Published on
July 12, 2024
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.
Clairo
Charm
(Self-released)
On her third album, former bedroom-pop sensation Clairo completes her transformation into a confident, soulful ’70s-styled troubadour. Building on the soft-rock influences of its predecessor Sling, Clairo’s latest record is hushed but bold–a self-assured examination of desire. Where her impressive debut Immunity was packed with youthful, messy yearning, Charm leans into the sensual; the desire to be desired and romance through the eyes of someone comfortable in the driver’s seat. Recorded direct-to-tape, Charm is warm and full of character, calling upon retro soul, soft-rock and psych with a nuanced touch and meticulous arrangements that prove this is no tribute record. Charm is perhaps not as immediate as Clairo’s early work but it is markedly more dense and rewarding. A realised vision from a young artist forging a path away from the mainstream.–KD
Laraaji
Glimpses of Infinity
(Numero Group)
Laraaji’s imagination has inspired a whole frequency of creative expression. Glimpses of Infinity is a new-age masterpiece and follows a mammoth four-LP collection of his work which has been cherry-picked and condensed into a bite-sized but special narrative of ambient bliss. Through select moments from his body of work in 1978, the listener glides across a landscape of delicate joy. A true escape from reality.–EH
CJ Bolland
Camargue / Tokyo
(Stroom)
Stroom continues its assured streak of ’90s trance and techno reissues with this belter from CJ Bolland. With the A-side initially released on R & S in 1993, Carmague finds Bolland working alongside Cisco Ferreira for some four-on-the-floor momentum that builds its percussion and string sounds around an earworm hook. The flip-side looks to an unreleased gem from the same creative partnership, completing a one-two punch of early ‘90s dance floor momentum.–JH
salute
TRUE MAGIC
(Ninja Tune)
salute drops a summer anthems collection with his latest TRUE MAGIC. Drawing inspiration from TV ads of the 1980s and 1990s, TRUE MAGIC is a colourful blend of high-octane dance whoppers and rave-ready ecstasy. Featuring appearances from big names including Rina Sawayama, Disclosure and Karma Kid, it’s a brash record packed with earworms and accessible club motifs. Vibrant fun from the Manchester-based producer.–KD
Jay Rook
Rook Edits 001
(Rook Records)
Hackney Wick’s Rook Records presents a stellar 12″ of sun-drenched afro-house and gospel edits from record shop head honcho Jay Rook for their first release on their newly launched label. Landing with a bang, side A’s “Master Wonnin” and “Eme (Yeah Yeah)” combine infectious percussive rhythms with hypnotic guitar and horn samples designed for the dancefloor. Meanwhile, on the flip, Jay Rook takes us to church, fusing Budgie-style pitched-up vocals with a soulful, four-to-the-floor swing.–AVD
John Frusciante
Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt
(Superior Viaduct)
Given its first vinyl issue by Superior Viaduct in 2017, John Frusciante’s 1994 solo debut album Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt is a world away from his day job as guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Released after Frusciante’s first exit from the group and recorded with a Tascam 4 track, Niandra is an intimate and uncannily atmospheric work of fractured beauty, and one of the defining statements of Frusciante’s talents. A repress arrives this week after the first edition swiftly disappeared, and for the completists, there’s also a limited edition with a reissue of a hen’s-tooth-rare 7” single included.–JH
Various Artists
John Gómez and Nick the Record Present TANGENT
(Mr Bongo)
Cult selectors John Gomez and Nick the Record team up with Mr Bongo to release the first Tangent compilation—an ode to their popular London club night, now held at the Pickle Factory. Founded on the ethos of an intimate setting paired with a killer sound system, this new compilation captures the deep and adventurous musical threads the two pursue on a regular Tangent night. From pummeling barracuda to dubbed-out disco, left-field electronics and hip-hop instrumentals, this compilation displays the pair’s unrivalled curatorial skill and knowledge of the obscure.–AVD
Civilistjävel!
Fyra platser
(FELT)
FELT showcases the finest of Danish experimental ambient and beyond, the brainchild of Scottish producer and DJ Perko. Every release has flown off the shelves since its inception back in 2022, hence the repress of the fourth release by Swedish producer, Civilistjävel!, featuring a special trip-hop-inspired collaboration with Cucina Povera. Fyra plaster translates literally as four places and explores the middle ground between genres in a slightly reductivist fashion, exploring the expansive nature of sonic space and time.–EH
