A mid-March drop with high production and some killer vocals.
Hello, Friends.
V is the first double album from the Hawaiian-New Zealand singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Ruban Nielson’s Unknown Mortal Orchestra band, and it is really impressive stuff. Clocking in at around the hour mark, it flows through various psychedelic flavours whilst thematically looking at Nielson’s roots and these last weird few years of location and contact. The production is slick, like ‘clicking beats and strutting bass’ slick. Vocally he sounds amazing, it’s such a unique delivery. Each song worbles through complex and tangled chord structures whilst still floating and sounding anthemically low-key. He is a fantastic writer and this double set is enthralling throughout. Record of the Week.
+ Available on limited 'Golden Nugget' colour vinyl.
Ancient Future is the new set from LA Jazz scene grandaddy, Dwight Trible. It has really lush changes of pace, from a warped sort of space-funk, into deeply searching spiritual jazz. It’s another amazing vocal delivery, with Trible channelling both the great jazz and soul voices under his own tones. Guest appearances from the jazz new guards too with Georgia Anne Muldrow and Kamasi Washington both making stellar appearances.
Flicker finds Malmö psychedelics Death and Vanilla in hazy and bewitching form. Dreamy with a dark energy and driving without feeling over cooked, it’s another album to really get lost in. A rich analogue wooze, it’s got a great energy.
+ Available on exclusive Yellow colour vinyl.
Fire it up! South African musician DJ Black Low returns on Awesome Tapes from Africa with the collaborative Impumelelo LP. Like his debut, it’s focused on Amapiano, but the collaborators change up the mood consistently and Impumelelo is more multi-dimensional for it. Slow burners and big bangers, it’s great.
Forever Forever is the new album from LA-based singer songwriter, producer, archer and ‘Dr. Mario’ enthusiast Genevieve Artadi. Man alive, it’s just so good. Ridiculously smart without making a point of how smart it is. She’s part of the same Brainfeeder-centred collective that includes Louis Cole, Pedro Martins, Sam Gendel and Thundercat (amongst others) and this album has such flex. Somewhere between funk, jazz and chamber pop, it’s an audio work out and a proper thriller.
A really lush collaboration on Bella Union this week, with Icelandic artist Emilíana Torrini rejoining forces with The Colorist Orchestra for the all-new Racing The Storm. Torrini is such a killer combination of sounding fragile and understated, but also being such a captivating and a disarmingly powerful centre point. Rich chamber pop layers and some unexpected avenues, it's an album to really spend time with.
+ Pressed on limited White colour vinyl.
Lastly today, We have a pounding new single from mega-noisy duo JOHN called Theme New Bond Junior. It’s really, really good and we do ever so hope that it’s to be filed under ‘more to come’. Such a great band.
A reminder that Temples outstore tickets are on sale Friday morning.
- Drift
