Review: Floating Points, ‘Elaenia’
A slice of ambient, psychedelic-jazz dance music from one of the London club scene’s top producers. There are only hints of vocals, and the ones that do appear aren’t used in the service of language.
A slice of ambient, psychedelic-jazz dance music from one of the London club scene’s top producers. There are only hints of vocals, and the ones that do appear aren’t used in the service of language.
The former Coral frontman’s songs ache with the resignation of someone still searching for answers. Remarkably, these songs sway with a light touch, with melodies that feel lived-in and singable.
In this recording from 2013, two of techno’s most distinctive musicians use the live stage as a way to surprise and innovate while stretching their improvisational muscles.
The Austin band’s raucous, good-time mix of funk, cumbia and soul forms a sound that’s built to last — always evolving, but always joyful, too.
The Philly rock band creates earnest rallying cries for the uncool, for anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t fit in, and for those who eventually found belonging in cramped basement shows.
The disco-inspired band’s new album is slick and stylish and light, and clearly in thrall to the sound it revisits. But there’s weight behind it, too.
Ty Segall’s power trio heaves forth a 14-song double album that’s made for headbanging and the cultivation of bad vibes, as if all the warmth and goodwill of last year’s Manipulator had turned to ash.
The Depeche Mode frontman’s second album with Soulsavers sets his anguished cry against a sparse desert-rock sound that’s far from the music for which he’s known.
The French-Canadian pop quintet’s new album examines the thought processes and motivations of a woman’s inner life, on a platform of classic R&B/soul.
Like the car for which it’s named, the retro-futurist band is built for comfort and speed. The bulk of Rehumanizer is sleek, pedal-to-the-metal rock, executed with a sly wink.
Will Toledo makes smart guitar-pop music for loners and weirdos. Teens Of Style reworks 11 songs from the self-aware 22-year-old’s already-vast catalog.
Clocking in at 80 minutes, CDIII finds Skatebård having copious fun with dance-music tropes across its 11 tracks, as the producer mixes heavy beat programming with lighter touches.
What happens when a veteran L.A. soul and jazz instrumentalist discovers the music of Ethiopia? The answer: a world of influence and possibility.
On the band’s new album, old and new technologies come together in a sly but seemingly sincere way, with throwback results that keep the prospect of a party in mind.
It’s a testament to Small Black’s knack for pop architecture that the synth-pop band can comment on human folly and loss while still sounding breezy.
After 17 years in Death Cab For Cutie, Walla has a solo album full of ambient, hand-crafted, subtly enveloping instrumental music.
The Detroit post-punk band’s third album simmers, ponders and haunts while dripping venom. The Agent Intellect represents a huge step, both upward and inward.
The bestselling French DJ and producer returns with his first album in 15 years, aided by the great guitarist Guimba Kouyate.
The Ohio band spends its new album shoehorning deep, dark ideas into pocket-sized pop-rock anthems. Every word and sound feels thoughtfully wrought, but Such Things also exudes freewheeling joy.
These are urgent, churning songs that sound like they needed to happen. They feel like gurglings from some nervous and squirmy place deep inside that had to be placated or purged.