Water

The word lotic refers to organisms inhabiting fresh, flowing water. J’Kerian Morgan, the Berlin-based producer and vocalist whose stage name is Lotic, has progressed from making aggressive hybrid club music to a more sensuous form of post-industrial avant-pop. Titling her second album Water, she acknowledges that shes in her element, and more assured of her work than ever. Post-transition, her voice has developed into a more delicate yet deeply expressive instrument, and her soaring vocals magnificently blend with her rumbling beats and atmospheric, neo-classical arrangements. As on 2018s Power, her astounding full-length debut, her lyrics are vulnerable and intimate, but here theyre less focused on race and gender identity, more often expressing desire and infatuation. Emergency is particularly gripping, with throbbing beats underpinning Morgans ecstatic wails and frank, desperate pleas for sex. She continues indicating her desire for her partner during Come Unto Me, which tantalizingly creeps toward bursts of blown-out distortion. The chilling Apart is a harp-led ballad conveying the pain of separation, and she questions if her partner understands their effect on her during A Plea and Oblivious. The lengthy finale Diamond is another showcase for Morgans arresting vocal acrobatics, from layered cooing and confessional whispering (Why do I allow all of this pressure?) to stratospheric shrieks. ~ Paul Simpson

ベルリンの地下で怪しく蠢くコレクティヴ、ヤヌスのメンバーに名を連ねるロティックによる約3 年ぶりのフル・アルバム。時には妖艶に、時には泣き叫ぶようにさまざまな感情を伴う唯一無二の歌声は、ノイズやドローンを用いた実験的なトラックとも相まって別世界の音を作り上げている。強いて言うなら初期OPNとFKAツイッグスとの出会いとでも言えばいいだろうか……マスタリングもマット・コルトンと一切の抜かりなし。
bounce (C)長谷川義和