Oneohtrix Point Never – Garden of Delete

If 2013's R Plus Seven was a landscape of delicate synthwork and angelic choral sounds glossing over a murky atmosphere, then Garden of Delete flips the script in this seemingly aggressive record; muscular in tone, schizophrenic in delivery, all the while possessing a maniacal grin on its face. Take Mutant Standard, an eight-minute epic that eagerly builds on an understated mix of ambient synth washes and a muted bass rhythm only to be obliterated by a myriad of trance patterns that hurtle into something resembling a cyber mosh pit.

Even the angsty I Bite Through It feels less glowering and more like a fit of rage, each stutter of overdriven melody like you’re stuck in the endless glitch of a shoot ’em up; even an attempt at a guitar solo goes hilariously awry. Each track is a tightly compacted exercise in aural vertigo save for Animals, sounding like Daft Punk on a major comedown and the lush, schmaltzy closer No Good, alluding to Oneohtrix’s penchant for the kitsch. Arguably this is Oneohtrix’s anti-ambient record, where rhythm takes centre stage and refuses to be polite; just listen to the exhilarating metal drums in Sticky Drama. Deep thrills. [Jon Davies]