Holden* - The Idiots Are Winning

An excellent piece of work from Holden, including many works far from what we would expect from this progressive house artist. While many of us would have liked to see his earlier works compiled into an album, this release far outdoes what any such album could have done in that it's so complex and coherent that the whole album feels like one big piece of art. Very IDMish, and extremely experimental, but Holden's talent for production shines. Recommended.

There are pieces that shine brightly but overall, Holden's first studio album feels unfinished and almost disappointing (although still better than 90% of the electronic music out there today). Holden has so much talent, evident on tracks such as "Lump" and "10101" but there seems to be a little too much "filler" which is only mildly interesting. Another common critique is the length of the album. Clocking in at barely 40 minutes in length, "The Idiots Are Winning" is much shorter than your average electronic studio album. I think this album would have received better reviews (and sales) if James had removed the more experimental tracks and left it as an EP, perhaps with a couple remix/versions of older songs of his. In summary, there are a few AMAZING tracks on this album, certainly worth the purchase, but don't approach "The Idiots Are Winning" looking for an entire album of Holden's trademark genius because you will likely leave unsatisfied.