Listening Clark :: Class Of 2023 :: Module Seven
Hi!
No, I really mean that! Hi…
I know it’s not been that long since the last ten-out-of-fifty I decided to wax lyrical about on this skein of wanton music-lauding, but there is indeed no rest for the wicked, as they say.
Plus, I have quite a bit of playlisting to do in the next month or two, so it’s all for the best to get as much in order as I possibly can, all in the name of content for you, dear readers!
Enough waffle though, let’s crack on, shall we?
Listening Clark :: Class Of 2023 :: Module Seven
蒸発 (Jōhatsu) – Mark Barrott
Originally commissioned as a score for a Japanese documentary with the subtitle “…the art of evaporation”, famed DJ and chill-out music connoisseur Mark Barrott’s latest album is very much in the vein of his earlier Sketches From An Island albums, taking in ambient noises and samples alongside plaintive piano and synthwork to create evocative soundscapes that revel in atmospheric details and poignant subtleties.
Fuse – Everything But The Girl
Nearly a quarter-century after their last full-length work of original material during amidst which they found time to quietly get married, Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn return to the pop music fray once more to beguile and amuse with as much swoonsome authority as they have previously elicited, embracing deep house mechanics and builds to deliver a back an after-party gem chock full of their customary droll wit and soulful longing.
Glorious Game – El Michels Affair & Black Thought
Coming hot off of his previous collaborative album with Danger Mouse (2022’s Cheat Codes), Tariq Trotter returns with another short-and-bittersweet missive of compelling rhymes and cadences alongside Leon Thomas’ cinematic soul outfit, the latter providing an emotionally deft soundbed of beats derived from original songs to let Trotter let his musings and stories flow with typically assured conviction and poise.
I Came From Love – Dave Okumu & The 7 Generations
A musician and producer so prolific that they are certain to have collaborated with any UK singer or band you would care to name, Okumu’s latest project is one that essays the present day Black experience via multiple lenses looking back at the indignities perpetrated and seemingly forgotten by history with a hopeful-yet-wary optimism for the future via a potent mix of reggae dub, modern jazz and arresting guest stars including the almighty Grace Jones.
Lightning Dreamers – Rob Mazurek & The Exploding Star Orchestra
A multimedia artist who holds a mogul-esque sway within the American jazz community, Rob Mazurek’s latest is a follow-up to his Exploding Orchestra project’s 2020 album, featuring work from established breakthrough stars such as guitarist Jeff Parker and the dearly departed jaimie branch, whose synthesizers and electronics here are among the very last pieces they recorded and to whose memory Mazurek dedicates the album.
Multitudes – Feist
Somewhat fittingly arriving six years after her previous album, Feist’s sixth long-player is another bold display of alt-pop greatness from the singer-songwriter, delving into more mysterious and startling realms of self-discovery that certainly go hard more than one would expect from the her earlier work, emboldened by production wares from the likes of indie-darling Blake Mills and R.E.M.‘s Mike Mills (no relation, I’m assuming).
Tikiman Vol. 1 – Paul St. Hilaire
You will have heard Paul St. Hilaire on something from his three-decades-plus career as one of dance music’s most covertly ubiquitous figures, appearing on vocal duties for the likes of Mr. Fingers and Moderat to name just a couple; with Tikiman Vol. 1, he takes centre-stage with a galvanizing command of post-club ambience and dub, awash with soothing-yet-disturbed vibes that could provide the perfect soundtrack for any long dark journey, physical or spiritual.
ULTRAKUNST – Brutalismus 3000
As close to Eurovision as you are likely to get on this journal series, Berlin-based duo Brutalismus 3000 deliver a pummeling debut set of techno-gabber-electro-punk that ought to turn them into the next Crystal Castles or Die Antwoord, though thankfully without any of the controversies that tarnished those bands’ reputations via 3000’s evident streak of ironic humour that permeates throughout their shape-throwing noise-fits.
Voice Notes – Yazmin Lacey
The run of prodigious debut albums continues thanks to singer-songwriter Yazmin Lacey’s headturning collection of nu-soul swagger, representing a sweet-yet-bracing showcase for both its progenitor’s soulfully-supple voice and their songwriting prowess as they navigate a gorgeous concoction of R&B, post-disco, ska, reggae and jazz, courtesy of one Dave Okumu on production duties (told you that guy gets around!)
Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love? – Kara Jackson
And bringing both the trilogy of debuts and this edition’s list to a close, we have the alternative-country stylings of one Kara Jackson, another fascinating new artist to arrive from the US with a unique perspective on their preferred genre of sound that is able to subvert its typical tropes and deliver something that feels enough at one with folk, pop and blues that any self-professed fan of either or all would do well to give this lady a spin.
Wasn’t that nice? Criticism constructive or childish is always welcome, just hit the comment section below if you are so moved by it. Until next time, stay safe and bring on the summer!
xxxo
