Clark

A prolific producer and composer who sidesteps easy classification, Clark's music teeters between exuberance and foreboding undercurrents. His juxtapositions of gritty synths, breakbeats, noise, and nods to house and techno took on many forms: On 2001's Clarence Park, he imbued them with frosty nostalgia; on 2006's Body Riddle, he fortified them with orchestral and jazz flourishes. He alternated between the abrasive and reflective sides of his music on 2008's hard-hitting Turning Dragon and 2012's pastoral Iradelphic; on 2021's Playground in a Lake, he combined them hauntingly. As the years passed, Clark's knack for expressing complex emotions took on wider-ranging expressions. His music for projects like the 2019 film Daniel Isn't Real earned as much acclaim as his own albums, while the addition of his vocals to 2023's Sus Dog added another layer of complexity to his music. ~ Heather Phares