John Talabot has returned under a new name, OR, his initials as Oriol Riverola. “Nokik Messiah,” released yesterday, is the first track from Music for Empty Stadiums, due October 30 as AD 93’s hundredth release. Give it 6 minutes 33 seconds. Official listen
Talabot describes the project as pursuing “the most euphoric possible variant of ambient.” Stereogum’s Chris DeVille hears a pulsing, flickering piece without a firm outline. That is an enticing proposition: the emotional lift associated with a large dance floor, freed from the obligation to keep arranging everything around a kick drum. First coverage, September 16
Those descriptions come from the artist and critic, not firsthand listening. But of the new releases I found, this is the one I’d put on first: expansive electronics with a clear idea behind them, and no need to commit to the seventeen-track album yet.