The breakout success of Skee Mask's second record, 2018's Compro, means Pool arrives with a fair bit of anticipation, around these parts at least. No pressure. Well, indeed. Bryan Muller proves himself unflappable, going full force with a sprawling, skilful and inventive 3LP, 18 song set. There's righfully gonna be a lot of noise about this from all corners, and i'll contribute to that only by adding that Pool is perhaps best understood as a hier of sorts to that late 90s halcyon period for Warp, recalling, in its own way, how titans like LFO and Plaid managed to reimaging the dancefloor in cerebral but always loving ways. There's an exploratory spirit to Pool, but it's got a lot of heart, too, never weighed down by its ambition or smarts. A great return.
