| | Full Review | Ratings (36) |
Give your Rating |
| 3.0 good | Landpaddle | January 30th 13 |
As other reviewers have already stated, this album is one of the least impressive efforts in
The Flashbulb's expansive discography. That is not to say Hardscrabble would have been
blasted were it composed by anyone else -- no -- it is a very potent beast in its own right.
But what it fails to accomplish is capture and build upon the small snippets of brilliance
throughout. Often, Benn Jordan seems to switch from one line of progression to another,
sacrificing many of the brief and exultant aural tidbits that make the album worth adding to
one's discography. The sweeping, brilliant harmonies that make tracks like That Missing
Week, Binedump or parts of the Lawn Wake series so rich is, for all intents and purposes,
diminished to the timeframe of thirty seconds on any given song, if not less.
Additionally, Hardscrabble lingers on its midbass theme too long for comfort. Many of the
granulated synths sound more or less the same, and eventually test the listener's patience
after a few mediocre tracks towards the center, then latter third of the album. Not a big
selling point for a longtime fan.
Nonetheless, this album is still a recommended listen and a very unusual collection of songs
overall. It is also worth looking into if you have a love for experimental production.
Edit: Sequence Changing Airborne is a beautiful song that ranks up among the best of Benn
Jordan's soulful album closers. Even if you dislike every other tune in the mix, you would
be making a mistake not to obtain a copy of this one.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | dingophone | January 22nd 13 |
Not bad at all. Honestly, I'd call Hardscrabble a welcome turn back to Benn's roots. The highlights are definitely the songs that emphasize the fast breaks that take me back to Flexing Habitual like "The Bridgeport Run", "Three Hundred CC", and "Alley Acid". The last two tracks are much more calm, but still very good. However, Hardscrabble doesn't have any songs that really just pack a punch like Opus's "Terra Firma", LaaDH's "Heroes on Your Lawn", or anything from Arboreal. That being said, this album's a fun ride and I'd recommend it.
Bump |
| 2.5 average | ceddy78 | October 26th 12 |
feels very dry and bland, especially compared to Opus.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | lauriej | October 23rd 12 |
benn tries quite a midbass dubsteppy vibe, blending it with his velvety IDM sound to mixed
results. some tracks try to merge it with a chill loungey feel which grates rather than
progresses. that outro track really is lovely though, with some expertly programmed drums.
between a 3 and 3.5
Bump |
| 0.0 | SabertoothMonocle | October 23rd 12 |
Damn it, I've barely even listened to Opus at the End of Everything yet. However, I feel certain that this is a good thing.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | kevbogz | September 3rd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | JoskuA | January 24th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | Froot | July 26th 15 |
| 3.5 great | Wiosna | March 29th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | Torii | May 10th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Nemski | May 10th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | natey | December 30th 12 |
| 3.0 good | Rowdy | December 22nd 12 |
| 3.2 good | Mikesn EMERITUS | November 26th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | xopethx | October 23rd 12 |
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