Hyperpotamus // Delta

First things first, Hyperpotamus is easily one of the best names I’ve ever heard for a band/act. And the music isn’t too shabby either which is a relief since as soon as I read ‘loop pedal’ on the PR sheet a shudder went up my spine; those two words are usually synonymous with dreary, over-rated, middle of the road pap. But Hyperpotamus is something a bit different and a bit special. It’s hard to pin down exactly what he is, but there are elements of Medúlla-era Bjork on this entirely vocal work, alongside definite blues influences, which perhaps explains the choice of the title of the album. And it sounds stunning. Everything has been very carefully and, importantly, musically considered in the recording of the album, right down to positioning each vocal layer according to where in the room Hyperpotamus was singing from. A lot of people could learn a lot from this album, and I would highly recommend it to any of those other loop pedal based artists out there as an example of what is actually possible. If this is a sign of what 2012 has to offer musically, I’m very hopeful for an exceedingly good year.

9/10 BBV