Neotropic: Prestatyn

Ninja Tune alum Riz Maslen’s latest effort, three tracks of ambient pastoralism (pastoral ambiance?) that at 30 minutes are more than a stopgap but less than an album, may be her most heart-felt. Throughout Prestatyn, named for and apparently describing the eponymous Welsh town that served as a Maslen family vacation destination, the simply-plucked accoustic guitar and slow revolution of synth tones could describe the shifting sands of the Gronant Dunes, and the delicate choral arrangements, the wind sweeping down from the Clwydian Range. I’ve never seen Prestatyn (or Wales for that matter), but Maslen’s modest compositions, laced with nostalgia and regret, still convey a sense of place. Simple but affecting.