Rambutan

ロンドン出身のドリーム・ポップ・バンド、ランドシェイプスがビーチ・ハウス所属で元コクトー・ツインズのサイモン・レイモンド、ロビン・ガスリー主宰のレーベル＜Bella Union＞から待望のデビュー作をリリース! ＜Moshi Moshi Records＞からリリースした7インチが完売、女性ボーカルのルイーサはトータリー・イノーマス・エクスティンクト・ダイナソーズのデビュー作収録の「Garden」にフィーチャーされる等デビュー前から話題を振りまいてきたランドシェイプス。本作はメトロノミー、クラクソンズを手掛けたアッシュ・ワークマンをプロデューサーに迎え完成。ルイーサの憂いを帯びたメロディー、ドリーミーながらもニュー・ウェーヴ、サイケ等様々な要素が混じり合う一筋縄ではいかないサウンドが聴くものを惹きつける注目作!

When Landshapes decided it was time to change their name from the twee-sounding Lulu & the Lampshades, they were undergoing a change of focus and direction that -- on evidence of their ramshackle, genre-crossing tunes on debut Rambutan -- is still likely to be forever in constant development. Skipping frivolously through flecks of folk, pop, and off-kilter psych moments among playful percussion and wonderful harmonies, the London-based four-piece still manages to tame this melting pot of genres -- albeit in slightly fragmented fashion. The opener, "Racehorse," is a languid affair that follows a wandering bassline and a minimal, wavering guitar as lead singers Luisa Gerstein and Heloise Tunstall-Behrens' rather haunting, harmonized vocals lament. Everything splutters into life with the Latin-influenced drums and jangled guitars of "In Limbo," which breaks away into a middle section with a strong, harmonized melody that sets the tone for the vocals throughout the record. They entered the studio with producer/engineer Ash Workman (Metronomy, Summer Camp) and his -- and their own -- perseverance to find the right sound for each song to shine individually. The extent of their perfectionism can be heard in the album version of "LJ Jones," which is unrecognizable from the original version that was taken into the studio. There are some remnants of the songs they played under their former moniker; "Impasse" and "Demons" are both reworked here, but they still hold much of the twee folk hallmarks, including glockenspiels, quirky strings, and percussion. The inclusion of these tracks steers the album away from its opening salvo and fritters the end of the album into an array of songs put together, rather than a flowing body of work. Despite the disjointed combination of old and new, the big harmonies and assortment of instruments display the diligent transformation they have undergone to produce a varied, genre-hopping debut. ~ Scott Kerr|

映画女優のアナ・ケンドリックが劇中で披露して世界的に話題となった"Cups (You're Gonna Miss Me)"の生みの親、女性2名を含むロンドンの4人組がフリート・フォクシーズで知られるベラ・ユニオンからアルバム・デビューです。全編に漂う凛としたフェミニンな薫りは、〈英国フォークを吸い込んだウォーペイント〉ってな趣があり。プロデュースはヴェロニカ・フォールズらを手掛けたアッシュ・ワークマン!
bounce (C)佐藤一道