- The best Border Community records have a big, warm sound that feels like the tracks are reaching out of the speakers and giving you a nice electronic hug. 'Some Polyphony' by Petter is a good example, as is the live version of Nathan Fake's 'You are Here' along with, of course, the James Holden mix of 'The Sky was Pink'. Two years ago Fairmont dropped a similar bomb with 'Gazebo', which tore the ass off respectable dancefloors, and on Coloured in Memory he's prepared another stormer in 'Mobula', a throbbing monster which simply HAS to be released as the next single. The current 12 inch, 'Flight of the Albatross' is also brilliant, in a more hazy way. Electronic drips give way to a sultry and delicate arrangement which is paired with uplifting but understated schaffel beats. In other words, classic Border Community stuff.
Coloured in Memory, though, doesn't stop there, and expands the label's sound whilst avoiding the usual dance album trap of between-banger fillers. 'Sedatives for the Sentimental' sounds like the dying cry of a synthesized sea creature and 'All Good Things' is a stunning, heartbreakingly beautiful cut with strings that would make Kelly Polar seethe with envy. The overall feel is melancholic, even on the more upbeat tracks. Fairmont underscores the point on 'Bikini Atoll' where bluesy riffs and a slow ‘50s rock and roll beat sit happily alongside shifting, modulated electronic effects. Recently the country/electronic mood-link has been made by Matthew Dear on 'Asa Breed', Chloe on 'The Waiting Room' and Andrew Weatherall on 'Wrong Meeting', but Fairmont's effort is one of the best.
The less successful tracks are the ones where Jake Fairley sings. He's not the worst vocalist in electronic music by a long stretch (think Apparat on 'Leave me Alone' from Orchestra of Bubbles. Yuk). However, 'Calm Before the Storm', 'Fade and Saturate' and in particular 'Time's Fool' are somewhat vacant and reek of lonely man staring out of a window pining for his ex-girlfriend. Melancholy, good: mawkish, bad. Chin up, Fairmont.
Tracklist01 Fade And Saturate
02 Darling's Waltz
03 Mobula
04 Pomegranate
05 Sedatives For The Sentimental
06 I Need Medicine
07 Bikini Atoll
08 1995
09 Calm Before The Storm
10 Flight Of The Albatross
11 All Good Things
12 Time's Fool