Downtempo Recommendations August 2013

Review: It was back in 2009, with the release of debut album Continent - and, arguably to a greater extent, the decidedly Balearic cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Big Love" - that CFCF announced himself as a serious talent. Since then, the Canadian producer has graced stellar US independents like RVNG Intl and UNO with his singular approach to electronic composition that embraces wide-eyed Balearica, skewed synth-pop, downtempo grooves and touchy-feely disco have constantly impressed. Released jointly by Paberbag Records and Dummy Records, Music For Objects is an impeccably picturesque mini LP that takes inspiration from the hypnotic American minimalism of Steve Reich. Largely beatless, it's packed with stunning moments, from the cascading beauty of "Camera", with its droning synths and sitars, to the Reichian rush of "Glass". The mournful piano piece "Perfume" is also stunning in its cultured simplicity. Recommended.

Review: Branching the sound of Houndstooth out ever further, Throwing Snow man-on-a-mission Ross Tones joins forces with bewitching vocalist Augustus Ghost, otherwise known as Hannah Cartwright, to deliver this fully realised album project of twilight-pitched electronic folk. Snow Ghosts is a project enthralled with the darker side of English folk music, feeding on Tones' predilection for live instrumentation and intricate, delicate beats but centred around Ghost's plaintive delivery. In a similar world of bleak pop to The XX, A Small Murmuration rarely lifts its head above gothic introspection, but submerges itself as such with a regal finesse that brings out the best from both artists.