Affection

エレクトロニック・ミュージックの不朽のカルト的存在であるNathan Jenkinsによるプロジェクト。アーティスト、ジャンル、そしてUKサブカルチャーをつなぐプロデューサーであり、ソングライターとしても活躍し、Carly Rae Jepsen, Ben Howard, Nilufer Yanya など彼の手掛けた作品は多岐にわたる。Carly Rae Jepsen,がボーカルとして参加した"Rare"を始め、今までコラボレートしてきたアーティスト達とのレコーディングを同じ形で制作をしている。彼のこれまでにキャリアを総括するよう良質のエレクトロポップ作。

The dream-state pop that producer Nathan Jenkins makes under the name Bullion reaches its most pristine form on Affection. In the years preceding this full-length, Bullion took the form of warped, glitchy dance-pop, fragmented sample collages, and early on, a surprisingly listenable mashup of J Dilla beats and elements of the Beach Boys Pet Sounds. With Affection, the mix of uncluttered electronic sounds, new wave touches, and sophisti-pop melody that Jenkins has been refining on his 2020s Bullion material comes through in new dimensions. The hooks are immediate but still subtle, beginning with the Panda Bear-aided opening track, "A Citys Never." Jenkins arrangement on the song is unusual, beginning with a bold announcement of its chorus, then drifting through various instrumental connecting points and Panda Bears blurry verses before cycling back to the central theme. Its surprisingly catchy for a song as uncommonly designed as it is, and this becomes a trend for much of the album. "Rare" features vocals by Carly Rae Jepsen and uses this strangely shaped duet to decorate a skeletal instrumental thats restrained and emotionally grasping, injecting modern pop appeal into the kind of sighing beauty that bands like Talk Talk and the Blue Nile perfected. Almost deceptively, the songwriting is just as strong throughout Affection as the production. "Your Father" unfolds from sleepy synth bubbles into a compelling lyrical narrative and an instrumental that builds into buzzy, euphoric pulsation. More minimal moments like "40 Waves" expand on the secret worlds of imagination that ambient pop course-setters like Arthur Russell and Brian Eno created in earlier generations. Bullions additions to this specific library of sounds are fresh and individualized, making Affection a soft world of its own, and one that merits frequent return visits and continued exploration. ~ Fred Thomas