Hailing from Toronto, singer/songwriter Ladan Hussein records under the name Cold Specks. I first became aware of her via Moby who featured Cold Specks on vocals for two songs on his 2013 album Innocents, including that album's first single "A Case For Shame". I would have loved her voice on every track on that album but thankfully, Hussein has albums of her own to handle that need.
Fool's Paradise is her third full length, coming three years after 2014's Neuroplasticity. As a fan of artists like Lianne La Havas and Denai Moore, it's no surprise Cold Specks connects with me. In fact, Moore's 2015 release Elsewhere was the first thing that came to mind as I listened to Fool's Paradise. It's soulful music, but rather sparse and electronic at the same time, all held together by Hussein's smoky wonder of a voice. Don't look for heavy beats or overly orchestrated songs here, everything is delicately restrained to the music's benefit.
Given that description it should come as no surprise that there isn't much in the way of dance music or uptempo tracks here. Atmospheric ballads and lean, mid-tempo songs are in abundance with Hussein's lyrics, vocals and melodies at the center. Not to be missed are the opening title cut and "Wild Card" which follows with layered vocals and a bouncy bass line. "Ancient Habits" is the prettiest of the ballads on the album, while the stuttering "Rupture" is a dark, futuristic beat-laden highlight. Even on the darker, harder-edged material there is a gorgeous melody within the song, a gift Cold Specks displays across all ten tracks. At a concise 37 minutes, there is no room for throwaway tracks, Fool's Paradise is a gem all the way through.
I can't put my finger on why I have not connected with Elbow in the past. As a fan of bands like Doves, early Coldplay, Flaming Lips and even some of Radiohead's work, you would think Elbow would fit right in that sweet spot. Now I'm thinking I need to revisit their previous six albums as their seventh, Little Fictions, is among my favorite releases of 2017. I'm spending the last few months of the year reacquainting myself with some of the albums from the first half of 2017 that caught my attention but didn't get a fair enough amount of my time. I've come back to Little Fictions a few times this year, but it wasn't until a recent headphone listen that I truly understood its brilliance.
Long time drummer Richard Jupp left the band before this album was announced but Elbow have carried on and certainly produced the best full length I have heard from them. Opener "Magnificent (She Says)" is just one of many outstanding ballads on Little Fictions, this one awash in glorious strings and an uplifting chorus. "Gentle Storm" follows and has a repetitive drum pattern throughout that could make you bob your head and miss the beautiful love song underneath it, subdued piano work with Guy Garvey pleading "fall in love with me."
"Trust The Sun" is built around a funky drum and guitar combo, but again there is a gorgeous piano based ballad lying beneath it. You have to dig a bit beneath the surface on some of these tracks, a main reason a headphone listen is essential. It really brings out the exquisite production contained within. The over eight minute title track is a prime example, starting with piano before a thumping electronic based drum beat kicks in, the song ebbs and flows between this and its more stripped down chorus. Also not to be missed is the fabulous "K2". Garvey delivers his vocals in an almost angry stream of consciousness style, with his voice echoed slightly behind him, but even here the song diverts to a more gentle chorus that grabs your heart strings, as does Little Fictions as a whole. One of 2017's best.
I first came across Jesse Marchant's music back in 2010 when he recorded as JBM, as you'd probably guess, his initials. A track from his debut album Not Even In July played on whatever Pandora station I was listening to at the time and stopped me in my tracks. That voice, somewhat reminiscent of My Morning Jacket's Jim James, and yes I've seen many a Neil Young comparison also, but still uniquely his own. That music, rooted in folk, Americana and country, with some rock mixed in for good measure.
The Montreal born Marchant released two albums as JBM, both gorgeous, cinematic, ethereal. He then returned in 2014, now recording under his name with a self titled album that continued his penchant for beautiful soundscapes underneath his stunning voice, although he also rocked a bit more than on the JBM material. Now with his fourth full length near completion and a planned 2018 release, Marchant returns with Brightest Of Feathers, a six track EP that carries on what drew me to his music in the first place.
The title cut opens things and it's a beauty. A slow, shuffling drum beat, melancholy guitar work and Marchant's echoed voice out front where it should be. There's a vulnerability to the lyrics on this one and it ranks amongst his his best ballads to date. Things close with another lovely ballad, "Wings Cut/Fingers Cut" but in the middle are some rollicking tracks. "Bulls Lie Down" and "Love When It's Easy" both straight up rock, but Marchant never abandons his gift for melody on these songs. "Thinking About You" is a mid-tempo guitar driven song with a dark edge to it while "I Wish It Could Have Been More" is a wonderful instrumental piece, again highlighting Marchant's guitar work. I'm thrilled to have Jesse Marchant back with new music, and Brightest OfFeathers serves as a fantastic preview of that forthcoming full length.
Favorite tracks: "Brightest Of Feathers", "I Wish It Could Have Been More", "Bulls Lie Down"
Brightest Of Feathers was released September 8th, 2017 as a digital download only on the No Other Records label.
Ah Mogwai, Scotland's instrumental rock legends continue to forge ahead with new material. Just last year the band put out the beautiful Atomic: A Soundtrack By Mogwai, a reworking of their soundtrack to the documentary Atomic, Living In Dread And Promise. Now they're back in 2017 with a whole new studio album, the contemplative Every Country's Sun.
Every Country's Sun sees Mogwai once again team up with producer Dave Fridmann, probably best known for his work with The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. Fridmann worked with Mogawai on 1999's Come On Die Young and 2001's Rock Action and is back behind the boards almost 16 years later. The eleven tracks that make up the new album show a more subdued Mogwai, starting with the opener, and best track, "Coolverine". This is one of the more classically structured songs here, with a haunting guitar melody carrying it along and Martin Bulloch's stellar drum work standing out. By far the loveliest piece on this collection. And for the record, does anyone come up with better song titles than this band?
Mogwai have always been known primarily as an instrumental band but vocals do turn up on occasion as they do twice this time on rocker "Party In The Dark" and the gentle ballad "1000 Foot Face". Just because I describe this as a more subdued affair, don't be fooled in thinking Stuart Braithwaite and Dominic Aitchison have toned down their guitar work. They let loose on another of the album's highlights "Crossing The Road Material", the aptly titled "Battered At A Scramble" and the closing title cut in particular. Also not to be missed is "Don't Believe The Fife" which builds up over four atmospheric minutes of Barry Burns' synth work before guitars and drums kick in to batter you in the final two minutes. There are masters at work here, few do this type of music better. All hail Mogwai.
Favorite tracks: "Coolverine", "Crossing The Road Material", "Party In The Dark", "Don't Believe The Fife"
Every Country's Sun was released September 8th, 2017 on the Temporary Residence Limited label in the U.S.
All it took for me was their appearance on Saturday Night Live in late 2016, awkward dance moves and all, to clinch the need for the new album from The xx. The English trio of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith returned in January of this year with their third album I See You, 40 more minutes of their blend of dreamy electronic pop.
The album was worth purchasing for the first single "On Hold" all by itself. It still stands as one of the best singles of the year, with that perfectly placed Hall & Oates sample from "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" propelling it along. But that's far from the album's only highlight. The clapping beat of "I Dare You" is one of the more danceable songs here, while the icy "A Violent Noise" is a minimalist wonder with some searing guitar licks. It's dark, yet beautiful at the same time. "Dangerous" is another track aimed at the dance floor, while things simmer down on the ballads "Performance" and "Brave For You".
Lyrically, there is a lot of emphasis on love gone wrong, but it's not an overwhelmingly sad or depressing album. This is one designed for a good headphone listen, credit to Smith and producer Rodaidh McDonald for helping shaping the sound of I See You. From the sparse moments to the sample and beat heavy tracks intended to make you move something, it's a wondrous production.
Favorite tracks: "On Hold", "I Dare You", "A Violent Noise", "Lips"
I See You was released January 13th, 2017 on the Young Turks label.
The British duo Aquilo have taken a path more and more artists are using these days. Starting with their self-titled EP release in 2014, Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher have released a steady stream of EP's and singles, while utilizing social media to build an audience before releasing their first full length album. Between their four studio EP's, there was also a live release, and numerous one-off singles, Aquilo had released 15 songs in total between 2014-2016. That gave them a lot to choose from in preparing their first album.
Silhouettes does draw from some of those earlier releases as five of its fourteen tracks appeared on one of those EP's. But with so much strong material to choose from, it was inevitable there would be some carry over and I'm glad to see some of these tracks see a wider release on the full length. I was hooked by Aquilo's music as soon as I heard it a few years ago, have jumped on every new release as soon as it was available and Silhouettes was one of my most anticipated albums of 2017. Higham and Fletcher do not disappoint as they've released an early contender for my favorite album of the year.
Although they do have some uptempo songs in their catalog, and on this album, let's be clear. Aquilo excel at creating beautifully melodic, sad, electronic-tinged pop ballads. Higham's soulful voice is surrounded by layers of harmonies, gorgeous, atmospheric electronics and piano work. The duo write and produce their own material and also have some dynamic collaborators on a number of tracks here. One of my favorites, SOHN, co-wrote and produced both "Human" and album closer "Waiting", while the great Olafur Arnalds helped produce four of the album's standout tracks including the album's first two songs, "Silhouette" and "Blindside". Both are piano based ballads with Arnalds adding lush orchestration to the former and a more restrained, quiet approach to the latter.
The other two tracks produced by Arnalds are also devastatingly lovely. It took me a little time to get used to the studio version of "Almost Over". It was originally released in a live version on the EP Midnight. That version was performed as a piano ballad, with Higham and Fletcher harmonizing together on vocals, but here it is just Higham singing over a bed of ambient electronics. That doesn't change the heart breaking nature of the lyrics or the beauty of the song. "Sorry" sees Higham utilize his falsetto as he somberly apologizes for his role in a broken relationship. It's a stunning performance.
Of the songs that have been around for awhile, I'm most thrilled that "I Gave It All" made the cut on Silhouettes. First released on their 2014 EP Human, it's another piano-based ballad that's among the best songs they've made. The harmonies and melody are captivating, as is the lavish production. As I mentioned above, as great as Aquilo are at balladry, that's not all they're capable of. Silhouettes has a number of more upbeat tracks that break up the melancholy. "Never Hurt Again" and "You Won't Know Where You Stand" both have hints of 80's synth-pop to them, while "Complication" is the closest thing the duo have to a dance track. It's catchy and single-worthy.
Silhouettes continues what Aquilo started with their earlier EP's and singles, establishing them as major talents in the melodic pop field. Their patience in crafting their debut album has paid off with what will surely be one of my favorites albums of 2017. When the year is over, don't be surprised to see this at or near the top of my Best of 2017 list.
Favorite tracks: "I Gave It All", "Sorry", "Almost Over", "Silhouette"
Silhouettes was released in the U.S. on February 17th, 2017 on the Harvest Records label.
I was introduced to Kevin Garrett's music two years ago to the date I am writing this piece. He opened up for the Canadian band Hey Rosetta! at The Ark in Ann Arbor and as you can see from my review of that show, I came away impressed. I always make a point to get to shows in plenty of time to catch the opening act and I've been rewarded with introductions to now favorite artists like James Vincent McMorrow, Grandaddy and the aforementioned Mr. Garrett to name just a few.
His EP Mellow Drama followed shortly after, and hearing the fleshed out studio versions of the songs he played solo on keyboard that night cemented my interest in anything he releases. Mellow Drama remains a perfect EP, five tracks of melancholic, soulful music. Since then, Garrett has released a couple of fantastic singles, co-wrote and produced "Pray You Catch Me", the opening track on Beyonce's Lemonade, and now has unveiled his second EP, the equally flawless False Hope, released to coincide with a tour of the same name I was lucky enough to catch in Pontiac and will review soon as well.
False Hope contains five more tracks of Garrett's brand of R&B music. There is a stronger element of electronic beats and effects in these songs compared to his first EP starting with the opener "A Heart Like Yours". A yearning ballad complete with stuttering beats, piano, foreboding synth swells and the customary impeccable vocal performance from Garrett, it's a stunner. "Stranglehold" was the first single released from the EP, a mid-tempo song about one of Garrett's favorite subjects, a relationship in trouble.
Understand one thing about Kevin Garrett, he has so far proven himself incapable of writing a bad song. "Pulling Me Under" is one of those tracks that should be all over radio, if commercial radio still mattered or had a pulse. An uptempo soul song, undeniably catchy, it has all the elements a "hit" is supposed to have. As great as it is, I think I like "Little Bit Of You" even better. This one is a laid back groove with a funky little guitar line that sinks into you and Garrett's smooth vocal delivery. Things come to a close with the second ballad on the EP, "The Way I Keep Myself Together".
Kevin Garrett proves on False Hope that he is equally at home with both uptempo material and the somber ballads he is best known for. He's one of those special artists I'll happily go out of my way to tell everyone I can to check out. If you're not familiar with his music yet, you need to rectify that. There is no way someone with this level of songwriting ability and vocal talent will be "underground" for long. Hopefully his first full length album follows in the near future.
Favorite tracks: "A Heart Like Yours", "Little Bit Of You", "Pulling Me Under"
Simon Green returns after almost four years with the sixth Bonobo album. His last release, 2013's The North Borders, was my favorite Bonobo full length to date and my #3 album of that year so Migration has a tough act to follow. It doesn't quite reach the level of its predecessor for me, but it is still another fine addition to the Bonobo catalog.
Migration is somewhat a tale of two halves. The first half of the album is mostly softer, slower material, while the beats and tempo pick up in the second part. The album opens with the title track, a beautifully soothing number based around piano work and vocal samples with shuffling beats added about halfway through. It's the prettiest track on the album and sets the tone of the first half. The L.A. based duo Rhye are the featured vocalists on "Break Apart", another lovely ballad. The longest track here, "Outlier" is the only uptempo song in the early part of the album. Things slow back down with the gentle "Grains" which samples from Pete Seeger's "One Grain Of Sand", the vocals slowed down and manipulated. "Second Sun" mixes ambient atmospherics with beautiful orchestration, it brings an end to the slower section of the album in a gorgeous way.
A number of guests appear on the album's remaining tracks starting with Nicole Miglis from the band Hundred Waters who provides vocals on "Surface". The New York based Innov Gnawa, a collective dedicated to bringing attention to Moroccan gnawa music, features on "Bambro Koyo Ganda". The best dance track here, and one of the album's best songs period, is "No Reason" featuring vocals by Nick Murphy, who is better known as his former alias Chet Faker. It's no surprise this has become a featured track off the album. Also not to be missed is "Kerala", it has that classic Bonobo sound, heavy beats, chilled out electronics and a killer vocal sample, this time from Brandy's "Baby" if you can believe it. It's a fantastic track.
Bonobo does not deviate much from what fans of his music have come to expect on his full length works with Migration. It's a little more subdued than The North Borders, but it keeps you engaged from start to finish. Simon Green continues to release first class electronic music and this one will work as well when the weather warms as it does now in the cold of winter.
Favorite tracks: "No Reason", "Kerala", "Migration", "Second Sun"
Migration was released January 13th, 2017 on the Ninja Tune label.
Christopher Taylor's first album as SOHN, Tremors, held the title as my favorite album of 2014. I was unfamiliar with Taylor's previous musical life, as Trouble Over Tokyo he released three albums and an EP, so Tremors was my introduction to his music. As you'll see in my review, SOHN's production work and songwriting blew me away and his work with artists like Banks and Aquilo has just further cemented my belief he is one of the most exciting producers working in electronic pop music today.
Now SOHN has returned with the tough task of following up Tremors, but he has pulled it off with his sophomore release Rennen. Right from the start it's apparent there will be a harder edge to some of this new material with opening track "Hard Liquor". It's aggressive, fairly dark then adds a dance beat near the end. As with much of SOHN's work, a headphone listen is recommended on this one. There are all manner of chopped up vocals and effects running in the background that will bounce around inside your head. Given the Trumpian nightmare we are just starting to find ourselves living in, "Conrad" couldn't be more relevant and timely. "I can feel it coming, we can never go back" is the key line of the song as SOHN delivers a stern warning of the impact of climate change and public apathy towards the world at large. "I can feel it coming over the hillside/It's a valley fire and it's coming to burn us down/Like a rushing comet bound for the planet/And we're dinosaurs living in denial" are just a taste of the pointed lyrics on this powerful track, emphasized with pounding drums.
The first track released from the album, "Signal" has all the elements of that signature SOHN sound. A ticking electronic beat, augmented by live drums, somber keyboards and his unparalleled vocal work, his lead joined by layers of his own backing vocals. "Primary" contains another topical lyric as SOHN decries, "Nobody seems able to make a change and I can't believe we're not better than this." It's a sparse track, just keyboards and vocals until it evolves halfway through into dance beats. "Proof" is the darkest song on the album, while "Falling" is another masterwork of production that starts with a heavy, buzzing electronic bass loop before building piece by piece with snare hits, beats that sound like the ticking of a clock and then a full blown conclusion. By far the album's most beautiful moments are contained in the title track. "Rennen" is stripped down to a piano line, some background atmospheric electronics and that amazing voice and it is gorgeous. SOHN duets with himself, slowed down then in falsetto. It's a mesmerizing track, one of his finest to date.
As with his first album, SOHN leaves you wanting more with Rennen. At 38 minutes it's even shorter than Tremors, but this is an artist committed to quality over quantity. My belief SOHN is one of the finest producers working today is confirmed.
It's early in 2017, a year where we are probably going to need a lot of help calming our nerves and soothing our souls. Music is always my go-to when I need to get away from the harsh realities of the world we now live in. And here to help just five days into the new year is Tracey Chattaway. The Australian writer/producer/pianist is back with her fourth full length album Secret Garden and it's a beaut.
Chattaway debuted in 2012 with the album Defining Moments, drawing influences from post-rock and ambient bands and artists. Think Hammock, The Album Leaf or Lowercase Noises and you'll get an idea of what shapes her music. But unlike those acts who are more guitar or electronic heavy, Chattaway's music is mostly centered around the piano, with swelling orchestration, or as she calls it, "cinematic soundscapes" shaping each piece. Secret Garden is comprised of ten tracks, two of which are short one minute songs, all written and produced by Chattaway.
As described, the album is overflowing with lovely piano melodies, lush strings and orchestration and a sense of calm and peace. Tracks like "Your Hand In Mine", "To Hope" and "Home" truly do take you away to your own secret garden, a welcome respite from the world outside. And with my first listen coming on a freezing cold Michigan winter night, shelter from the cold. On SecretGarden, Tracey Chattaway offers 36 minutes of melodic beauty. You can listen to the album here and, as always, if you like what you hear please support the artist. Purchasing options are below.
Favorite tracks: "Your Hand In Mine", "To Hope", "Home", "Soar"
Secret Garden was self-released on January 5th, 2017.
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