All I knew about Airport 85 is that it's the bloke who was in Math-rock footnotes
Nub. Which doesn't really prepare you for how great this album is. The influences are disparate - throw in some Slint, some Spoon, a dose of Boards of Canada, some Massive Attack (especially on the slow-boiling 'Saboteurs') some other stuff including driving pop and even a smatter of hip-hop - but lightly worn. Movies and planes seem to be the main touchstones here, although there's a nice opacity to the lyrics that'll have you relistening. And that's where this album really triumphs - the instantly hummable 'singles' of the first listen give way to the slower, sombre builders, and after a dozen or so listens you might still love the songs you loved first go round, or you might have nestled up to the haunting 'Cleveland' or pulsating 'Saboteurs'. I first heard a leak of this last year, and it was my favourite album of 2009. Now that it's out, someone will really have to go some to stop it being my album of 2010 as well.