EN City Of Brides

Received a 7.4 rating from Pitchfork. City of Brides is the third full-length album by EN, the Bay Area-based duo of multi-instrumentalists Maxwell August Croy and James Devane. It was recorded over the last few years in a variety of contexts and follows upon 2012’s well-received Already Gone, further developing the diverse palette of that record. Across four sides, the pair presents exotic, transportive and richly detailed pieces that toe the line between ecstatic, long-form ambience and elegant, structured electronic composition. As always, Croy’s koto is a focal point, its distinctive tone ringing out amidst the hazy guitar, vocal and synthesis environments that surround it. The material ranges from moody to celestial, from cool to white hot. Pieces such as “Blonde Is Back” and “Mendocino Nature Rave” merge sizzling modular synth lacework with plaintive, familiar drone clouds to rapturous ends, while the two-part “Songs for Diminished Lovemaking” sequence charts a more minimal and nostalgic course.