''No Fixed Point in Space'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by English musician Jack Cooper's music project Modern Nature. It was released on 29 September 2023 by Bella Union. The album features collaborations by

Anton Lukoszevieze Anton Lukoszevieze (born 1965) is a British-Lithuanian cellist, composer and visual artist. He is the director of the ensemble Apartment House, who are known for their advocacy of experimental and avant-garde music and frequent international perf ...

, Mira Benjamin,

Chris Abrahams Christopher Robert Lionel Abrahams (born 9 April 1961) is a New Zealand-born, Australian-based musician. He is a founding mainstay member of experimental, jazz trio the Necks (1987–present), collaborated with Melanie Oxley as a soul pop duo ...

and

Julie Driscoll Julie Driscoll Tippett (born 8 June 1947) is an English singer and actress, known for her work with Brian Auger and her husband, Keith Tippett. Career Driscoll is known for her 1960s versions of Bob Dylan and Rick Danko's " This Wheel's on F ...

Background

On 27 June 2023, Modern Nature announced the release of a new third studio album, along with a music video for the single 'Murmuration'. The second single, ''Cascade'' was released on 17 August 2023, with Cooper saying of the single:

"''Cascade'' is a link between the abstract colors of this record and the rhythms of the last one ''Island of Noise''. The imagery is an attempt to convey how overwhelming the world can be when you make the time to really observe it. Beautiful, intricate and infinite. I was honored to be able to sing this round a microphone with the great Julie Tippetts... something I'll never forget."

Critical reception

''No Fixed Point in Space'' was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

score of 77, based on 6 reviews. Mark Moody of '' Under the Radar'' wrote: "As with all of Cooper's post Ultimate Painting work, he has assembled a group of highly skilled musicians, created a framework for them to explore, and has let them roam and ramble in a fluid environment of their own making. ''No Fixed Point in Space'' takes this even further as the confines of traditional popular music are disassembled, much as the animals dispersing on the album's cover convey a pushing away from the center. At ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', Louis Pattison described the release as "a subtler and more muted record than its predecessor, and somewhat stranger in the bargain." Writer John Bergstrom of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' gave the release a 4 out of 10 stars, remarking "Despite its open orchestration and more experimental bent, it is Modern Nature's least interesting release."

Background

Critical reception

Accolades

Track listing

References

External links