Toronto-based IDM specialist Shaw-Han Liem (aka
I Am Robot and Proud) is no stranger to melodic precision -- fans of
Lemon Jelly and the
Postal Service will find much to love here. As a dexterous spinner of melody from the often-impenetrable abyss of binary blips and bleeps, he's been crafting little electronic webs of instrumental pop bliss since his 2001 debut.
Uphill City may break little ground in the
I Am Robot and Proud canon, but the familiar template of sped-up samples stacked upon each other in five- to ten-second increments still illicit instant comfort, even when they occasionally take a turn towards the dark, like on the chilly title cut. The newfound ease and affordability of creating computerized pop music may have spawned its legions of crap, but in this case the cream does indeed rise to the top. ~ James Christopher Monger