CD Album Recommendations May 2016

Review: Lawrence's latest full-length, his third and final for Mule Musiq, is described by its' creator as being "deep and mystical". It was inspired, in part, by a Tokyo green space of the same name, and includes elements recorded by Lawrence's live band, Sky Walking, and plenty of field recordings to add texture. The result is a luscious deep house and techno set that veers from the dreamy and rolling ("Tensui"), and lovably bouncy (delicious IDM/electro excursions "Ava" and "Simmer"), to deep and dirty ("Joy Ride"), via wide-eyed humidity (the hypnotic and beautiful "Illuminated"). Lawrence rarely fails to disappoint, of course, but even by his standards Yoyogi Park is something special.

Review: While Calyx & Teebee have been working together since 1004, 1x1 is their first collaborative full-length excursion for four years. Typically, it hits hard from the start, with the bombastic neuro-funk smasher "Nothing Left" setting the tone. There are plenty more big room bangers, of course, including the ragga-jungle revivalism of "False Alarm", and bowel-bothering heaviness of "Ghetto (feat Doctor)". It's not all straight-up dancefloor filth, though; check, for example, the Police-sampling vocal shuffler "Long Gone", the trap-step wobble of "Cloud 9", and the Hospital style, radio-friendly, festival drum and bass of "Takes One To Know One".

Review: From the moment that opening track "Foreword" shuffles in on a wave of picturesque synths and humid textures, it's clear that Dino Sabitini's second full-length, Omonimo, is going to be a positive affair. While rooted in techno, much of the album is a much dreamier, downtempo affair, with hazy chords and twinkling melodies cascading down over beats variously inspired by hip-hop, dub, IDM and classic '90s ambient house. Some listener may also notice a clear influence from late '80s Italian deep house, particularly on the sparkling "Just When I Think About You", and blissful album closer "And It All Ends Here".

Review: Most already know the story of The Diary, which was initially recorded with the intention of being J Dilla's major label debut, but has remained unissued until now. Featuring an all-star cast of producers and guest vocalists - Madlib, Pete Rock, Snoop Dogg and Bilal are amongst those lending a hand - the album's major talking point is Dilla's decision to showcase his little-heard rap skills. While these are solid rather than sensational, the album sparkles, in part due to the quality and diversity of the beats on offer. Some of these swing, pop and crackle in a way we came to expect from Dilla during his lifetime, while others are bolder and more radio-friendly, mining both obscure and well-known sample sources.

Review: Arguably the most consistent mainstream artist of the last two decades on the planet, Polly Harvey is nonetheless never content resting on her laurels. Moreover, The Hope Demoltion Project may be her most ambitious album yet - not only one chronicling manifold travels to Afghanistan, Kosovo and Washington DC and concerned lyrically with global war and poverty, but one whose genesis was watched by the public as part of an art installation. Yet oddly even with the weight of expectation to consider, this may be Harvey's most infectious catchy and fleet-footed collection of songs to date. With a garagey rawness of delivery harking back to her earliest work and an imaginative richness of arrangement, these melodious and haunting songs tackle difficult subjects with alacrity and no little gravtias, testimony to a rare talent on potent form.

Review: When Bristolian man-of-mystery A Sagittariun released his debut album, Dream Ritual, back in 2013, there was a brilliant freshness to his '90s inspired intelligent techno sound. Since then, many others have mined similar inspirations, but few can match the authenticity of his sound. Elasticity, his sophomore set, widens his palette of influences further, via nods to blissful ambient house, trippy interludes (complete with spoken word samples from famous psychedelic thinkers), Drexciyan electro, the guitar-laden atmospherics of Jonny Nash, and, most surprising of all, classic UK garage. It's a fine set, all told, and one that reveals greater details with each successive listen.

Review: While Tim Hecker has a well-earned reputation for extreme electronic experimentation, he's always been capable of delivering releases shot through with intense beauty. It's this side of Hecker's output that's explored on Love Streams, his first album for three years. Effortlessly melodious, fluid, and constantly evolving, it pairs fuzzy, drone-inspired textures, melancholic atmospherics and ear-pleasing ambient melodies, with flashes of steel drums, manipulated string arrangements, and the distinctive sound of an Icelandic choir. It's a sound palette that ensures a stream of memorable, eyes-closed moments, from the Tangerine Dream inspired "Voice Crack", to the loved-up bliss of the two-part "Violet Monumental".

Review: Matt Karmil has been on fire of late, delivering killer material - in a variety of inter-connected styles - for Endless Flight, Studio Barnhus and Idle Hands. A matter of months after dropping an acclaimed album for the latter, he's at it again, this time showcasing a range of melodious, dusty techno and ambient tracks on Cologne stable Popnoname (his debut album also appeared on the same imprint back in 2014). While opener "Perfect World" is bold and thrusting in its dancefloor intent, elsewhere Karmil is in more reflective mood, sauntering between the drowsy, tumbling melodies and hushed rhythms of "If I'm Honest I Miss You A Little Bit", the neo-classical cycles of "Femern", and the reverb-heavy dub techno pulse of "Crush".

Review: Even by Bibio's usual, decidedly loved-up standards, A Mineral Love is a hugely positive set. While it still boasts the producer's usual colourful dreaminess, lo-fi rhythms and distinctive vocals, these are emphasized by dizzying, P-funk influenced synth lines, a healthy dose of Prince style purple funk, a dash of psychedelic pop, a splash of Beck, and riffs, grooves and lyrics that recall both '70s soul, and the revivalist efforts of artists such as Mayer Hawthorne. It's a musical palette that guarantees feel good tunes throughout, suggesting that A Mineral Love may turn out to be Bibio's most commercially successful album to date.

Review: The past few years have seen Keiran Whitefield develop a rep for hardware-based techno under his Ansome name, with his live sets complemented by a growing 12" discography featuring slamming records for Mord, South London Analogue Material and Mindcut. It was no surprise to see Ansome align with UK daddy Perc Trax last year, a union inaugurated with the no-holds-barred 12" The White Horse. Attempting an album is seen as a right of passage for techno artists, so here comes Ansome with his debut long player for Perc Trax, Stowaway. Ten tracks deep, Ansome's debut LP mixes up the type of 5am wall shakers he is known for with an exploration of more spacious and atmospheric tracks.

Review:  Ever since they recruited powerhouse vocalist 'Mighty" May Johnston for some tracks on second album, Look Out, Watch Out, back in 2011, this raw and retro Aussie soul band have been slowly building up to this, their first proper album with Johnston at the helm. "Come Alive!" certainly does just that, boasting ten effervescent '60s / '70s indebted gems that don't mess about. We've been recently introduced to two tracks here ("Done Me Wrong", "Souls Come Alive") via a teaser single and boy, have they set the tone for this accomplished record by a group at their musical peak. Bravo.

Review: More than merely an awaybreak for its members Alex Turner and Miles Kane, The Last Shadow Puppets proved themselves on their debut 'Age Of The Understatement' to be masters of a distinctly '60s-styled world of glamour and arresting artifice, their clever wordplay and swooning harmonies combining with ornate arrangements to create a sound as redolent of black-and-white kitchen sink dramas as the trials and tribulations of the twenty-first century everyday. This long-awaited sequel, meanwhile - reuniting them with string arranger Owen Pallett - displays that whereas their careers may have moved in markedly different directions in the interim, their wry and wordily ditties when united display an enviable chemistry and magnetic charm.