''Scope Neglect'' is the sixth studio album by Australian-Icelandic musician Ben Frost. It was released on 1 March 2024 through

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...

, as his first studio offering in seven years, following '' The Centre Cannot Hold'' (2017). It features collaborations from Greg Kubacki of

Car Bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

and Liam Andrews of

My Disco MY DISCO (stylized in capitals) is an Australian music group formed in 2003 by brothers Ben and Liam Andrews. It includes members from Agents of Abhorrence and Clann Zú. Background MY DISCO was formed in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, by broth ...

Background and singles

''Scope Neglect'' was recorded at Candybomber Studios, located at

Berlin Tempelhof Airport Berlin Tempelhof Airport () was one of the first airports in Berlin, Germany. Situated in the south-central Berlin borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, the airport ceased operating in 2008 amid controversy, leaving Tegel and Schönefeld as the ...

, together with engineer Ingo Krauss. Inspired by the approaches of

Mark Hollis Mark David Hollis (4 January 1955 – February 2019) was an English musician and singer-songwriter. He achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s as the co-founder, lead singer and principal songwriter of the band ...

and

Talk Talk Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), Paul Webb (bass), and Simon Brenner (keyboards). Initially a synth-pop group, Talk Talk's first two albums, '' The Party's Over'' (198 ...

, the recording process was met with the use of innovative recording techniques. Frost would reveal only parts of his arrangements to his collaborators and point their efforts into one direction, while continuing into another one. In the process, Frost created entire orchestrations with the intent to push dynamics into unpredictable territory. The album draws inspiration from "transcendental reveries" of " West Coast minimalists" and leans sonically more "into

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

". In a press release, ''Scope Neglect'' was described as a "journey of contrasts, where raw power meets ethereal delicacy" that sees the musician venturing into "new sonic territories". Frost previously tested out most of the material on the record during concerts in 2023 and 2024. On 15 November 2023, after years of collaborational ventures, Frost returned to solo endeavours by releasing the lead single "Turning the Prism". Dubbed a signature song of his, it showcases "his strong dynamic evolution in the realms of sound and artistry". The musician shared first details of ''Scope Neglect'' on 11 January 2024, alongside the release of the second single "The River of Light and Radiation". A third single, "Chimera", was released on 15 February.

Critical reception

Philip Sherburne of ''

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 ...

'' wrote that Frost makes a "claustrophobic landscape out of chugging metal riffs" as the album "plays out like a loose theme and variations". Calling it "inscrutable", Sherburne also felt that "where even the most extreme metal typically conveys a feeling of exhilaration, ''Scope Neglect'' feels dour and cramped and weirdly enervating—a foul mood in a windowless room".

Track listing

Personnel

Liam Andrews MY DISCO (stylized in capitals) is an Australian music group formed in 2003 by brothers Ben and Liam Andrews. It includes members from Agents of Abhorrence and Clann Zú. Background MY DISCO was formed in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, by broth ...

– performance * Carlos Boix – live

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

Paul Corley Paul Corley is an American composer, producer, and sound artist. Biography Corley joined the Icelandic music collective and record label Bedroom Community in 2007, working alongside Nico Muhly, Ben Frost and Valgeir Sigurðsson. In 2012 Corley r ...

– additional production *

Lawrence English Lawrence English (born 1976) is an Australian composer, artist, and curator from Brisbane. His work is broadly concerned with the politics of perception, specifically he is interested in the nature of listening, and sounds' capability to occupy ...

– additional production * Form und Konzept – design * Ben Frost – performance, production *

Tim Hecker Tim Hecker is a Canadian electronic musician, producer, composer, and sound artist. His work, spanning albums such as '' Harmony in Ultraviolet'' (2006), '' Ravedeath, 1972'' (2011) and '' Virgins'' (2013), has been widely critically acclaimed. ...

– additional production * Greg Kubacki – performance * Christian Wright – mastering

Charts

References

{{reflist 2024 albums Ben Frost albums Mute Records albums