Babelsberg

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Babelsberg may be a place that exists -- it's a small town in Germany, to the southwest of Berlin -- but Gruff Rhys uses it as a fantastical construct on his 2018 album of the same name. Conceptual pop is Rhys' forte and while he arranges this, his fifth solo album, around a loose idea of how humanity may wind up burrowing to hell while attempting to build a tower to heaven, the distinguishing characteristic of the album is its lush, enveloping sound. Much of this is due to the presence of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, a 72-piece orchestra playing arrangements by composer Stephen McNeff. Together, Rhys and McNeff pull off a trick: the songs and the arrangements are so richly melodic that they're almost comforting, sometimes suggesting the psychotropic vistas of prime Glen Campbell, yet they always skirt cliches. Within these succulent sounds lie some disquieting meditations on modernity -- Rhys wrote these ten songs during the global political turmoil of 2016 -- which causes an appealing dissonance on Babelsberg. Rhys' words may be filled with dread but his music offers solace in its deftly executed songcraft and reassuring soft focus, which means Babelsberg can soothe the very emotions it stirs up. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine