STACK #124 Feb 2016

MUSIC REVIEWS

STREAMYOUR FAVOURITE ALBUMS AT JBHI-FI NOW... NOW!

Doug Wallen dances with himself.

Zun Zun Egui Shackle’s Gift F*ck Buttons’ Andrew Hung produced the blistering second album by Zun Zun Egui, a UK collective formed by African guitarist/singer Kushal Gaya and Japanese keyboardist Yoshino Shigihara. Their sound is a giddy explosion of punk, jazz, funk, psych, and much more. They’re

able to evoke Talking Heads on African Tree and Dirty Projectors on Tickle the Line , but also The Mars Volta on City Thunder and Led Zeppelin on I Want You to Know . Plus, Late Bloomer is like an Afrobeat dance party crashed by stoner-rock thugs. XL/Remote Control/Inertia

Ghost Culture Ghost Culture ‘How strange, I’m satisfied,’ sings James Greenwood on the second track of his debut album as Ghost Culture. That sense of quiet wonderment, and of keeping ennui just at bay, pervades the record, which hinges musically on the point where moody synth-pop gives way to an all-night dance marathon. The English singer, songwriter and producer channels New Order, Depeche Mode and O.M.D, never forgetting to articulate his emotions – even when surrounding himself in pulsing electronics. It’s easy to see why Ghost Culture has became practically an overnight sensation right from opener Mouth , an addictive slow-burn that doesn’t introduce vocals until the two-minute mark. There’s a head-swimming lullaby vibe to the closing The Fog, while mini-epic Answer is probably the most insistently danceable track. Songs like Giudecca and Glaciers take a breathily intimate pop heart and stretch it into something more diffuse and floating. If at first Greenwood can sound merely like headphone comfort food, and not nearly as distinctive as his forebears, the nuances of his work reveal themselves gradually. Sometime it’s a lyric, a bass line, or a synth squiggle – but there’s increasingly more to pore over. Warner

DANCE/ELECTRONIC POP STACK

Ibeyi Ibeyi Despite being just 19, French Cuban twins Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz make a strong debut as piano/percussion duo Ibeyi. Rhythms are key, as proven by the snappy beats on River and Weatherman, but the vocals often steal the show. Oya is a dead ringer for Björk vocally, while other

turns are more rooted in R’n’B and gospel. There’s also a real emphasis on harmonies. These 13 songs can resemble each other too much at times, but the sheer potential is staggering. Expect to hear a lot about these ladies this year . XL/Remote Control/Inertia

All We Are All We Are Globe-trotting trio All We Are may reside in Liverpool, but the members hail from Brazil, Norway and Ireland. Even this debut album was conceived partly in Norway and North Wales. Their sound is similarly diverse, employing the dreamy haze of modern indie as well as funk

Public Service Broadcasting The Race for Space

London duo Public Service Broadcasting are an unlikely success story, jumping from toying around with old radio samples to playing Glastonbury and supporting The Rolling Stones. Their second LP is essentially a concept album built around samples from the

guitar and soul falsetto. It’s a warm combination on tunes like I Wear You , and producer Dan Carey (Bat For Lashes, M.I.A.) really knows how to embellish a record’s atmosphere, but there’s ultimately too much vagueness for anything to stick. Domino/EMI/Universal

real-life space race, but it leans too heavily on its source material. While there are thrills to certain guitar- riddled climaxes and synth-stoked tension, a similar conceit was done much better by Melbourne’s Black Cab on last year’s Games from the XXI Olympiad. This drawn-out, hit-and-miss effort pales in comparison. Inertia

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Simon Winkler knows all the meanings of the word ‘pop’.

Purity Ring Another Eternity Another Eternity is the second album from synth-pop specialists Purity Ring. Canadian duo Megan James and Corin Roddick earned an early reputation for their haunting electronic sounds, influenced in part by the abstract hip-hop they were listening to at the time. This album reveals a

new stage in their evolution, an even bolder range of R&B and pop inspired material. Begin Again is a good example, a confident reach into vivid synth-pop territory. Megan herself has described this as one of the more direct songs the band has written, an unobscured love story. It’s representative of the clarity, the honesty, and also the otherworldly transcendent pop elements that comprise this strong release. Remote Control/Inertia Mark Ronson Uptown Special

Jessica Pratt On Your Own Love Again Jessica Pratt’s debut album was a pure revelation when it arrived, seemingly from nowhere, in 2012. Like an undiscovered folk masterpiece of the late ‘60s or early ‘70s, the record was a perfect showcase for Jessica’s compelling voice, acoustic melodies and melancholic stories. The recordings were homemade, and exhibited an uncommon warmth and intimacy in their gently faded, tapeworn state. Jessica’s second album On Your Own Love Again is eagerly anticipated, and provides another glimpse into her unique songwriting world. The arrangements are again relatively sparse, although at various points an electric guitar, keyboards, and some layered harmonies add to the richness of the sonic surrounds. Strange Melody perhaps stands out the most with its drone-based qualities. Plaintive, contemplative, uplifting and inspiring, the album shows how very much can still be produced with the essential elements of songcraft and a subtle ear for melody and atmosphere. Mistletone/Caroline/Universal

Mark Ronson is perhaps one of the best connected artists in modern pop music. A talented producer with an appreciation for vintage funk, Ronson is a tremendous mediator in the music world, and a conduit for greatness. He’s famously collaborated with Amy Winehouse, and worked

with Kaiser Chiefs, Duran Duran and Rufus Wainwright, but here he brings together choir soloist Keyone Starr, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon, Stevie Wonder, and Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. It’s an all-star cast for an all-star record of literary pop, soul, psych and rock. Not quite a concept album, but the ideas and personnel are all cohesive and strong. Sony

Belle and Sebastian Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

Connan Mockasin Forever Dolphin Love It’s been a few years since this album first surfaced, but Forever Dolphin Love remains as elusive and engaging as the day of release. It’s a testament to the skill of New Zealand-born Connan Mockasin, an idiosyncratic writer of ethereal pop and somnolent pysch. Songs like It’s Choade My Dear float like a melodic

Belle and Sebastian are a modern pop institution. The Scottish ensemble are responsible for nine albums of eloquent indie rock. Of course, there are highlights in the rich catalogue, but most of their LPs are as elegant, wry,

fog, and Faking Jazz Together drifts with a mysterious purpose. Fans of his most recent album, Caramel, know how Mockasin plays with unconventional song structures and imbues an almost tactile quality to the music. Post- Caramel fans will find much to enjoy here, and earlier admirers will relish the chance to revisit this unique LP. Warner

sincere and smart as the others. Belle and Sebastian are also known for surprises, and there are a few to be found here – not least of which is a Europop disco number named Enter Sylvia Plath . It’s one of several dancefloor focused songs, including outstanding lead single The Party Line , showing the group in as spirited a mood as ever and ready to move. Remote Control/Inertia

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