Once again, John Roberts has traveled the world and has brought back the news that Chicago is situated somewhere in Asia. Roberts has recorded »Fences« on his journeys. The follow up to his debut »Glass Eights« from 2010 sounds basically like Theo Parrish in his utmost esoteric moments – on top of that basis, everything is sprinkled with tiny somethings. »Fences« has things creeping and buzzing all around, everything gurgles and rolls: You’ll hear the exotic and sweaty travels through the jungle steaming from this record. Wooden drums and xylophones are dripping into the songs like the last drops of a monsoon on a veranda in Thailand. John Roberts has taken his time with this record. However, the record reclaims that time from its listener: At first it is hard to make out the song between all the jingling, swishing and the glockenspiel. It needs close listening. Then you’ll recognize a cello or a piano providing a melody, or you’ll hear a bassline bursting into the flute-hours of a Tibetan monk. »Glass Eights« already seemed like the perfection of attention to the tiniest detail, but it remained a house-record deep down inside. »Fences«, on the other hand, can’t be classified that concretely anymore. You’ll always find your suitcase full of things that you didn’t start your journey with – John Roberts set out to travel the world with detail-loving house-music; now he has returned with house-loving detail-music.
Fences
