Sam Howard's debut full-length, issued last week on No Pain In Pop, is sometimes too po-faced for it's own good, but it's still a promising collection of devotional electronica. Like the Fragile EP which preceded it, Ark makes maximum use of reverb, found sound, organ presets and dolorous choral voices to build a distinctive sonic space.
Album centrepiece 'Roses From The Dead' has now got a long-form remix from prim glitch/techno artist Max Cooper, previously responsible for well-regarded revamps of Portishead's 'Roads' and Hot Chip's 'I Feel Better'. On his own releases, Cooper's a reliably wide-reaching producer, tilting from the delicate techno of his 2009 Symphonica EP through to this year's lithe Inflections EP. As a remixer, he brings a similar degree of poise: fans of Thom Yorke's The Eraser will find plenty to appreciate in Cooper's juddering, expansive take on Halls' hallowed pop. The remix is exclusively
