Whether you know her name or not, you’ve definitely already heard a song or two from Peggy Gou, perhaps thinking you were hearing a throwback station. Continuing the great recent run of house-inspired, retro dance gems, Gou creates a magnetic record to immerse yourself in. “Back to One” sends us off in a haze of electronic beats and whispered lines, with a harmonica hook so specifically toned it feels ripped right from the 90s. Bouncing back from the too-low energy of “I Believe in Love Agqain,” “All That” blends bits of Ace of Bass and other pop of the era for a Spanish-laden club serenade that will mesmerize your heart and soul. The album’s shining jewel is easily “(It Goes Like) Nanana,” which is so precisely immersed in its influences that it plays like a lost club classic, from the pianos to the vocals to the sample to the weird synth tones. In fact, this effect is so powerful that I had even mistaken this song for a 90s track until just recently. There’s an equally potent wave of hooks and production to the quirkily named “Lobster Telephone,” which wastes no time in sending you through time and leaving you entranced on a smoky dance floor overflowing with infectious hooks.
There’s a brooding sense of wonder and exploring the unknown on “Call It Love,” that sees Nilüfer Yanya at her most intimate. The ethereal production takes the light mix of guitar and vocals into more surreal places, giving you the mind space and physical feeling that Yanya is going through within the sound. On top of the glowing vocals melodies, Yanya’s sharp pauses, glides and little gasps add a true depth to the feeling of the song, letting you into this world in deep detail.
Between collabs and her previous bands, Isobel Campbell has seemingly never taken a moment to rest in her musical journey. While it feels noticeably different from her work with Belle & Sebastian in most of the songs, the tender calm, and more subtle experimentation is a fascinating change of pace. The quiet rage is overpowering on “Everything Falls Apart,” as Campbell’s stream of consciousness delivery lends a feeling of an endless and unstoppable wave of trouble taking you over, with only the slowly mounting arrangements providing moments of respite. The light and spritely vocals provide a deceptively bright feeling to “Second Guessing,” as Campbell creates a ballad of doubt, even questioning how soon it will be until they’re backtracking themselves. “4316” shines with a back and forth of psychedelia, taking the upbeat energy and sending it into a blissful dream. The slow-burning high of “Dopamine” plays to every little thing that can improve your mood, from the sensual to some nice sun, with the instrumentation leaning into these different affectations and providing a textural kind of serenity in the process.
The siren-like horns that open “The Six” send you into a world of danger as Colin Stetson sets the mood. The song constantly shifts between a buzzing like a swarm of bees with frenetic rhythms, and then suddenly smashing into violent and powerful sax riffs. The whole mixture evokes visuals with gusto, proving why Stetson has been so effective and busy as a film score crafter. The force of nature it feels like is trying to escape from under this track makes for a nearly overwhelming-yet-fascinating listen, that sends your mind on a journey full of tension and excitement.
There’s something totally new in Angélica Garcia’s music, whether it’s just the nature of how intense her vocal takes are, or something magical in the overall mix. Whatever the secret sauce is, Garcia brings an album that plays to rhythm genre staples, while bringing her own signature in the performances that makes for a one-of-a-kind listen. “Color de Dolor” merges both modern and more futuristic soul energies in one track, with Garcia’s soaring vocals, and ghostly harmonies creating this neon patchwork that has such palpable passion it touches your heart. There’s more than simple dub pastiche at play on “Juanita,” with Garcia using the slow but driving bass to give herself a strong foundation to keep pushing her vocals harder and harder, until the song is practically wailing. There’s a more singular and iconic slice of pop on “Gemini,” as Garcia takes feelings of M.I.A. and Melody’s Echo Chamber, and crafts her own distinct pop somewhere in the spaces between, more boisterous, but also more kinetic. The lo-fi and dire vocals send “Paloma” through the stratosphere, with the emotion and swing of the rhythm driving the track as a cosmic and ever-present message of love.
