Excavation is the second studio album by English musician Bobby Krlic under the pseudonym The Haxan Cloak. It was released on 15 April 2013 through Tri Angle. It received universal acclaim from critics.

Background Excavation is The Haxan Cloak's second studio album, following The Haxan Cloak (2011). As for the album's concept, Bobby Krlic said, "The first record was about a person's decline towards death, so this one's about the journey he takes afterwards." The album is mastered by Matt Colton. The album's cover art features a photograph taken by Cody Cobb.

Release Excavation was released on 15 April 2013 internationally and 30 April 2013 in the United States through Tri Angle. Bobby Krlic later built his home studio in Los Angeles, regained the master tapes to his work from various record labels, and founded the record label Archaic Devices. The Haxan Cloak and Excavation were both reissued on 24 November 2023 through Archaic Devices.

Critical reception

Philip James de Vries of Exclaim! called the album "a brilliant piece of work, one best enjoyed actively with a premium set of headphones, in solitude." Nick Neyland of Pitchfork stated, "It's not aesthetically similar to Scott Walker's later works, but it similarly highlights how certain music specifically needs the right time, place, and mood to function." Brandon Bussolini of XLR8R commented that "Excavation treads, for the most part, the line between electro-acoustic experimentation for its own sake and more familiar shapes, although the beats remain too diffuse to put a label on."

Accolades + Year-end lists for Excavation Publication List Rank Consequence Top 50 Albums of 2013 MusicOMH Top 100 Albums of 2013 Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2013 Pitchfork The Top 50 Albums of 2013 The Quietus Quietus Albums of the Year 2013 PopMatters The 75 Best Albums of 2013 Resident Advisor Top 20 Albums of 2013 Rolling Stone 20 Best Dance Albums of 2013 Spin 50 Best Albums of 2013 Under the Radar Top 125 Albums of 2013 XLR8R Best Releases of 2013

Track listing

Personnel Credits adapted from liner notes.

Bobby Krlic – music Dr.Me – design Matt Colton – mastering Cody Cobb – photography

Charts + Chart performance for Excavation Chart (2013) Peakposition UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC) 12 UK Official Record Store (OCC) 35

References

External links