Atom™

Atom™'s pairing last year with Raster-Noton for Winterreise seemed somewhat of a surprising choice. But with HD, the combination of Uwe Schmidt (the name behind the Atom™ moniker) and the famed German glitch/techno label makes sense, coming across glitchier and more minimal, but with the sense of fun we've come to expect from the German-born producer. As well as the precise glitch, HD is chock-full of gorgeous, vintage synths and vocoder paying homage to proto-techno pioneers Kraftwerk, both in tone and delivery, especially on "Strom" and "Ich Bin Meine Maschine." However, "Stop (Imperialist Pop)," which samples Schmidt's "Hard Disc Rock (Don't Stop)," from 1998, leans more towards the glitch. Two surprises are "I Love U," which features futuristic R&B crooner Jamie Lidell in top form, and a cover of the Who's "My Generation." HD is über-fun, managing to blend homage, cutting-edge composition, glitch techno and pop groove, making the results sound totally natural. Among Atom™'s best work to date, the album will have wide appeal for fans of Kraftwerk, the irreverence of Jason Forrest and contemporary glitch pranksters Matmos.