soundfix album review
by Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen
How To Dress Well
Cat Power
Divine Fits
The xx
Sun
A Thing Called Divine Fits
2012 continues to be the year of re-constructed R&B. Following on the heels of the Weeknd and Frank Ocean comes How To Dress Well, the stage name for Brooklyn-based artist Tom Krell. His second album, Total Loss, advances the genre of ethereal R&B pop with his gossamer falsettos layered over minimalist accompaniment. He’s studied up on the torment-heavy moods of classic nineties R&B, but taken pages from the ambient music handbooks for production. Krell knows how to manipulate a lack of sound, interjecting thoughtful pauses into his rhythms. Reverb effects create a spatial quality, enveloping the listener in the delicate rainfall of Krell’s music. And it’s a pleasure when a heavier beat kicks in, as on the catchy ‘& It Was U’.
Who says alternative folk can’t have synthesisers? Chan Marshall defies expectations yet again with her ninth record. Performing as Cat Power, Marshall debuted 17 years ago and has built a career upon thoughtful music with a slight edge. Her last album, 2006’s The Greatest, earned critical acclaim for its mastery of simultaneous fragility and strength. Those qualities are also present on Sun, but Marshall focuses on giving new shapes to her work. Auto-Tune even makes a subtle appearance, an unnecessary tool for such a compellingly raw voice, but proof of her willingness to experiment. Highlights amongst the overall cohesive album include the gorgeous, sombre ‘Manhattan’, the more upbeat ‘Ruin’ and the inspirational 11-minute ‘Nothin But Time’, featuring an Iggy Pop cameo.
Britt Daniel and Dan Boeckner are like your two friends that you just know would get along. And then, as you predicted, they actually do hit it off. The first is the force behind Texan indie rock band Spoon and the latter is half of Montreal-based duo Handsome Furs. Their respective sounds draw from similar concepts and rhythms, with Handsome Furs slightly more electronic and Spoon perhaps more emotional. The idea of Daniel and Boeckner collaborating just seems to make sense. Their joint venture, Divine Fits, pairs the two vocalists and songwriters along with a keyboardist and drummer. The result feels like a natural progression of both complementary members’ styles, proof of how healthy a good collaboration can be.
One of the most anticipated albums of the year, Coexist is the second record from London scenesters the xx. Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim provide stunning vocals, but it’s producer Jamie Smith (known in the industry as Jamie xx) who is the group’s creative genius. Coexist follows the same line of the groundbreaking xx debut, with introspective lyrics gently crooned over beats vaguely reminiscent of dubstep. It’s these psychic beats that have made Jamie xx one of the industry’s most desirable producers, particularly after his direction of the Drake and Rihanna hit ‘Take Care’. Seems he’s worked his magic again with Coexist, producing intimate arrangements that fully capture the human experience of yearning in all its richness.
Total Loss
80 asialife Thailand
Coexist