Colure

Bon IverやRhyeとも比較されるLA在住の人気シンガー・ソングライターRY XとAmeのメンバーであり、＜Innervisions＞主宰者でもある独エレクトロニック・ミュージック・シーンの重鎮Frank Wiedemannによる実力派ユニットHowlingが5年ぶりとなる最新アルバム『Colure』をリリース!!
前作に引き続き、ユニットはアコースティックとエレクトロニックが心地よく同居したシグネチャー・サウンドを再び追及しており、Ry Xのメロディックなフックに没入感強めなクラブ・プロダクションが波打つ本作は、"歪"と"潤"なエレクトロニクスの狭間で揺れる歌声に引き込まれる先行シングル「Bind」、XLR8RやResident Advisorにもサポートされたユーフォリックな人気シングル「Phases」、Ry Xのアルバム『Unfurl』(2019)に別ヴァージョンが収録されていた同名のスピンオン楽曲「The Water」を含む全13曲を収録。アートワークが示唆する通り、シンガー・ソングライターとクラブ～エレクトロニック・ミュージックという2つの円環はたびたび交わってきたが、その円熟を体現するマスターピースがここに誕生した。

Ever since their 2012 single Howling became an unexpected club hit, singer/songwriter RY X and Ames Frank Wiedemann have been making slow-burning, unassuming dance tunes which find common ground in sparse, confessional indie folk and minimal techno. Colure is Howlings second album, appearing five years after 2015s Sacred Ground, and like its predecessor, its filled with tracks which seem stripped-down and un-flashy at first, but soon burrow their way into your brain thanks to their insistent, surprisingly sturdy hooks. Most of the tracks stick to unobtrusive kick drum patterns and just enough additional bass and synth layers so as not to distract from the vocals, and allow room for the duo to improvise during concerts. RY Xs intimate falsetto vocals express feelings of nocturnal longing and desire, saving the most direct statements for the choruses, which are often just a few words repeated. For the most part, the songs succeed on the strength of how memorable the hooks are. Tracks like The Water and Light On are solid examples of this, while Phases is more ambitious, starting with O Superman-like vocal pulsations before progressing through a slightly darker journey, peaking with the chorus You wanted my love to break us down. The most interesting track on the album is its most atypical. Dew has a choppy rhythm resembling a drumnbass 12 slowed down to 33 RPM instead of 45, along with synth ripples which complement the mostly textural vocals. ~ Paul Simpson