Best electronic albums of 2018: thirteen

13 – Oneohtrix Point Never – Age Of (Warp Records)

I once got trapped in a hotel fire exit staircase, with no way back into the main building. I was late for breakfast, and from that point I was the trapped-in-a-staircase guy.

Aside from the fire safety concerns of a chain hotel using locked doors in a chuffing fire escape, that serves as a neat metaphor for Oneohtrix Point Never’s music. It’s difficult to get into because our mental doors are locked: we are trapped in the staircases of our usual music taste, and sometimes we need to smash through the doors of perception and smell Oneohtrix’s fire.

Alright, the metaphor didn’t work. But what does work is Age Of’s bewildering collage of baroque, ballads and black magic ambience. Its ever-morphing sculptures are a treat.

Don’t look for songs. Don’t look for structure. Just let it fill you up, like smoke from an encroaching blaze. Jeez, step away from that metaphor, staircase guy.



Scroll all of the best 2018 electronic albums by clicking here.