We Are but Hunks of Wood

With his 2012 sophomore studio album, We Are but Hunks of Wood, London producer Laurent Clerk separates himself from the oversampling heard in his 2006 debut long-player, Mickey Mouse Operation. Now with a bustling quiver of original sounds, “Marzipan Children” opens with mellow sound textures set to sophisticated beat patterns. The addition of neon-flavored R&B synths and bellbottomed wah-wah guitar help set a subtly funky mood. The following “Eminence Grise” switches gears by looping a lilting string section as pitter-patter rhythms slowly work their way in. But the combination of deep bass tones with the strings makes this one a handsome track. “Cartouche” also incorporates strings, this time with the bleeps and blips of analog keyboard noise. The big warm bass here slowly propels the song with a clever contrast wherein Clerk layers a mechanical-sounding collage over a foundation of organic resonance. January Thompson provides the only vocal track, “Wonderland.” Her icy-cool inflections hover over a pulsing, kinetic production with a Portishead cool; it begs for future collaborations.