Album Releases: Week Commencing 29/03/10: Albums Of The Week

Bonobo - Black Sand

Ninja Tune are building up quite the reputation for releasing interesting high quality music. Amon Tobin, Qemists, The Bug, Mr Scruff, Coldcut, Roots Manuva, Kid Koala and Jaga Jazzist are all signed to the label and Bonobo's Black Sand will surely join the list of great albums produced by the label. Black Sand is a chilled out trip hop album with each track building layer by layer to create spectacularly inspiring and relaxing sound scapes. It was interesting to listen to and really sees Bonobo form his own sound after three uninspiring unoriginal sounding album. The influences in Black Sand are obvious but Bonobo makes them his own with Caribbean guitars, skittling flutes, sweeping strings and on occasion beautiful vocals by Andreya Triana. The only way to truly describe the album would be the word widescreen. It sounds so vast and open its like sitting in a jungle, you can't really grasp how big the surroundings are you just know its huge. The album works best when it combines the traditional instruments with the pulsing digital beats to create something like H.R. Giger's aliens, clearly organic but equally synthetic. I'd recommend lying down with a book and losing yourself completely in another world.

Top Tracks: El Toro, Stay The Same
If you liked this try: Amon Tobin - Bricolage

Hybrid - Disappear Here

There comes a time when every band needs to change, on their fourth album Hybrid decide that time is now. Previously the group recorded the music then hired guest vocalists to sing atop their beats, but on Disappear Here the band have added singer/songwriter Charlotte James to their ranks marking the first time the vocals have been written with the music. This change makes the band seem more cohesive and gives them a second wind. The songs recall Pendulum at their most organic, with guitars playing along side the beats and electronic drums adding to the ambience of the album. The analogue influence never derails the band from their electronic glory and the album in fact peaks on the lengthy tracks with solely electronica. Original Sin recalls an intelligent Prodigy circa mid 90s while Salt sounds like Kosheen on a good day. Overall, pleasing album with a few good ideas but ultimately will be forgotten about in a few months time.

Top Tracks: Break My Soul, Original Sin
If you liked this try: Kosheen - Resist