The first time I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I was enthralled. On my third watch, I had to ask “…why is he ageing backwards?” The glass shattered. It is hard to relisten to Cry Sugar when its eccentric, elongated musical venture is never justified. The experience resembles talking to someone while they trip at the supermarket. Hudson Mohawke is in touch with something potent, but the voluptuous ambition feels self-indulgent by the finish line. Dystopia once sounded trudging; Cry Sugar suggests it is more resonant as a glitzy, abrasive oppression. The idea works, but the ratios are off, and that same obnoxious energy infects the process.
17/30
A favourite: ‘Dance Forever’
‘Cry Sugar’ is out now via Warp Records.
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