Obsidian

The final album released by 50 Weapons, Benjamin Damage's second solo full-length, Obsidian, is full of heavy dance rhythms and simple, expressive melodies that hark back to the early-'90s rave era without directly referencing it. His tracks are always uptempo and driving, and their reverb-submerged melodies feel like faded memories of euphoric feelings. He breaks the beats up a bit during tracks like the gorgeous "Pulse Width," and the Orbital-like "Shimmer" slips in some shifting breakbeats. The album has some monotonous moments, such as the plodding "Parallax View," but otherwise it's an enjoyable, slightly bittersweet set of warm, approachable techno. ~ Paul Simpson