This is Manchester-based Mark Stewart"s second full-length release and first release for the Modern Love label as Claro Intelecto. Following the release of 2004"s Neurofibro, Stewart decided to re-direct his attention away from the IDM and electro influences that shaped much of his early work. Mark made use of an astute line in reduction and a love of sonorous bass lines to develop the Warehouse Sessions, a series of EPs that carried the essence of Manchester"s infamous club prototypes with a look towards the stripped aesthetic of Berlin and Cologne. With four years gone since the release of his debut, Mark has spent the last year piecing together Metanarrative, built around 8 tracks that provide the backbone and emotive arc for the grand narrative alluded to in the title. Gone are the uncompromising percussive arrangements of the Warehouse Sessions, instead the sound returns to a more melodic, quietly euphoric display of opposites: sweet melodies and heavily padded bass frequencies, introspective conceits and propulsive percussion, and populist arrangements built with a deviant sound palette. The opener "Operation" sums this process up perfectly, the arrangement building around a succession of chord progressions and shuffling percussion that develops sweet tension and momentum without ever breaking into the obvious. "Harsh Reality" tugs more openly at the heartstrings with an intro that gives you every reason to believe that what"s to follow might be the most readily commercial material from this artist yet, but the eventual bass line inverts expectations and delivers something both moving and exhilarating. By the time the album ends with "Beautiful Death" a mere 40 minutes later, all that"s left is a weathered bass pulse and long-forgotten memories that urge you to press "play" again. Short and perfectly formed, Metanarrative builds bridges between techno and pop, between minimalism and rich songwriting, between the memories of the past and the opening of new horizons.