Scott Herren is back with the opening salvo from his upcoming Preparations album. "The Class of 73 Bells(1)" featuring the mysterious conglomerate band School of Seven Bells is the usual blend of folk, electronica, and hip-hop we are accustomed to from Herren; but I am consistently impressed by the finesse by which he pulls it off. "Smoking Red(2)" featuring drummer Red Stanier is a nod to Prefuse's longtime fans with hard beats that eventually soften amidst Herren's tones and frenetic sample play. Vintage Prefuse! "En Blanco(3)" starts off the b-side with a texturized psyche-kraut sound; and this taster ends with a "strings" version(4) of "Class." Limited distribution on this single, so act quick.

reviewed by the mgmnt