Our 10 favourite new vinyl releases this week (4th March)

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Breakneck jungle, Kawaii electronica, lush indie, and more.

This week’s rundown is by VF’s Gabriela Helfet and Lazlo Rugoff, alongside Alice Whittington, Emily Hill, and James Hammond.


Special Request X Tim Reaper

Spectral Frequency VIP

(Self-released)

Buy


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Tim Reaper unites with Special Request to put his mach speed jungle touch on another of SR’s cuts, ‘Spectral Frequency’. (If you haven’t already heard their Hooversounds Presents: Special Request and Tim Reaper EP, proceed to the record at once.) This time around, Reaper takes SR’s already breakneck, live-wire dipped Spectral Frequency, and somehow whacks it up a notch. All proceeds from the release will be donated to Ukrainian Humanitarian Aid – specifically the International Committee of the Red Cross – an urgent cause to support, following the past week. – GH


Maylee Todd

Maloo

(Stones Throw)

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Canadian artist Maylee Todd – or rather, her digital avatar Maloo – joins Stones Throw with a debut album of ethereal electronic pop. The musical progeny of Todd’s virtual reality project, it paints a watercolour story of Maloo’s memories and life. The light, soft, kawaii sound of the Yamaha Tenori-on electronic sequencer is the perfect vehicle for her self-described “science fiction lullabies”, and the accompanying videos walking through the imaginary landscape designed by Todd are a trance-inducing escape into a pastel-drenched dreamworld. Favourite track: ‘No Other’. – AW


Teresa Bright

Blue Skies

(Aloha Got Soul)

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Hawaiian singer Teresa Bright originally recorded Blue Skies in 2005 with Kit Ebersbach, however the album spent 15 years in the vault, patiently biding their time for what they simply described as the “right moment”. Now finally making its vinyl debut, the record is more than worth the wait. Blue Skies allows Bright’s warm vocals to shine bright, against a backdrop of soothing jazz instrumentations. Alongside some of her favourite jazz standards, the record also includes Bright’s own original composition ‘Sp-r-ing’. – LR


Nilufer Yanya

Painless

(ATO)

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It’s a common pitfall within indie music particularly that wearing your influences on your sleeve makes you sound like a glorified covers band. Not so with singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nilüfer Yanya though, who takes these inspirations – Foo Fighters, Radiohead, The Pixies, etc – and morphs them into a sound that is distinctly her own. Yanya’s second album, Painless, furthers this feeling, lead by her low-slung and captivating voice, which simultaneously manages to be hushed and powerful at the same time. Thanks to Yanya, alongside artists like Arlo Parks, Beabadoobee, Aziya, and Biig Piig, the future’s looking very bright for UK indie, courtesy of the next generation of female artists who are resoundingly carrying its torch. – GH


Hamid El Shaeri

The SLAM! Years (1983 – 1988)

(Habibi Funk)

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One of the biggest acts on the Egyptian label SLAM! in the 1980s was Libyan superstar and synthesizer enthusiast Hamid El Shaeri. This compilation cherry-picks some of the greatest hits from his five albums on the label, forming a well-rounded snapshot of his early career. Peppered with irresistible rhythms and El Shaeri’s distinctively smooth vocals, it includes the breezy disco-funk track of ‘Ayonha’ to the foot-stomping anthem of ‘Shantet Safar’, and a peek into his piano chops on ‘Oyoun Houriyat’ that would make Patrice Rushen proud. – AW


Harold Budd

The Pavilion Of Dreams

(Superior Viaduct)

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Following Harold Budd’s period of disenchantment in late ’60s and early ’70s, the extended cycle of compositions that make up his 1978 album Pavilion of Dreams, were a rebirth for his artistry, and his ‘soft pedal’ piano works. A gentle unfolding of unhurried melodies, sustained notes, and chords, with Pavilion of Dreams Budd’s keys were also joined by the similarly smooth edges of Marion Brown’s sax, multi-instrumental work from Gavin Bryars, and Michael Nyman, and of course, Brian Eno’s production touches. In some ways a transitionary work when considering the more prominent collaborations with Eno that would follow, this release still stands as a soothing triumph of Budd’s minimalist vision. This reissue from Superior Viaduct stays faithful to the sought-after original, which appeared as the 10th and final edition of the Eno curated Obscure series. – JH


SOPHIE

NOTHING MORE TO SAY (DUB)

(Huntleys + Palmers)

Buy

The legendary SOPHIE continues to brighten our lives with her dazzling music after her unexpected death last year. ‘Nothing More To Say’ is a reissue of her electrifying 2013 EP, with proceeds being donated to the Scottish Trans Alliance. Standing the test of time, there is an overwhelming sense of joy and freedom that courses through your veins whenever the catchy hook hits your ears. A combination of plastic pop and an overwhelming sense of self expression, it’s the kind of feel good music you need in your life – forever and always. – EH


Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul

Topical Dancer

(DEEWEE)

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Lyrics exploring cultural appropriation, racism, and post-colonialism may seem at odds with bubbly electro-pop sounds, however Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul firmly prove any naysayers wrong. It’s this combination that allows Topical Dancer to stand out, with the often conformational vocals encouraging a new kind of active listening. In refusing to allow itself to become pleasant but milquetoast background noise, Topical Dancer shines bright. – LR


Walton

Maisie by the Sea

(Lith Dolina)

Buy

Mancunian producer Walton has contributed to a vast network of underground labels, from Ilian Tape through to Kode 9s iconic Hyperdub, buoyantly making us move with his UK funky, breaks-focused repertoire. ‘Masie by the Sea’ for AD 93 sibling ‘Lith Dolina’ takes things a step further, venturing deeper into more complicated landscapes of grime-infused techno that are approached from angles of ambient IDM. There is a sense of Burial-esque brooding across this body of work, yet there’s also a more spatial quality being contemplated here too – a sense of peace exposing a fully-fledged artist who constantly grows with dazzling beauty. – EH


Crys Cole

A Piece of Work

(Second Editions)

Buy

Originally created for Glasgow’s Radiophrenia festival, and its host of head-spinning, sonic-arts-inclined transmissions, the collaged recordings that make up Crys Cole’s A Piece of Work land on vinyl following further studio refinement. Joined by longtime collaborator Oren Ambarchi on percussion, and further bolstered by Seiji Morimoto’s electronics, recordings from Oslo, Berlin, Winnipeg, Melbourne, and Lisbon seamlessly overlap and dissolve into this free-form sound poem. – JH