Luxury Problems - Andy Stott (2012)

Ideated From: “Essential winter albums” on Treble

Spotify says I have 1 liked song from Andy Stott, from his 2021 record. But I have no memory of it, so this is basically new to me. It’s like my standing joke about loving Roman Empire documentaries: I always learn something new because I always forget everything since the last one.

I listen to a lot of electronic music, but like everything else I definitely have my preferences. I tend to shy away from dancefloor-friendly 4/4 kickdrum sorts of tracks because I find them boring. I also have a hard time with purely ambient washes of sound with no rhythm or melody: a different flavor of boring, but still kind of boring. My favorite electronic music usually hits a balance between these two extremes: drum sequencing and synths that don’t get too monotonous, or down-tempo beats with lots of texture layered on top for extra color.

This record is basically that perfect sweet spot for me. Not too hyper, not too chilled. Tim Hecker and Burial are names that come to mind to draw comparisons. It’s slow and claustrophobic, but with a lot of variety and texture and not just end-to-end anxiety.

A lot of it is built around vocal samples, that are worked into the canvas like instruments of their own. These are little mini-symphonies with an amazing amount of complexity and thought behind them, even though just a casual listen might make you think they’re droning or simplistic.

The overall feel of the record, its relentless groove and ethereal vocals, makes this one of the most wintery albums on this list.

Tracks I Liked:

Numb - the clearest example of the vocal sampling as its own instrument. The “ch” of the word “touch” basically morphs into the hi-hat that punctuates most of the track, with the other layers of voice forming most of the rhythm

Hatch The Plan - a great, groovy trance-based piece

Luxury Problems - It is indeed luxurious