Tinlicker - Cold Enough for Snow

A Closer Listen

For our instrumental-minded site, Cold Enough for Snow is a guilty pleasure; but for those who enjoy electronic music with vocals, it’s simply a pleasure. Like Tinlicker‘s first two albums, the new release is a mixture of (mostly) instrumental and vocal tracks, with immense crossover potential.  We may be the only site to write about the release backwards, but we’ve found ourselves enjoying the entire album, which draws comparison to an expressive DJ set or ~ due to the numerous guest stars ~ a compilation.

So let’s start with those (mostly) instrumental tracks, which use samples as texture and ramp up the power with massive keys and bass.  “Blowfish” is the first banger, an exciting build leading to the first big club moment at 1:24.  This isn’t the only track that pays homage to 2000s trance, but it’s one of the most effective.  When the inevitable remix set arrives (the first two Tinlicker albums each received one), we expect the energy to rise even higher.  The trend continues on”Revolution” with wet pads and a dramatic opening that topples into the track proper.  The breakdown is spectral, the main theme bubbling up from below the surface to take control again.  “In Your Eyes” (no relation to the Peter Gabriel track) is build around repetitions of the title, with varying backgrounds and an unwavering tempo, the breakdown again eradicating the drums to build suspense.  And “Pretender,” which closes the album, provides a final series of hands-in-the-air moments; break out those glowsticks and call the dancers back to the beach! Should the words “take me higher” strike one as obvious, remember we said guilty pleasure.

Now to the vocal pieces, which include contributions from various luminaries, the most striking of which is Julia Church (pictured right), whose “Glasshouse” is the album highlight, and who later appears on “Slipstream.”  The hopeful nature of the track is its prime selling point, but the tonal resemblance to Tracy Thorn doesn’t hurt.  After recent collaborations with Diplo, Nils Hoffman, Armin van Buuren, Estiva, OCULA and more, this South African songstress is absolutely overdue for her own album.  If anyone has any doubts, check out the acoustic version of Lullaby, a collaboration with PRAANA from last year.

Boxer Rebellion’s Nathan Nicholson appears on three tracks, each of them primed to be a single; “Staring Down Sunset” is the most memorable of these, due to a driving rhythm that seems ready to race down the road, following that setting sun.  We’re also partial to “This Life,” due to the dramatic delivery of Editors’ Tom Smith and an electro-synthpop vibe.  In like fashion, “Nowhere to Go” (ft. Brian Mollko) channels Pet Shop Boys in a convincing manner.  Tinlicker’s production is the unifying force behind every track, often forgotten beneath the deluge of vocals, but ever present, confident and consistent.  The album may be titled Cold Enough for Snow, but it’s warm enough for spring.  (Richard Allen)