fennesz: becs

The last time Fennesz released an album on Austrian label Mego it was 2001 and the name of that release was Endless Summer. Now, in 2014, Editions Mego is extremely proud to release the conceptual follow-up to that landmark of abstract pop. Bécs (pronounced "baeetch") is Hungarian for "Vienna" and is the first full-length Fennesz solo release since 2008's Black Sea. Eschewing the more drone-oriented works of Black Sea, Bécs returns to the more florid pop mechanisms as deployed on Endless Summer. "Static Kings" features the extra leverage of Werner Dafeldecker and Martin Brandlmayer, who deploy a range of atmospheric abstract effects to shape a bewitching sound-world. The 10-minute centerpiece "Liminality" (featuring Tony Buck on drums) is classic Fennesz: epic, evocative, beautiful, impossible. "Pallas Athene" creates a sanctuary of hovering beauty which leads into the title-track. Emotional and assured, the track "Bécs" is an astonishing contribution to contemporary pop. "Sav," co-written by Cédric Stevens, (aka Acid Kirk) inhabits a less structural terrain as one enters a forest of small sounds and oblique atmospheres, where on the closing "Paroles," a gentle melody unravels amongst swirls of electronics and fried disruption. Bécs is not just an album or a series of songs, it's a world to inhabit, a landscape ripe with sounds, songs and that esteemed Fennesz signature. A singular work by a singular artist. All tracks by Christian Fennesz, except *by Cédric Stevens & Christian Fennesz. Modular Synthesizer on "Sav" by Cédric Stevens. Bass on "Static Kings" by Werner Dafeldecker. Drums on "Static Kings" by Martin Brandlmayr. Drums on "Liminality" by Tony Buck. Recorded & mixed at Amann Studios, Vienna, 2013/2014. Tony Buck's drums recorded by Martin Siewert at Garnison7, Vienna, July 2013. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, February 2014. Cover design by Tina Frank.