Night Creature

Maya Jane Coles fifth studio album (including two as Nocturnal Sunshine) is an exploration of all the things that happen at night, which is when the U.K.-based producer feels most like herself. It happens to be the most club-focused full-length shes made to date, with only a few downtempo tracks, and even those tend to be appropriate for slow dancing rather than lounging and relaxation. Fitting for an album with a late October release date, several songs have an enticingly spooky vibe to them. Devils Dance is an expertly paced, suspenseful number with entrancing synths levitating over a dubstep-leaning rhythm. True Love to the Grave, one of a few tracks featuring vocalist Claudia Kane, intertwines the haunted vibes with the albums other preoccupations, sex and romance. On Show Me Love, Kane pines for dirty love over Coles knocking beats and delicate, reflective melodies, and Come with Me is a slower, starrier soundsystem diversion. The albums production is stunning throughout, maintaining a balance between solid, propulsive rhythms and fluid, spacious textures, often incorporating dissolving voices as well as full lyrics. The tracks are detailed without being cluttered or over-busy, with plenty of breathing room. While the album never reaches the point of outright aggression, theres a few moments that heat up, most notably Survival Mode, which is filled with brooding bass and rumbling breakbeats. For the most part, Night Creature is a tense, thrilling ride flavored with doses of sensuality and fear. Easily the most consistent, enjoyable full-length in Coles catalog. ~ Paul Simpson

ノクターナル・サンシャイン名義でのアルバムを挿みながら、4年ぶりとなる自身名義4作目をみずからのレーベルからリリース。"True Love To The Grave"や"Run To You"をはじめとするヴォーカル曲と現場感溢れるダンス・トラックを織り交ぜながら描き出す、ダークでありながら幽玄なまでの美しさを併せ持った世界観は彼女独自のもの。動画サイトでMVを一緒にご覧いただくと、よりいっそう没入できるかと。
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