Palaces

Throughout the course of two highly successful studio albums (both topped the charts and reached platinum status in the artists native Australia) and a fan-favored mixtape, future bass producer Flume has continually pushed the limits of his craft, making his beats more jagged and broken while retaining a sense of pop accessibility. Third album Palaces seems like an evolution from the deconstructed trap of 2019 mixtape Hi This Is Flume, but with more of the hooks and guest vocals of 2012s Flume and 2016s Grammy-winning Skin. Unmistakably influenced by the late SOPHIE, who appeared on Hi This Is Flume, the production has a stretched-out, rubbery-yet-metallic quality, and the songs balance sugary vocal hooks with truly intense beat formations. "ESCAPE," co-produced by Quiet Bison, is an early highlight, leaving space at the beginning for Kučkas sparkling vocals before chopping them up during an epic buildup that leads to a frazzled, disorienting drop. Similarly, "I Cant Tell" (with LAUREL) is a fairly calm, beatless synth pop tune during its verses, then it feels like its trying hard not to completely combust during its wordless chorus. "Get U" spreads lush, atmospheric synths and a manipulated vocal phrase over brittle, stuttering beats that have a slight reggaeton-like kick to them. Flumes raygun-like synths zap through Virgen Marias Shygirl-esque vocals during the brashly sexual "Only Fans." The Afroswing-influenced "Hollow," with Emma Louise, is more comforting, but theres still a tense edge to its glitchy, wistful chorus. The albums high point is "Sirens," one of two Danny L Harle co-productions, which has Caroline Polacheks near-operatic vocals walking a tightrope over crumbling glitch-step breaks. The final two cuts are collaborations with cloud rap godfather Clams Casino. After the more upbeat but still wistful "Go," perhaps the most club-friendly moment on Palaces, the album ends with its title track, an atmospheric piano-based ballad featuring Damon Albarn in space-Bowie mode, which works up a distorted dance beat right before it ends. ~ Paul Simpson

ジャンルやシーンを超越して人気を博した前作『Skin』で見事グラミー受賞まで果たした次世代プロデューサーの6年ぶり3作目。先行シングル"Say Nothing"をはじめ、フューチャー・ベースを軸とした変幻自在のサウンドメイキングを絶妙な匙加減でポップネスに昇華し、これまで同様に極彩色の宴を繰り広げている。トリの表題曲でゲストを務めるデーモン・アルバーンもここではすっかり脇役だ。
bounce (C)野村有正