Nicolette – “Fascination”

The one-time Massive Attack vocalist serves up this slice of electronic-pop as she prepares for her fourth solo release. A chilled layer-cake of flexible, vivacious beats, stiff sour funk and brass-section acrobatics, Nicolette offers a slipstream romance of the merits of positive-thinking and fantasy on “Fascination”. The UK artist has been working steadily and quietly on new material since the uplifting sunburst of 2005’s Life Loves Us, an album of chopped beats and melted funk that was infused with the juice of high, carefree energy.

“Fascination” seems to tread the same path of full, frothy fun, the trampoline beats inciting an oceanic stir in the low tremors of the brass-section. The singer’s baby coo of a voice (once described by Massive Attack as “Billie Holiday on acid”) is the sweet and sour sauce over the pop-sugar cake. Check out the first single (a mix by Michael Fakesch) from Nicolette’s new EP, Modern Stories, a taste of what’s to come later this year.