Album “Reviews”

A Shapeless Pool of Lovely Pale Colours Suspended in the Darkness by Smurphy

Justin Anastasio, Leave a comment

ASPOLPCSITD - Smurphy

You’re walking down your normal neighborhood sidewalk, just like any normal day. The normal birds are chirping, the normal breeze blowing. Suddenly, a small wormhole opens beneath you, and you are plunged into utter darkness. Everything is moving fast and slow at the same time. Hopefully, you can eventually find a way back to your normal home so you can tell your normal family and normal friends about this. There are truly no words in any human language for what you are witnessing. And the sounds . . .

Yes I know, that album title is quite a mouthful, but I still believe it to be too short to encompass the expansive magnitude of this record. Smurphy is producer (/warlock?) Jessica Smurphy, and ASPOLPCSITD is her new, experimentally-astounding album. It’s not an easy task to accurately describe what is contained in this Pandora’s box, so please, bear with me and dive into this weirdly-awesome, hauntingly-gorgeous piece of music.

The gifted producer utilizes a unique fusion of murky ambience and propulsive footwork beats. The blend is marginally reminiscent of Machinedrum and JLin (both absolutely worth checking out), but Smurphy’s sounds are still galaxies away from either of those two artists’ productions. She plunges the listener deep into unfamiliar worlds of bizarre, rhythmic instrumentation, providing only her ghostly singing voice as a navigator.

It’s clear that sample-enthusiasts will be smitten with this album. It’s plump with tasteful chops and cuts of otherworldly voices and sounds. However, my favorite of this album’s attributes has to be the beat production. The rhythms present on this record are mind-blowing, and that’s coming from the mouth of a percussionist. If you’re seeking rhythmically-experimental music with magnificent ambience, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

A Shapeless Pool of Lovely Pale Colours Suspended in the Darkness by Smurphy

Nature by Valet

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Valet - Nature

You’re alive and aware during the Great Peace. It’s been a century since the last war between humans; since fear, hatred, and suffering existed among the living. Those unnecessary things are all gone now. Death has lost, and Life has won. You find yourself committed to a leisurely stroll along a serene river. You stop, turn, and fall softly onto the grass behind you. You lift your eyes skyward and zone out into the clouds. A warm sound begins to fill your ears . . .

I feel a slight giddiness while writing this, because of the incredible warmth contained in this record. Honey Owens and her partner, Rafael Fauria, make up the duo known as Valet, and Nature is their first album in seven years. The group’s overarching sound falls somewhere under the umbrella genre of Shoegaze, but they possess a distinct, joyous beauty that sets them apart from other shoegazers.

Where Valet’s previous albums tend to navigate through the songwriting process by way of more experimental waters, this new one is completely content to sit back and revel in comfortable clouds of washed-out bliss. The songs are still quite brilliant, but they sneak up on you slowly, rather than throw everything in your face instantly. It begs to be heard in a relaxed environment, with feet up and eyes closed. This is zone out music, and that’s completely and wonderfully okay.

However, the guitar tones are truly what put this record over the top. Every strum is a wave of sonic euphoria. I just want to hang out forever in the world this record has created. Some tracks seem to reach the outro halfway in, and ride it till it seems to fade out into eternity; and you know what? It still sounds like these songs could go on for much longer. If you’re seeking warm, joyful shoegaze music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Nature by Valet

Tundra by Lakker

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Lakker - Tundra

You find yourself stumbling through a forest, confused about how you arrived there. Through a clearing in the trees, you lay eyes on what appears to be a large metal building. There is a single door on one side. You open it. Inside is a factory, stretching for as far as you can see. You take a few steps before it dawns on you: this factory is dedicated to creating robots, and every single one looks exactly like you. What are you going to do with this information?

Suspense and tension. Lakker are masters of these two things, and their second album Tundra is one of the most suspenseful, most tense, most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. Techno is this duo’s game, but this is no typical techno record. These songs are huge and cavernous, like empty factories that continue to run and produce in an efficient way, long after the consumers have gone extinct. It’s dark, but it’s fascinating.

Lakker utilize a particular concoction of rhythmic, percussive techno instrumentation, and tastefully chosen field samples seamlessly integrated together. The end result is quite intense, but it isn’t abrasive or dissonant. A few choice songs contain heart-wrenching, operatic vocal samples that contrast with the heavy rhythms in a superb way. Every song is a ritual that takes time to evolve, but the process of each progression is a sight (or sound, rather) to behold.

This is one of those albums that conveys an incredible amount of emotion without requiring any lyrics. The somber melodies hit hard, and they hit deep. These songs might knock you over; these songs might make you weep; these songs might even make you dance. The point is that they will make you feel something, and that’s the most important thing in my opinion. If you’re seeking suspenseful, melodious, and rhythmic techno, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Tundra by Lakker

In Colour by Jamie xx

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Jamie xx - In Colour

Welcome to Spectrum Land! You’ve just entered the front gates of the newly-opened amusement park. The sun is warm on your face, and you hear the faint sound of waves crashing on a nearby beach. The main draw of Spectrum Land are its many “Spectrum Coasters,” which are essentially roller-coasters for different colors in the color spectrum, and they each have their own unique soundtrack. How could you pass that up? Enjoy your day!

This has to be another one of those universally-loved records. It’s just too damn pleasant on the ears. You may know Jamie xx, or Jamie Smith, as one of the three members that make up The xx, or maybe from his work with the late legendary soul singer Gil Scott-Heron. The fact is, Smith has been deep in the scene creating wonderful music since he attended the legendary Elliott School in London (other notable alumni include Burial, Four Tet, and Hot Chip). In Colour is the talented producer’s debut album, and what an absolutely gorgeous debut it is.

At its core, this is dance music, but not the skyward-hands/pogo-jumping dance music you’ll find at most modern, exclusively electronic festivals. These sounds are for the wallflowers, often found propped up against the back wall, eyes closed, head lowered and nodding with the beat. It’s a bit reminiscent of Flying Lotus’ minimal opus, Until The Quiet Comes. There are a myriad of moving parts in each of these songs, and it requires a committed headspace in order to effectively absorb everything presented. These are intricate songs, but they sound completely seamless and fluid.

Just as the title suggests, each of these songs seem to reside in a different color. Many of them fall within darker shades, but it’s during vocal tracks “SeeSaw,” “Stranger In A Room,” and “Loud Places” (featuring Romy, Oliver Sim, and Romy once more, respectively) that this album really glows with beauty. Jamie xx has created something truly special here, something with a whole lot of both heart and soul infused. If you’re seeking music to groove to, but also to think to, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

In Colour by Jamie xx

Hairless Toys by Róisín Murphy

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Roisin Murphy - Hairless Toys

You are a patron in the galaxy’s premiere mobile spa and bath house, located inside a large whale on a planet made up entirely of water. The facilities are designed to heat and filter the water consumed by the large beast. You grab your towel and recline in a chair surrounding one of the large bodies of water. The ripples reflect onto every surface. Your ears start to adjust, and you hear music coming from somewhere, slowly growing louder . . .

Gorgeous. It’s the ideal word to describe this pretty little album. Róisín Murphy is an Irish singer-songwriter that has been creating music in some form or another for over two decades (one of those with her previous band, Moloko), and Hairless Toys is her third solo album. This thing is ripe with stellar songwriting, and I can’t say enough good things about the instrumentation and marvelous singing present in every one of these songs.

Murphy’s style is reminiscent of theatrical groove-pop in the vein of Mr. Twin Sister and Sébastien Tellier. Murphy’s biggest asset may not even be her vocal skill, but rather her patience. Each track contains various movements that grow and evolve at a wonderful pace, and many times she allows the soaring instrumentation to carry everything from point A to point B. Most of these songs hang around the six-minute mark, but each one sounds as if it could be two (or even three) separate tracks on a less-adept artist’s album. It’s a nice breath of fresh air.

And the layers. Oh, the layers. These aren’t your typical pop song productions, but instrumental tapestries woven with sound ornamentations of every type and timbre. It’s a deep dive in a sonic ocean, containing glimpses of any sights and sounds you can imagine, and many that are completely unique. If you’re seeking intricate groove-pop with watery textures, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Hairless Toys by Róisín Murphy

Frozen Niagara Falls by Prurient

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Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls

You’re a survivor during an ice age that’s decimated the human population and reduced it to a measly percentage of what it once was. The world, a crystallized wasteland. The other members from your group have long since starved or abandoned you. You’ve found refuge in a frozen cavern, and you decide to venture deep into the catacombs. The narrow tunnel opens into an expansive clearing. The walls begin to shake with sound . . .

Let me start off by stating that this album is not for everyone. It’s loud, abrasive, and at times pretty frightening. Let that be a warning, but don’t let it discourage you from giving this beastly record an honest chance. Frozen Niagara Falls is the latest offering from Prurient (also know as Vatican Shadow), one of the most prominent names in the modern noise music ecosystem, and an artist possessing a truly unique vision.

There are two perfect, dichotomous words that materialize in my mind every time I listen to this album. The first is “harsh,” and this is where I fear I may scare away readers, but I want to make it clear to you that this element of intensity is necessary, and even essential for what Prurient is attempting to accomplish (and vastly succeeding). His electronic noise soundscapes resemble monstrous mountains being torn asunder by ancient deities. It’s overwhelming and it’s awesome.

The second descriptor is “beauty.” In between the moments of world-shattering chaos, the rubble clears and awe-inspiring gorgeousness remains. The producer’s voice can be found sermonizing over many of the songs, often concerning hefty topics and themes such as drug-use and religion. If you allow this record into your life and let it break you down, it will surely reveal its treasures to you, and you’ll absolutely walk away with a completely new and original experience. If you’re seeking sounds that challenge, frighten, and beautifully overwhelm, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Frozen Niagara Falls by Prurient

Northern Lights by Cobblestone Jazz

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Cobblestone Jazz - Northern Lights

You’re a planetary explorer beginning your shift on a desolate world, long since abandoned or exterminated; nobody knows which. That’s your job. You start your hover-car and emerge onto the empty streets. The planet’s “sun” descends behind a distant mountain, projecting a dark orange, twilight hue onto everything. It’s quiet. You glance at the decorative radio dial on the vehicle’s dashboard and laugh to yourself before slowly turning the volume knob up . . .

Deep house. The two magic words that everyone seems to have in their mouths and in their ears at all times these days. Whether you side with the old-school, jazz-influenced, subtle improvisational-styled deep house, or the new-school, EDM-styled “deep house” matters not at this moment, because the trio known as Cobblestone Jazz are about as deep as it gets, and I mean that in the most positive way.

The two songs that make up the two sides of this LP are sonically-minimal journeys with only a solitary, four-on-the-floor kick drum as the guide. That isn’t to say that the ideas present on this wonderful little album are minimal in any way, shape, or form. These tracks are patient, but they’re also incredibly alive. It isn’t dissimilar to a midnight stroll through a forest; you may not be able to point out much during the initial pass-through, but wait till your eyes (or ears I should say) adjust, and the true beauty emerges.

The inclusion of the word “jazz” in their name makes a whole lot of sense, because even though the record is held together primarily by electronic production, it sounds as if a jazz trio is performing everything live. The subtle instrumental flourishes absolutely set this group apart from many others creating this flavor of music. This is one pretty piece of art with equal footing in both the dance world and musicality world alike. If you’re seeking beautifully-subtle music that you can move your feet to, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Northern Lights by Cobblestone Jazz

The Hydrangeas Whisper by Boof

Justin Anastasio, 3 Comments

Boof - The Hydrangeas Whisper

You’ve just paid the cover charge for the galaxy’s premiere dance club/time machine. Patrons of all species gradually stumble into the large room. The DJ grabs the mic and starts to shout. “Welcome, folks! This is Time Warp (not to be confused with Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s Time Warp), and tonight we’ll be zooming and grooving all over the universe in search of one thing: the funk!” You hear an engine start up and the room comes to life. Pleasant travels!

Boof is just one of the numerous names donned by Maurice Fulton, the producer behind The Hydrangeas Whisper, the immaculate funk/house record that more people need to be talking about. Think Todd Terje’s It’s Album Time, but much more mindful of the dance floor headspace. This is undoubtably an artist that holds a mastery over the movement of feet and the bobbing of heads.

Fulton’s sound design and song progressions are fascinating, but what really shines here is the tasteful inclusion of live instrumentation. Nearly every song has some form of marvelous solo riding the wave of house music euphoria. These tracks are definitely slow-burners, but that doesn’t mean you won’t adore every step on these lengthy sonic staircases, and the crests of each will incite chills throughout your whole body.

Maybe the most intriguing inclusion on this wonderful album is a little track entitled “Emi’s M,” which sounds eerily reminiscent of a nigh unmistakable Dave Brubeck classic. Fulton has no issue with making it his own and mutating it into a jazz/dance fusion track for the ages. Quite honestly, this whole record, front-to-back, will provoke head nodding at the very least. If you’re seeking dance floor-igniting, funk/jazz-influenced house music with skilled live instrumentation, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

The Hydrangeas Whisper by Boof

Ten Love Songs by Susanne Sundfør

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Susanne Sundfør - Ten Love Songs

The end of the world is here. You are a soul sans a physical body, suspended in a perplexing yet comfortable state, in what appears to be an endless sky stretching in all directions. Other twinkling souls surround you, all facing inward toward an empty space. A bright light from the space illuminates everything, and suddenly you know, without a doubt, that love is all there is and ever was. The light shrinks and silhouettes a female human form. She begins to sing . . .   

I find myself a smidgen anxious while writing this, as there could be no way to string words together to effectively encapsulate how much this album means to me. It is (and I anticipate it will remain for some time) my favorite album released this year, so far. It’s stunningly gorgeous in a multitude of different ways, and I will do my best to highlight just a few of those.

Susanne Sundfør may not be a name you recognize immediately unless you’re reading this from somewhere in Norway or its surrounding areas, where Sundfør is something of a household name and musical hero. Ten Love Songs is her sixth album, but only her second that’s been released on a wide scale. To put it candidly, Sundfør fills each album with simply gorgeous little pop songs nestled within expansive worlds of classical and electronic instrumentation. Her previous album, The Silicone Veil (also a masterpiece, in my opinion), drives a little more on the experimental side of the road, while this record embraces the pop lane in the best way.

From the very first few seconds of “Darlings,” it’s clear that Sundfør and her angelic voice are just something different; something worth listening to and sharing with people you care about. “Fade Away,” “Delirious,” and “Slowly” are perfect, timeless pop songs for any generation. “Memorial” and “Trust Me” could be amazing, world-altering novels in written form. I truly believe Susanne Sundfør has the potential to ignite a terraforming of the entire pop music landscape, forcing simpleminded artists to rethink their strategies entirely. If you’re seeking gorgeously-orchestrated, experimentally-minded pop music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Ten Love Songs by Susanne Sundfør

Multi-Love by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love

You’ve just stumbled through the door and into the hippest funk club on Saturn’s most happening moon, Hyperion. Species of all sorts fill the smoky room, enjoying drinks and substances of all sizes and shapes. The lights dim down, the house musicians takes the stage, an applause thunders and dies, and the band begins their set . . .

I truly, madly, and deeply love (multi-love?) this album. Multi-Love is Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s third studio album, and it’s astoundingly pleasing how much they’ve sonically progressed since their previous two records (which are also quite great, might I add). I struggle to find the right words that effectively encompass this melodically-expansive album, but I can tell you that this talented group has brought the funk, and they’ve brought it hard.

I sincerely hope Prince and Stevie are bobbing their heads to this somewhere in the world, because I know they would surely adore this record. Sound design and savvy studio skills play a hefty role, but they certainly don’t detract from the stellar songwriting found here. If you know of sweeter progressions than the ones found on standouts “The World Is Crowded” and “Necessary Evil,” please, I’m all ears.

And the melodies. Oh, the melodies. I am hard pressed to call this the catchiest album of the year, so far. Every song sounds like a song that’s existed for decades. There is something for everyone on this record, and you’ll discover new things that you love about it with each subsequent listen. If you’re seeking the funkiest tones this side of the galaxy, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Multi-Love by Unknown Mortal Orchestra