STACK #207 Jan 2022

MUSIC FEATURE

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S hort, sharp jabs of guitar punctuate Amateur Hour, the infectious opening track of Eels’ 14th studio album. Bandleader E is at his sardonic best, expressing his joy in choosing his own food on the breezy Strawberries and Popcorn , and giving in to romantic temptation on Grandfather Clock Strikes Twelve . It’s not all fun and EELS SLITHER ON WITH ANOTHER GEM

L ike many of us, Bonobo mastermind Si Green rediscovered the restorative power of immersing himself in nature over the last couple of years, and such excursions inform Fragments . It's a collection of sad bangers, luminous as the swelling waves reflecting sun glitter on the album cover. Tides (feat. Jamila Woods) – the record’s centrepiece – closes out with harp and strings, spotlighting the fluid, organic instrumentation that trickles through banks of modular synths and distinguishes the entirety of Bonobo’s seventh album. Jordan Rakei’s vocal glints majestically within the old-school Shadows , which draws inspiration from Detroit house, Moodymann and Theo Parrish. Otomo , co-produced by one-to-watch O’Flynn, features a haunting Bulgarian-choir sample that hits psyche-deep. When that crunchy beat drops – around the 1:30-minute mark – this track is as all-consuming as an exorcism. Elsewhere: Elysian is Nitin Sawhney-level transportive; Age Of Phase ’s wild, arpeggiated beat and spliced vocal percussion fizzes with sonic schweppervescence; and closer Day by Day (feat. Kadhja Bonet), which boasts this album’s only in- person-recorded vocal, infuses gentle optimism. During our worldwide lockdown deprivation, Green “remembered all over again how much [he] loved crowds and movement and people BONOBO BESTOWS BLUE BANGERS

games though, with the album taking a melancholic detour on Stumbling Bee and So Anyway , the latter seeing E reflect on the breakdown of a relationship with a refreshing sincerity. Equal parts self-reflective and self-deprecating, Extreme Witchcraft is proof that Eels are as essential now as they were in the '90s. Holly Pereira

Extreme Witchcraft by Eels is out Jan 28 via PIAS/E Works.

THE POWER OF CAT COMPELS YOU

O n her third covers record, Chan Marshall – AKA Cat Power – once again puts her unmistakeable stamp on a collection of songs that hold great personal meaning for her. From conjuring memories of being a struggling artist with The Replacements’ Here Comes a Regular, to honouring a late friend with The Pogues’ A Pair of Brown Eyes , Marshall pays tribute to the songs that have soundtracked her life. The most unforgettable moment comes with Nico’s classic These Days , as Marshall delivers a reinterpretation that might just rival her well-known cover of Sea of Love . Significantly, the record also features a new version of Marshall’s own song Hate , which has been transformed into Unhate , flipping the narrative to celebrate her life rather than will it away. Holly Pereira

connecting with each other”, so created this soundtrack for the exact kind of meaningful, collective dancefloor moments we’ve ached for while restricted to family/household boogies. Like Willy Wonka &The Chocolate Factory ’s psychedelic boat ride (but for your ears), Fragments is awe-inspiring and miraculous. Bryget Chrisfield

Fragments by Bonobo is out Jan 14 via Ninja Tune.

Covers by Cat Power is out Jan 14 via Domino.

THE WOMBATS FixYourself, Not theWorld British indie rockers and one of Australia’s most loved acts, The Wombats, kick off 2022 with the release of their highly anticipated fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not the World. Out January 14th. At JB Hi-Fi we love to turn our customers on to NEWMUSIC

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