Sam Prekop – The Republic

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—01. Thrill 384.

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For anyone familiar with Sam Prekop’s work as part of the seminal post-rock group, The Sea and Cake, this record may seem like a bit of a departure. Produced entirely at home, it sees the American musician trading his customarily crystalline guitar sound for that of modular synthesizers. The first half of The Republic features tracks composed to accompany a video installation by David Hartt, while the second half is built around ideas that worked best on their own. The album essentially picks up where Prekop's previous solo effort, Old Punch Card, left off in 2010. This time though the tones are hazier and less glitchy, making for a more minimalist and ambient listen with some decidedly rhythmic patterns laid beneath. Prekop's output, alone and as part of The Sea and Cake, is sophisticated and precise, encapsulating what the Thrill Jockey sound is all about.  

—Available from Thrill Jockey