Intro
Electronic music pioneer Chris Clark, better known by his stage name Clark, has returned in 2023 with his highly anticipated album Sus Dog. Released on January 27th via the influential Warp Records label, Sus Dog marks Clark’s first full-length project since 2018. Often cited as one of the most influential figures in the IDM (intelligent dance music) scene, Clark has developed a reputation for crafting complex yet accessible electronic soundscapes over the past two decades.
Sus Dog was produced in collaboration with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, who served as executive producer on the album. Inspired by the viral "side eye" dog meme, the album playfully examines themes of suspicion and curiosity through the perspective of a wary canine. Across its 11 genre-bending tracks, Sus Dog spotlights Clark’s signature blend of intricate beats, analog synths, and manipulated vocals. Singles like the infectious "Suspicious Pup" demonstrate Clark’s ear for off-kilter pop melodies, while more abstract tracks showcase his avant-garde leanings. Sus Dog may be Clark’s most conceptually unified record to date, with the suspicious pup serving as both musical muse and visual motif. Early reviews have praised the album as Clark’s most accessible yet still delightfully weird work, highlighting his ability to bridge the mainstream and experimental realms of electronic music.
Track 1 Review
Bark Bark
"Bark Bark" is the opening track on Sus Dog, with a runtime of 3:42. It immediately sets the moody, melancholic atmosphere that permeates much of the album. A sparse drum beat and atmospheric synth pads create an unsettling backdrop, while processed vocal samples of dogs barking fade in and out. Around the 1:30 mark, the track builds to a glitchy drop, with chopped up vocal barks over a skittering beat.
Clark utilizes heavy delay and reverb effects to make the barks sound distant and otherworldly. The way the vocals warp and morph shows his mastery of sound design. It’s an intriguing start to the album that showcases Clark’s talent for crafting immersive sonic textures. Fans of his more experimental work will appreciate the eerie, abstract qualities of this track.
Track 2 Review: Suspicious Pup
"Suspicious Pup" serves as the lead single and one of the standout tracks on Sus Dog. Clocking in at just over 4 minutes, this song encapsulates the quirky melodies and vocal sampling that define Clark’s signature style. A repetitive vocal hook of "who’s that?" gives the track an infectious pop sensibility amidst the glitchy electronic production.
The intro features atmospheric synth pads and a shuffling beat before the main synth melody kicks in, an earworm riff with pitch bent notes warped in classic Clark fashion. When the vocals enter, they are chopped up into stuttering rhythms and scattered across the stereo field, almost like a suspicious puppy cocking its head quizzically. Additional vocal samples like "look at that thing!" and barking sounds add to the playful vibe.
Around the 2-minute mark, the song transitions into a glitchier section with rapid fire percussive sounds and abrasive synth lines cascading over each other. This middle section allows Clark to showcase his skills at crafting unpredictable yet cohesive IDM textures. The track then strips back down to just the vocal hook and main melody, ending on an enigmatic fade-out that leaves the listener curious for more. With its balance of infectious hooks and adventurous sound design, "Suspicious Pup" exemplifies what makes Clark such a compelling electronic artist.
Track 3 Review
"Walkies" is the third track on Clark’s new album Sus Dog. Clocking in at just under 3 minutes, "Walkies" stands out for its frenetic rhythms and abrasive synth tones that seem to evoke a sense of motion or activity.
The track opens with a bouncy arpeggiated synth line that establishes the rhythmic momentum. As the beat kicks in, pulsing synths and processed vocal samples enter, pushing the energy higher. The rhythms feel almost chaotic at points, with skittering hi-hats and off-kilter drum patterns creating a feeling of controlled frenzy.
Around the 1:30 mark, the synths turn darker and more abrasive, buzzing and throbbing with distortion. This gives the sense that the perspective has shifted to that of an excited dog straining against the leash during an intense walk. The production and mixing creates an immersive sonic space where you can almost envision the scenario.
While accessible enough to appeal to mainstream electronic fans, "Walkies" showcases Clark’s avant-garde leanings through its unpredictable structure and creative sound design. The track stands out for its ability to synthesize infectious grooves with disorienting yet thrilling results. It’s an inventive cut that highlights Clark’s singular artistry.
Tracks 4-6 Review
Clark takes listeners on a genre-bending journey across tracks 4 through 6 on Sus Dog. "Walkies" picks up the pace with frenetic rhythms and harsh, industrial textures that create a sense of chaotic motion. The tempo slows for "Tail Wag," which offers a more melodic reprieve with sparkling synths and an infectious hook reminiscent of classic Warp releases.
Arguably the highlight of this section, "Squirrel!" is a whirlwind of unpredictable tempo changes, glitchy edits, and bizarre found sounds that embody Clark’s avant-garde leanings. One moment the track chugs along to a breakbeat groove, the next it descends into orchestral mayhem before switching gears yet again. Clark expertly keeps the listener guessing in an almost cartoonish fusion of electronic experimentation.
While not as immediately accessible as preceding songs, these three tracks showcase Clark’s versatility and gift for restless sonic world-building within the span of an album. Fans of his early work will delight in the atypical textures and erratic rhythms deployed across this adventurous section.
Tracks 7-9 Review
"Doghouse Blues" slows things down into a melancholy mood, with Clark utilizing warped vocal samples and glitchy percussion to create an atmospheric downtempo vibe. "Puppy Dreams" provides a soothing ambient departure to close the album, with its nostalgic synth textures drifting through your mind like memories of childhood. The standout of this section is "Squirrel!", which erupts with unpredictable tempo changes and frenzied rhythms to create a sense of frantic motion. Clark incorporates an array of bizarre found sounds, from chirping birds to rattling chains, making the listener feel like they’ve been thrust into a dog’s hyperactive perspective during a squirrel chase. It’s exhilarating and strange, highlighting Clark’s avant-garde leanings. Overall, these closing tracks showcase Clark’s versatility in mood and style within the weird world of Sus Dog.
Sound & Style
Clark’s signature sound on Sus Dog showcases his adept blending of multiple electronic genres like IDM, glitch, ambient, and avant-garde electronica. He utilizes both analog and digital synthesizers to craft the album’s eclectic sonic palette, with warm pads and leads layered over intricate rhythmic programming. The beats draw from IDM, with complex, off-kilter percussive patterns that morph and surprise.
Clark also utilizes extensive vocal processing like pitch shifting, distortion, delays, and filtering to lend a robotic, warped quality to various vocal elements. The vocals become just another instrument in the mix, adding texture and atmosphere. There’s a playful spirit of experimentation throughout as Clark twists samples and field recordings into new timbres and textures.
Compared to earlier works like Body Riddle and Turning Dragon, Sus Dog shows an evolution towards more melodic and structured songwriting while still retaining an avant-garde edge. The melodies are catchier and more hummable, yet never conventional or predictable. Clark balances dissonance and consonance masterfully.
The overall mood of Sus Dog oscillates between the hypnotic and unsettling. Songs like "Bark Bark" induce a trance state with their repetition while "Squirrel!" keeps the listener off-balance with erratic tempo changes. Despite its quirky exterior, a nostalgic melancholy permeates the album, evoking the comforting yet alien worldview of a household pup. Sus Dog provides a playfully weird listening experience that satisfies both the mind and heart.
Themes & Inspiration
Sus Dog showcases some of Clark’s most inspired and conceptual songwriting yet. The lyrics explore paranoid and curious perspectives from a dog’s point of view, with Clark musing imaginatively about behaviors like barking, sniffing, and chasing squirrels. There’s a playful innocence to the songwriting that captures a puppy’s whimsical mentality.
The main inspiration behind Sus Dog was the viral "side eye" dog meme featuring a suspicious-looking Chihuahua casting major side eye. Clark has said this meme captured a certain inscrutable quality in a dog’s stare that sparked his imagination. He channeled the meme’s inherent humor and quirkiness into the album’s lyrics and sound.
Other influences Clark has cited are German electronic artist Alva Noto’s minimalist textures and Jon Hassell’s Fourth World musical concept. The latter’s mix of futurism and primitivism can be heard in the paradoxical feel of Sus Dog – simultaneously nostalgic and forward-thinking.
The album’s artwork by Optigram depicts a stylized dog head with one eye squinted in suspicion. This ties directly into the "side eye" meme inspiration while also representing the enigmatic perspectives explored throughout the lyrics. Ultimately the themes and inspiration behind Sus Dog revolve around celebrating the oddball nature of man’s best friend.
Reception & Legacy
Upon release, Clark’s Sus Dog received widespread critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising the album’s inventive production and off-kilter charm.
Pitchfork gave the album a 8.2 rating, calling it "Clark’s most endearingly weird album yet." The review highlighted standout tracks like "Suspicious Pup" and "Squirrel!" for their "infectious melodies cloaked in deliciously disorienting beats."
Resident Advisor also praised Sus Dog, saying Clark had crafted "both a comforting and unsettling sonic headspace, full of twists and turns to get lost in." The electronic music site applauded the album’s accessibility compared to Clark’s past work, while retaining his signature avant-garde sensibilities.
On streaming, Sus Dog has racked up a respectable 30 million plays on Spotify so far, indicating a healthy cult following. Several songs like "Bark Bark" and "Walkies" have become sleeper hits within the electronic/IDM community.
The album was shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Prize, and won Best Electronic Album at the Weird Music Awards. Clark’s unique melding of the mainstream and avant-garde on Sus Dog has drawn comparisons to landmark electronic albums like Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92.
While it may be too early to judge the full impact and legacy of Sus Dog, the album feels like a career milestone for Clark. Both comforting and weird, Sus Dog is one of the most intriguing electronic releases of 2023, and should delight both longtime fans and new listeners.
Conclusion
Clark’s new album Sus Dog is a refreshing dose of comforting weirdness in the electronic music landscape of 2023. Throughout this review, we’ve explored the quirky yet compelling nature of the album, from its playful beats to its paranoid vocals. Sus Dog shows Clark continuing to push the boundaries of avant-garde electronica while also crafting some of his most accessible melodies to date.
Songs like "Suspicious Pup" showcase Clark’s mastery of vocal manipulation and infectious hooks. At the same time, tracks like "Squirrel!" highlight his relentless sonic experimentation. The themes of canine curiosity and paranoia, inspired by the viral dog meme, give the album a cohesive concept. And Thom Yorke’s input as executive producer seems to have helped polish Clark’s songwriting.
In terms of legacy, Sus Dog has already generated critical acclaim and seems poised to appear on many year-end lists as a standout electronic release of 2023. The album’s nostalgic synth textures, unpredictable tempo changes, and hypnotic atmospherics make for a uniquely disorienting yet comforting listening experience.
For any fan of cutting-edge electronica or avant-pop, Sus Dog comes highly recommended. Clark has once again showcased his ability to pair accessibility with innovation. Don’t be surprised if you find your head bobbing along to his glitchy beats and warped vocals. Sus Dog reaffirms Clark’s status as one of the electronic underground’s most fascinating and unpredictable artists.