The best new albums this week
Starting 2023 as we mean to go on – surrounded by top albums
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Visages – From Lead To Gold (1985 Music)
Clearly, the art of dubstep producers throwing in pre-drop samples from horror movie soundtracks has not died – if its timeless endurance is going to teach us anything, it never will. Visages, a four-piece supergroup from Toulouse (whose music focuses on more or less anything at bass music’s boiling point, between the tempo range of 140-180bpm) are among the most prominent modern pushers of this technique. You know the deal. Violent wobbles, snappy, punchy drums, and impeccable mastering all follow from this blood-curdlingly evocative method of building up musical excitement in the listener.
What are some of the samples in question, though? Answer numero uno: a gloomy narrative voiceover about US brainwashing experiments at the height of the Cold War. Aptly named ‘MK Ultra’, the track hears a documentary narrator wax dubious about “techniques for mind control to develop a so-called ‘Manchurian Candidate’. What is the extent of these brainwashing experiments?”
Clearly following the tradition of the likes of Excision and Datsik’s timeless track ‘Invaders’ – which similarly contains a sample from the Terminator franchise about an age of “machines (who) now walk the earth” – a sense of conspiracy and techno-shock has always underlined creative output of bass music artists. It makes sense for them to be this politically engaged, since the demographic for the scene is largely anarchistic, punk and woke. Unfortunately, MK Ultra was all too real. Indeed, the CIA did experiment with mind control on captured Soviet and Chinese forces from 1953-70. It doubled down; Hollywood even went so far as to make a rather propagandistic film called the ‘Manchurian Candidate’, in which Soviet-Chinese forces were portrayed as the sole purveyors of brainwashing.
Could hard-hitting bass music act as musical medicine for political shocks such as this? A remedy for waking up and realizing propaganda isn’t just a thing of the past? We’d like to put forward a theory about Visages’ ‘From Lead To Gold’. Beginning with dystopian, crunchy and armaggeddon-like 140bpm dubstep tracks, and slowly seguing into soft, soul-feeding and alluvial liquid drum n’ bass, the album certainly sounds like a form of alchemy, recovery, and resurrection. While the openers span a mixture of Biome-style wompers (‘Black Katana’) and collaborative techstep (‘Sheitan’), the mid-point marks a point at which the Faustian transition begins to take place. ‘Ouija Board’ with fellow drum n’ bass star En:vy is a highlight. A swirling, low-passed and guttural lead line melts into a series of cut up vocals, which sound as crisp and germless as a freshly sanitized knife-edge. A voice doused in effects, reminiscent of popular R&B artists of the day like the Weeknd, swirl in and out of comprehensibility, returning to the root note and effectively conveying the mood of calming us down.
With the album patronised by neuro-liquid star Alix Perez, the ensuing closers make up the ‘Gold’ part of the album’s template, easing far further into drum n’ bass. ‘Emotions Software’ features an uncredited neo-soul vocal, which glides slowly across its optimistic guitar-n-drums backwash, while the closer ‘Gaia’ ties every theme heard up until this point into a neat bow; vocoded wobbles, spectral vocals, and a sense of bubbly resolution to an otherwise tumultuous album. If this LP expresses a paranoid mental state at first, then it’s far more clear-headed by its latter half.
JIJ
Various – Claremont Editions Volume 3 (Claremont 56)
We may have had to wait patiently for the third instalment of ‘Claremont Editions’, but it comes as no surprise that the carefully assembled cuts included are more than worth the interlude between chapters. Claremont 56 is a label deeply cherished by the Balearic community, and the curatorial work of its frontman, Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy, plays no small part in the reverence with which the imprint is received.
With that in mind, it’s fair to say that ‘Claremont Editions Volume 3’ is a contender for buy-on-sight status, with the label effectively a byword for expansive and immaculately crafted leftfield musical immersion. As with the first two iterations, Volume 3 presents one highlight after another, with each track either an unheard exclusive or previously digital-only release composed by the extended Claremont family. The LP opens with a pair of stunners from Hillside: the agile keys and cinematic scope of ‘Pole Vault’, and the feel-good magnetism of Bosq’s enchanting remix of ‘For Daniel’. Mike Salta and Mortale’s ‘Seashore Redemption’ comes on like throwing open the morning curtains to reveal a pristine ocean view, with its sensual vocals and measured pace.
The blissed-out waterside mood extends into the next few cuts, with the seductive swells of ‘Va La-Bas’ from Jpye and Renato and Taichi Arakawa’s stunning ‘Ocean Sunrise’ each lapping at the soul like ripples gently lapping at sandy shores. Still meditative but with a discreetly sinister subtext, Neumayer Station’s ‘Crossings’ expertly flits between light and shade, before Conrad Idjut dives deeper into the shadows with his ‘Love Shark’ remix of Paqua’s ‘Visitor’. Neumayer Station returns with a contender for standout with the gloriously psychedelic and prog-leaning haze of ‘Unterfuhrung’, before honeyed textures resume in the mesmerisingly beautiful ‘The Fuzz Version’ from Ferdi Schuster, with its subcontinental refrains and limber tabla drums.
PC
The Zenmenn/John Moods – Hidden Gem (Music From Memory)
Despite record-high European winter temperatures being enjoyed (assuming the sun’s golden rays relegate the impending doom of climate change to the shadows, of course), by and large, it’s still been colder and greyer than most of us would like during these, the gloomy months. Who among us wouldn’t benefit from a dose of soul-soothing abandon to help keep the darkness at bay while we await the return of longer days and, in theory, more hours of golden light permeating our days?
Welcome then, the return of The Zenmenn, who make their second appearance on the always delightful Music From Memory alongside songwriter and vocalist John Moods with a gorgeous follow-up to last year’s debut LP. The Berlin-based band’s sophomore album was once again formed via jam sessions with no set songs or musical direction in place, allowing space, time and shared experience to contribute to the mystical manifestation of the music. Characterised by Moods’ delicate but affecting vocal performance and a roundly tranquillising sound palette, the record is a powerfully transportive antidote to the long winter nights. That’s not to say the music is saccharine, however, with a nuanced range of emotions navigated throughout the dreamy collection. The sprawling arrangement of ‘The Invisible Landscape’ is an utterly compelling highlight, with field recordings and elegant instrumentation drifting across 11-plus meditative minutes for an at times soul-searing sonic escape. Elsewhere, the opening track ‘Out Of My Mind’ blends evocative vocals with less-is-more instrumentation of gentle chords and otherworldly slide guitar, while the melancholic ballad of ‘Fantasy Again’ is entirely arresting. The sing-along allure of ‘Ordinary Time’ provides one of the album’s most immediate moments, with Moods’ vulnerable vocal proving especially poignant as it drifts between verse and chorus sections. Contemplative, warming, and at times disarming, ‘Hidden Gem’ is nothing short of sublime.
PC
Various Artists – Adrian Sherwood presents Dub No Frontiers (Real World)
It’s absolutely true that women have often received short shrift in reggae as much as other aspects of music (or indeed the world at large). For the gleaming examples of iconic voices that spring to mind – Susan Cadogan, Nora Dean, Sister Nancy, Tanya Stephens, to name a few – it’s primarily been a male-dominated preserve. There are moments when some welcome attention has been shifted towards the sisterhood, such as on the eternally wonderful Studio One Women compilations on Soul Jazz, but they’re few and far between. This new project from Adrian Sherwood and Real World won’t exactly dissolve the barriers to entry the world over, but Dub No Frontiers is still a welcome retort to a tedious status quo.
Sherwood is in a privileged position to helm such a project – alongside his obvious gifts and experience as a producer, he’s keyed into global iterations of dub and reggae music many of us would struggle to fathom. As such, Dub No Frontiers is a truly international affair with not a word of English uttered across its 10 tracks, showcasing voices from China to Poland, Nigeria to India. From a production perspective, Sherwood reportedly went in on the versions over and over again, pursuing that perfect dub and winding up with sparkling, direct results which have an immediacy in contrast to the murkier abstraction he can also be known for.
All the better to savour the singers and their songs, then. Rita Morar soars over the sprightly skank of ‘Meri Awaaz Suno (Hear My Voice)’, the distinctive lilt of her Hindi delivery sounding so refreshing in the context of the track. Neyssatou hails from Tunisia, and her Arabic interpretation of Bob Marley’s ‘War’ lands with authority – in cover versions like this you appreciate the differences in emotional delivery across cultures as much as the similarities. JaGodDa meanwhile represents the soundsystem culture of Poland, and her soulful delivery speaks across language lines, backed up by one of the sweetest riddims on the album.
Concept aside and taken on face value, this is quite simply a spotless selection of easy-on-the-ears vocal dub cuts. There’s no need to place unnecessary novelty on the make-up of the line-up, which is mooted for live shows somewhere down the line – the people involved, from the singers to the players and the man on the buttons, all deliver at the highest standard. In a just world, the heavy female presence would be the norm rather than the exception.
OW
Mabe Fratti – Se Ve Desde Aquí (Tin Angel)
Guatemalan cellist and experimental composer Mabe Fratti has released an astonishing, beguiling album with Se Ve Desde Aquí. Fratti spends forty hypnotising minutes contorting simple melodic phrases and textures into a variety of dissonant and frequently breathtaking shapes. Take the second track, “Desde El Cielo”, where Fratti repeats a simple vocal and cello interplay until it eventually crashes into jagged guitars and discordant drums. Free from the constraints of tempo and rhythm, Fratti finds something immensely powerful.
Elsewhere, the beautiful “Algo Grandioso” features sparse, uncomplicated guitar and cello, before Fratti’s delicate falsetto glides into frame accompanied by detailed synth textures. Another highlight comes with “Cada Múscolo”, an interplay between Fratti’s dry cello tones and Kate Bush-esque synth passages. Soon the track dissipates into dissonant ambience. “Deja de Empujar” is another stunning blend of strange electronic experimentation and the organic sounds of strings and saxophone. But throughout these songs, and indeed throughout the album, the beauty is underscored by a persistent discomfort; a quiet anxiety. It’s spellbinding stuff from one of the most interesting experimental artists out there.
NS
Ben Bertrand – Manes (Les Albums Claus)
Manes may have come out three years ago, but as it enjoys a repress on Les Albums Claus, this is a prime opportunity to bring a fresh wave of appreciation to a truly striking demonstration of the clarinet’s expressive potential. Bertrand is a bass clarinet player from Belgium, and he first appeared on Les Albums Claus in 2018 with the Ngc 1999 album. His approach is a simple one to comprehend, centred on versatile and experimental approaches to his instrument with the embellishment of electronic processing to create sweeping soundscapes that pour out like treacle and envelop your ears.
‘Morton And György In The Battista Mist’ is a brooding piece which builds in subtly nightmarish peaks, but there’s a melodic complexity in the midst of the track which conveys more than one-dimensional darkness. It’s a consistently moody album overall, but Bertrand knows how to convey shards of light and life in between the brooding drones. Compared to the relative sass and vigour of the saxophone or the airy fluttering of a flute, the bass clarinet is a ponderous instrument which sounds alluring and relevant in these months of shorter days in the northern hemisphere.
OW
This week’s reviewers; Noah Sparkes, Oli Warwick, Patrizio Cavaliere, Jude Iago James