortened moniker, 'Turning Dragon' took things in a harder, glitchier direction, but enjoyed less success. The 'Growls Garden' EP, released at the start of 2009, hinted that the forthcoming album would mix elements from the previous two, and that is largely what you get.
There's more to it than that, of course. Clark has created an album that is constantly shifting, coming up with new ideas and only dwelling on them for short periods before moving onto something else. The end result is something that's almost progressive in nature, always remaining fresh and interesting. Case in point is 'Luxman Furs', which marks the start of the album's impressive mid-section, three tracks with several common elements to tie them together. It opens with a playful synth that seems to stumble around drunkenly, becoming progressively more distorted, while the drums are kept simple to highlight the melodic work. Shortly past the halfway mark, however, they fall away and the track mutates into something upbeat and frantic, all intermingling synths. This happens again in the next track, 'Totem Crackerjack'; it starts at a relatively sedate 150bpm, and is cranked up to 210bpm at around two minutes in. The initial section frequently swaps out drums and synths, but does so without appearing too obvious. After the tempo increase, initially delicate synths become gradually grungier, culminating in an intense finale. Two short melodic pieces round off the track.
'Future Daniel' opens with one of the grungy synths from the end of 'Totem Crackerjack'. It's as beautifully melodic a track as he has ever produced, with a clean, simple lead synth that sounds like 8-bit game music being recounted by a robot with a slightly broken sound chip and a poor memory. Clark pieces things together expertly, but just as things seem to be getting going, the whole track degenerates into a distorted growling. A delicate reprise follows, before receding into ambiance.
What Clark adds to the mix this time around, which isn't apparent from the middle three tracks, is vocals. Anyone who has heard the 'Growls Garden' EP will know what to expect from its title track, which also makes an appearance here; Clark's voice is heavily processed, matching the dirty synth that the song opens with. Rather than forming the centrepiece of the track in the traditional sense, however, Clark's vocals are more part of the sonic landscape. This is also the case in 'Look Into the Heart', a more straightforward track with drum programming by Wax Stag. Here he is vocoded and synthetic-sounding. Rainbow Voodoo is a more traditional vocal-driven song however, though the lyrics are a little impenetrable. Driving and frenetic, the distorted vocals are carried along by rapid kicks and a dirty, glitchy bassline. At the height of its intensity, the vocals become an incomprehensible white noise; it's almost like having an aneurysm.
In spite of 'Rainbow Voodoo's fevered intensity, however, it is at heart a playful track. The vocals sound like Clark is having a lot of fun, and after a breakdown in the middle the intensity is scaled back and he breaks into a keyboard solo that sounds like something you might hear performed by a gin-soaked musician in a Working Men's Club, circa 1985. He then ends things on a heavy note, with some huge drums. Similarly large drums are present in 'Suns of Temper', but only after a breakdown at the two-minute point. Initially upbeat, the tempo is halved, and the synth work is as slow and deliberate as the kicks. Repeated vocals round the track off, driving the point home. The album's final track, 'Absence', is a melodic guitar piece that reveals that both Clark and Bibio have been learning from each other. Aptly, it sounds like a sunset.
'Totems Flare's strength is its diversity; listen closely and you'll spot elements from all of Clark's back catalogue, an impressive production portfolio in itself, but gathered in one place like this it never ceases to intrigue. From 'Growls Garden's grungy bass, to 'Future Daniel's melodic splendour, to 'Suns of Temper's all-powerful drum programming, Clark grabs you and makes you feel everything.
