Evidence reviewed by Mojo, The Wire, Q, BBC, Uncut etc…

REVIEWS FOR EVIDENCE:

‘Foxx has gone from creative strength to strength. This is probably Foxx’s most superior post-Ultravox LP to date. Benge’s signature technique (using very old analogue equipment to create very modern textures and music) has now gelled completely with Foxx’s songwriting. The production is dynamic, rich and bold. The title track sounds like Joy Division, had the Mancunians continued their experiments with austere sounding synths; ’Changelings’ is a remix of a Gazelle Twin song replete with new John Carpenter-esque synths and breathy 10cc-style multi-tracked backing vocals, and Foxx takes Pink Floyd’s (now) slightly hackneyed anti-record label diabtribe ‘Have A Cigar’ and turns it into a luxurious bass and bleep electro that wouldn’t sound out of place on DFA. Long may his creative renaissance continue.’ BBC MUSIC 

‘Evidence – the third album with Modular Moog-obsessive Ben ‘Benge’ Edwards, ferries the listener to a paranoid, dystopic, late-night city soundtracked by dense, pulsating synths, glacial melodies and ethereal half-sung, half-spoken vocals. Foxx’s creative fires still burn white hot.’ 4/5 MOJO 

‘His relationship with young producer Benge has seen Foxx release his best music since the glory days of early Ultravox and debut solo album Metamatic, and Evidence is even more brimful of sci-fi sensuality than last year’s The Shape Of Things. Highlights include the dark house of Matthew Dear collaboration ‘Talk (Beneath Your Dreams)’ and two centre-piece excursions with Brighton electro maverick Gazelle Twin.’  4/5 UNCUT

‘Foxx’s legacy has come to be revered, with his influence on electronic music recognised by the likes of The Orb and LFO. Evidence, Foxx’s third album in 3 years with The Maths, provides plenty of evidence why. The tracks are crafted and atmospheric and the collaborations serve to anchor the album in the present rather than the past.’ THE WIRE

‘At a time when we are starved of new sounds and sensations, the conceit behind Foxx’s collaboration with Benge—that only analogue instruments would be used—has allowed the pair to conjure up what is in effect an alternative present for electronic pop. The result is an album that sounds as contemporary as anything else that is likely to be released this year.’  ELECTRONIC BEATS

‘Evidence offers 15 tracks of escapist, dreamlike ‘ballads’, glowing with sprawling analogue paranoia and grimy, debased atmospheres. The beauty lies in the music’s simplicity, of which the duo revel effortlessly throughout, as if they couldn’t be having more fun if they tried.’ 8/10 BARCODE 

‘Foxx has refreshed his creative music with consistently excellent work in recent years. Lush and romantic, Evidence is the kind of timeless electronic album you can dream inside.’ 8/10 CLASSIC ROCK

‘Another terrific lesson in analogue synth magic.’ 8/10 VICE MAGAZINE

‘It contains some of John Foxx and the Maths’ most adventurous work to date, alongside some of their most accessible. Take the title track. Defiantly modern yet instantly classic, this is moody synthpop heaven. On ‘Have A Cigar’ a tough, sinewy melody is teased out as the prog-rock flab falls away; ’That Sudden Switch,’ with Xeno and Oaklander, is almost church-like, the choral minimalism of the vocals blending to baroque effect, while ‘Walk’ has the enervating alienation that is characteristic of Foxx’s finest work, casting him as an urban flaneur cruising the modern landscape, dispassionate in dystopia. A collection of possibilties; attractive angles and alternative futures.’ THE QUIETUS

‘John Foxx And The Maths are poets of electronic music and this release remains vibrant throughout its entirety. ‘Evidence’ is an electro classic; uncompromising, beautiful and complete; ‘That Sudden Switch’ and ‘Talk (Beneath Your Dreams’ are darker and Berlin-esque and another grandiose Gazelle Twin collaboration ‘A Falling Star’ is breathtaking.’ ARTROCKER

‘The mood is dark and unsettling as Foxx combines the icy beauty of ‘My Town’ with the eerie ‘Changelings’, featuring the haunting voice of Gazelle Twin.’ 4/5 CLASSIC POP

‘A pulsing electro cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Have A Cigar’ might be an unexpected (though warming) surprise, but the closing quartet of ‘Shadow Memory’, ‘Walk’, ‘Myriads’ and ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ sees Foxx and Benge simmering in exquisite fashion.’ 4/5 RECORD COLLECTOR

‘Foxx has embraced technology to create something otherworldly, chilling and at times dream-like on an album that hangs together beautifully.’ 4/5 VIVE LE ROCK 

‘Subtlety and ambience is the thing here. This garden of seemingly straightforward songs is nothing of the sort; it’s an analogue world of shifting details.’ 4/5 GAY TIMES

‘Lush basslines and dubby synths aplenty inducing a spaced out, slightly experimental but visceral vibe throughout.’ 7/10 FUTURE MUSIC

‘The electronic music godfather still sounds fresh and vital.’ EMUSIC

‘Ever since he started making music John Foxx has always sounded contemporary – and here, more than 35 years on, that remains the case. As a consequence Evidence is a mandatory listen for long time followers of Foxx and electronic music – but also for those new to the form.’ 5/5 DMC WORLD

‘If you already own John Foxx & The Maths’ previous albums Interplay and The Shape of Things then you need this album. If you don’t own those records then you need all three, and what a treat you have coming your way.’ 4/5 THIS IS NOT RETRO 

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John Foxx And The Maths’s third album Evidence will be released worldwide by Metamatic/Cargo Records on 25th February, 2013. It’s available from Amazon HERE

If you can’t wait, a limited number of copies are available exclusively in advance through the Official John Foxx Store. You can order the album HERE

The tracklisting is as follows:

1 Personal Magnetism
2 Evidence (Featuring The Soft Moon)
3 That Sudden Switch (Featuring Xeno & Oaklander)
4 Talk (Beneath Your Dreams) Featuring Matthew Dear
5 Neon Vertigo
6 Changelings (Featuring Gazelle Twin)
7 My Town
8 Have A Cigar
9 A Falling Star (Featuring Gazelle Twin)
10 Cloud Choreography
11 Shadow Memory
12 Walk
13 Myriads
14 Only Lovers Left Alive
BONUS TRACK
15 Talk (I Speak Machine Mix) (Featuring Tara Busch)

The 15-track CD brings together various new collaborations with The Soft Moon (the post-punk psychedelia of the title-track), Gazelle Twin (including the strikingly beautiful ‘Changelings’) , Xeno & Oaklander, Tara Busch and Matthew Dear from the last 18 months; plus a Pink Floyd cover version and some recently recorded Foxx/Benge material. This includes the rich, analogue glow of ‘Walk’ and end-of-the-world ballad ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’. Hannah Peel plays ‘space violin’ on ‘Neon Vertigo’ and ‘ My Town’.

Evidence is arguably their most atmospheric album so far – built around slower, starker beats and lots of space in the music with dreamlike echoes of Massive Attack, dub, Japan, Syd Barrett and Dead Can Dance.