Albums to watch

Unpatterns

Simian Mobile Disco

Unpatterns

Londoners James Ford and Jas Shaw release their third studio album proper of house, techno and nu disco

ADM rating[?]

6.7

Label
Wichita
UK Release date
14/05/2012
US Release date
29/05/2012
  1. 8.5 |   The Quietus

    Unpatterns forgoes any of their previous chart intentions. Instead Simian Mobile Disco have crafted an album that at times verges on bold understatement
    Read Review

  2. 8.0 |   Spin

    UK duo get wiser with age; forgo lusty electro-pop hooks of old for sexy slow-building minimal techno
    Read Review

  3. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Very possibly SMD's best album yet
    Read Review

  4. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Unpatterns is seeped in the pair's watermark – that is, a dark, uneasy undercurrent that gives everything, even the more straightforward party tracks, an edge of the ominous
    Read Review

  5. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Music in which to lose your thoughts, rather than your T-shirt
    Read Review

  6. 8.0 |   AU Review

    A very welcome return to form
    Read Review

  7. 8.0 |   NME

    Blissful, soulful proof that although SMD might have stopped chasing the hit parade, they haven’t stopped making hits
    Read Review

  8. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    Certainly their best work since Attack Decay Sustain Release, but it still falls a little short of those admittedly towering heights
    Read Review

  9. 7.0 |   BBC

    A deep, well-crafted dance manifesto by two talented producers
    Read Review

  10. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Unpatterns is not what you would expect from a dance duo on the brink of becoming a household name. Kudos to them then, for sticking to what sounds good rather than what sells
    Read Review

  11. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Unpatterns won’t move your brain, but it will move your nerves, and that should be enough for you
    Read Review

  12. 7.0 |   Rave Magazine

    If you come in expecting another Cruel Intentions, you may be disappointed, but Unpatterns is undeniably strong evidence that Simian Mobile Disco are growing ever more comfortable in their own skins
    Read Review

  13. 6.7 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Sometimes the album feels fairly content with just entertaining, merely occupying your senses
    Read Review

  14. 6.0 |   Pitchfork

    They've finally happened on a formula that goes down smoothly for the length of a whole album
    Read Review

  15. 6.0 |   Clash

    The individual components sound fantastic, but high audio quality does not a good record make
    Read Review

  16. 6.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Mesmerizing grooves steeped in early house, a steely undercurrent, and that bass, man; that bass
    Read Review

  17. 6.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Enough of ‘Unpatterns’ suggests that SMD have the chops to push their sound forward, but its timidity frequently feels lazy
    Read Review

  18. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    It seems that Ford and James Shaw are redefining and redrafting their sound by going back to what worked best when they were first starting out
    Read Review

  19. 6.0 |   Q

    James Ford's dance project exudes minimal hauteur. Print edition only

  20. 6.0 |   Uncut

    Dancefloor-focused fare, still with psych flavours. Print edition only

  21. 6.0 |   Mojo

    Adroit blend of dancefloor electronica old and new. Print edition only

  22. 5.0 |   A.V. Club

    Unpatterns is long on proficiency, but short on pathos, and not particularly innovative, either
    Read Review

  23. 4.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    The resulting tech-house tracks are solid, polished, dancefloor-friendly, and other damningly faint adjectives
    Read Review


blog comments powered by Disqus

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Preview & download it

Simian Mobile Disco: Unpatterns

  • Download full album for just £5.99
  • 1. I Waited For You £0.99
  • 2. Cerulean £0.99
  • 3. Seraphim £0.99
  • 4. A Species Out Of Control £0.99
  • 5. Interference £0.99
  • 6. Put Your Hands Together £0.99
  • 7. The Dream Of The Fisherman's Wife £0.99
  • 8. Your Love Ain't Fair £0.99
  • 9. Pareidolia £0.99
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Latest Reviews

More reviews