Röyksopp’s ‘Profound Mysteries’ Is Transcendent
The vast creativity and breadth of Röyksopp’s Profound Mysteries are impressive. A suite of short films operates as a gorgeous visual interpretation.
downtempo
Bonobo Lapses Into Watered-Down Chillout Music on ‘Fragments’
Bonobo’s Fragments represents a rare step back from one of the 21st century’s leading electronic luminaries. It doesn’t bring enough new ideas.
Hayden Thorpe Is Experiencing All of the Metafeelings
Former Wild Beasts vocalist Hayden Thorpe explores new headspaces, psychedelics, and sonic territory on solo album number two, Moondust For My Diamond.
Hayden Thorpe Melds Electropop, R&B, and Ambient on ‘Moondust for My Diamond’
Former Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe combines electropop with R&B-influenced vocals and ambient into an effective, coherent sound on his second solo LP.
Amon Tobin Conjures Up Unsettling Soundscapes on ‘How Do You Live’
Brazilian electronic producer Amon Tobin offers up a collection of songs that’s eclectic even by his own genre-hopping standards on How Do You Live.
Sneaker Pimps (Sort Of) Nod to the Past With ‘Squaring the Circle’
Sneaker Pimps producers Chris Corner and Liam Howe return with the slow-paced Squaring the Circle that plays it safer than their talents warrant.
Chet Faker Chills Out at ‘Hotel Surrender’
After a five-year hiatus, Aussie indie-popper Nick Murphy reactivates the alias of Chet Faker that made him famous. The results on Hotel Surrender are chill.
Darkside Are Torn Between Convention and the Avant-garde on ‘Spiral’
While Darkside’s Spiral includes moments of virtuosic integration there are other moments where the album seems to lack a unifying aesthetic.
Penelope Trappes’ ‘Penelope Three’ Is a Meditative LP of Sultry Vocals and Glossy Electronics
Penelope Three is not a pop record, but it is Penelope Trappes’ boldest, most straightforward work to date. On Three, Trappes holds nothing back.
Tolouse Low Trax’s ‘Jumping Dead Leafs’ Is Coated in Dank Grooves
Detlef Weinrich's latest release as Tolouse Low Trax, Jumping Dead Leafs, is covered in such infectious, dank, thudding grooves that force the body to deal with them.
Electrosoul’s Flõstate Find “Home Ground” on Stunning Song (premiere)
Flõstate are an electrosoul duo comprised of producer MKSTN and singer-songwriter Avery Florence that create a mesmerizing downtempo number with "Home Ground".