Bringing the feel of retro soul while adding his own heart and an authentic level of emotionality, Jalen Ngonda would easily make Marvin Gaye & co blush. Ngonda brings out tracks that transport you to an emotional high, and do the musical equivalent of time travelling you to the moments that made you feel like these songs do in a flash. And this record is truly a dazzling gem of instrumental arrangements that warrants many re-listens to just take everything in. “Anyone in Love” is a wallop of strings and horns against Ngonda’s luscious vocal punch, riding the glossy flow into another vibrant chorus harmony. You get a little more of the vocal range in “Doctrine of Love,” along with a lot more of those warm arrangements that truly set the spirit ablaze. All the brass with the grooves, it just makes life a little brighter hearing it blast. With the distorted guitar lurking in the back of “Burning Temptation,” Ngonda lets a little modern cut sink in to give even more dynamic contrast to his strongest vocal performance of the whole record, hitting the mountaintop again and again. As the grooves get sharper on “Hang It on the Shelf” you could swear you’re hearing a cover because of how perfect the whole song feels as a total composition. The result is a powerhouse backend track that shows Ngonda can go the distance, and hopefully, with the right traction, will become a superstar sooner rather than later.
Tying together a collection of songs from her career in the most intimate of home recordings, Eva Angel-Fox crafts a startling update on where she is now as a musician. And she does it in ways that remind one of Angel Olsen’s fully acoustic side albums. Through the eerie reverb of “500 Miles,” Angel-Fox’s vocals ring out haunted, with the weight of two distant hometowns clearly adding a personal feeling to the cover amongst those siren calls to the ether. A dark cloud looms over starry guitars of “She Don’t Love Him,” as the realities of settling into life and keeping one’s head above water keep our subject from truly finding something more. We get a more textured recording over the warble and soothing rolls of “Shady Grove,” with Angel-Fox throwing more trills and overall flavour into her vocal performance, making for one of the most poignant performances by her on the record. Though things shift to a broader sonic range on “Baby Blue,” the more open roar of the guitars plays perfectly against Angel-Fox’s reverb-drenched performance here to give each return a stronger dig and bite.
Mixing a bit of retro sample flair with a polychromatic charge in her production, Tierra Whack knows herself deeply on her latest release. With only a few sequencing setbacks to hold her back here, Whack is dropping a character-defining album that shows an artist in control of their sound. There’s an immediately colourful approach to the production on “Whack Job,” as Whack never loses an inch of flow amidst the ebbing and rushing pace of this retro-infused track. The slow warp of “Wax Paper” makes for a mesmerizing dive into the darkest sides of Whack’s personality, using Ellen’s newfound reputation to create a fun double-edged sword of a comparison across this track. The more upbeat xylophone of “Totem” contrasts its stark, hollow feel greatly, giving Whack a more direct path to dig in her lines on a track that does leave a little to be desired in the personality of that delivery. It all comes together with charisma to spare, however, on “Siren,” as the lush keys, surreal vocal hooks and a subdued but defined beat come out the door like a full bouquet of flowers showing colours you never thought possible.
Masters of simple but magical arrangements, Satellite Birdhouse put emotion first in their songs, and let the music flow through that. “So Long” is a euphoric swirl of hope-core in strings and guitars, pushing you to not let time skip you by and find that happy moment yourself before it’s too late. You can feel nature being painted out on “October,” as the band details every degree, breeze, hue of a tree and even the drinks you’ll take in. The chill sets in on “The Big Reveal” with the synths bubbling with excitement, as the pair balances a mounting energy with a great melange of naturalistic tones. Even the hum of “Lady in the Moon” sets the tone for a larger-than-life rush of inspiration, with the duo mixing a sense of warmth with a touch of wonder at how nature and space can set the soul ablaze.
As they’ve evolved into the more out-there quotient of the Australian psych scene, Pond have pushed themselves to maintain a voice while letting their sense of exploration colour that personality a bit too. While the band has on occasion been all sound or all fun, this latest effort ties in all their strengths to make a sharply catchy psych-rock record that feels informed by all their searching and makes for an intoxicating narrative. “Skyworks” is a wonderful summation of the band’s chops as a whole, starting with a spacey bit of ambient searching that slowly starts to bond over its inherent pop power and then focuses into a glorious blade in its chunky rock chorus kick. There’s a cloudier and narrative drive to “Through the Heather” that takes longer to sink into melodically, but as its textures start to seep into your bones, you’ll feel like the 80s hues it’s sending out envelope you in a neon haze. After its moody intro, “Two Hands” kicks in as the most rhythmically funky and fun track on the album to sing along to, as it dances with a punk edge buried under every groove. Though it’s a little more scattered and loose as a track, “Terrestrials” rounds out the snappy pop-charged tracks here with a thrasher that can really cut loose when push comes to shove, and has something to say musically to make it all stick.
For more music reviews from Owen Maxwell, click here.
