The Hum

Album review

He may have been making music for more than 20 years, but James Ellis Ford is only now revealing his face for the first time. With The Hum, the Briton known for being half of the electro duo Simian Mobile Disco, but above all as the sought-after producer of albums by Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Klaxons, Florence + The Machine, Haim, Peaches, Last Shadow Puppets (of which he was also the drummer), Foals, Jessie Ware, Depeche Mode, Shame and a few dozens of others, is finally going solo. Wrapped in Warp’s reputation for quality and madness, it has made for quite an attractive departure. Gentle madness as far as he is concerned, but madness nonetheless. With this project, conceived in his home studio, Ford builds unexpected bridges between Brian Eno of the Another Green World period (Squeaky Wheel), Robert Wyatt (Closing Time) and the whole Canterbury school, the mythical English progressive and psychedelic rock scene of the late sixties and early seventies, Can's krautrock (The Yips) and a few other oddities that need to be listened to attentively... James Ellis Ford has been smart enough not to use his impressive address book to bloat the project with prestigious features. On the contrary, The Hum is 100% his and nobody else's! Guitars, bass, piano and drums of course, but also a Wurlitzer, Clavinet, bass clarinet, flute, tenor sax, ARP 2600, Maxikorg, Oberheim, dulcimer, cello, organ and vibraphone; Ford plays it all! Above all, he has worked in artisanal fashion, refusing to be digital, to fiddle around behind his laptop, welcoming errors and bugs with open arms instead, to the point of declaring: "With the nightmare of artificial intelligence approaching, humanity is the most important quality you can add to a record." As we listen to the record, snuggled up in an armchair, eyes closed, it dawns on us that The Hum has the arches of a long fascinating dream. An ovarian dream crossed with melodies of a rare finesse, as touching as they can be worrying. And as in all dreams, you have to let go to savour each moment. Without a doubt, a Qobuzissime from another planet. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz