Spiral

ニコラス・ジャー × デイヴ・ハリントン再始動
ダークサイド超待望の2ndアルバム発売!!

2020年には『Cenizas』、『Telas』と2枚のアルバムをリリースし、近年ではA.A.L. (Against All Logic)名義でのリリースやFKAツイッグス『Magdalene』のプロデュースなど精力的に活動を続ける人気アーティスト、ニコラス・ジャーとアームスをはじめ数々のNYインディー・バンドを渡り歩いた名マルチ・プレイヤーのデイヴ・ハリントンによるデュオ、ダークサイドが再始動!作品、ライヴともに絶賛を浴びたデビュー・アルバム『Psychic』以来実に8年ぶりとなる最新作『Spiral』をリリース!!
2018年の夏にニュージャージー州フレミントンであるレニ・レナペ領に借りた小さなホーム・スタジオでレコーディングされた本作は復活シングル「Liberty Bell」、ダブとディスコを恐ろしくモダンに再解釈したキラー・トラック「The Limit」をはじめ、郷愁と混沌を抱えながらバレアリックの定義を更新する全9曲を収録。
天才ニコラス・ジャーとデイヴ・ハリントンと交わった時にのみ現れる新世界への扉が再びここに開かれる。

As Darkside, electronic composer Nicolas Jaar and multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington unite their individual strengths, but also take their combined powers to new places neither could travel to on their own. The bands 2013 debut full-length Psychic was a sprawling exploration of contrasts, moving through winding paths of genre experiments and production twists that should have clashed but instead gelled into a massive, undulating entity somewhere between sci-fi soundtrack and a full-tilt experimental rock record. Second album Spiral was made after the duo took a lengthy break to pursue their solo outlets, much of it coming together during a week-long marathon writing session. Its every bit as shapeshifting and epic as Psychic was, but less reliant on moments of softer ambience or drawn-out atmospherics. The genre clashing is less overtly stated even when the songs shift more quickly from one mode to the next, and the production is more concerned with fine details that come through best on headphones. The Limit is an avant-pop masterstroke, and indicative of what Darkside is capable of at their best. A steady, organic drum groove pushes along slinky, funky basslines, splintering at times into formless noise or moments where the rhythm suddenly disintegrates into chaos. Jaars falsetto vocals and smooth acoustic guitars hold on tightly to the songs pop elements, at odds with the stereophonic electronics and abrasive interruptions. The song is the equivalent of a parent trying to have a coherent conversation while ignoring the baby screaming in their arms, and somehow manages to deliver its hooks through the layers of confusion. The blues elements of earlier material are dialed back somewhat, but Harrington still flexes some muscular rock guitar shredding, in particular on the unhinged solo of opening track Narrow Road, and the hypnotic Morricone-meets-Can shuffle of standout track Lawmaker. Theres an even pace to Spiral, even when its sonic path takes abrupt left turns. Liberty Bell unfolds slowly, growing into an overpoweringly strong track that manages to maintain a spacious feel even with its dense arrangement. The creatively uninhibited nature of the project meant growth was inevitable between Darksides debut and their second album, but Spirals patient approach and controlled subtleties make the album remarkably easy to digest for how much is going on at any given point. Its one of those rare albums where dropping the needle at different spots in the same song would yield wildly different sounds, but every move is so gradual and well thought out that the wild changes and potentially jarring clashes blend into one another seamlessly. ~ Fred Thomas

10年代を代表する多作なプロデューサーとして確固たる地位を確立しているニコラス・ジャーとマルチ奏者のデイブ・ハリントンによるデュオ、ダークサイドが初作から約8年の時を経てついにカムバック! ドクンドクンと心臓の鼓動のようなリズム・セクション上を多重録音されたジャーの歌声がこだまする"I'm The Echo"や、ハリントンによる終盤のギターなどの演奏が光る"Liberty Bell"など、2人の天才の魅力が詰まった最高傑作です。
bounce (C)長谷川義和