release date: Nov. 4, 2013
format: digital (16 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,44]
producer: Jon Hopkins
label: Just Music - nationality: England, UK
Soundtrack album by Jon Hopkins to a film by Kevin Mcdonald is Hopkin's second album of the year as it follows the acclaimed fourth album Immunity (Jun. 2013).
The album contains 16 tracks with a total running length of 44 minutes, which implies that the majority of the compositions are relatively short instrumentals. The album feature a few other collaborating artists and it kicks off a bit out of tune with the remainders with an inde rock tune credited Amanda Palmer and performed by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra. Hopkins cllaborates with Natasha Khan on two tracks and track #9 feature the band Daughters in a remix of their song "Home".
The majority of the compositions are credited Hopkins only and these are nearly all held in an ambient and minimalist tone, which showcase Hopkins as a trained pianist. In that regard, the album stands in its own rights as something quite different when comparing to his discography and especially confronted with his studio album from June.
How I Live Now is a fine and mostly coherent album - especially when subtrackting the two rock tunes by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra and the Daughters' remix, and I cannot help feeling it falls more in line with soundtracks by Sakamoto and / or Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd.
