Twinned with last summer’s LP DAYLIGHT, the duo of Scottish musician and the English soul singer return with the darkside – an absorbing adventure from dusk to dawn, with evocative, cinematic, experimental, old-school synths and electronica and McAlmont’s extraordinary, wide-ranging voice. It’s a sensual adventure of different states of consciousness, beginning with The Comedown, the wash of waves and a collaboration with their friend and DJ The Blessed Madonna, who also narrates – “I can hear my heart beating like a drum.” The title track then accompanies McAlmont with wall of choral sounds and field recordings, incorporating his favourite birdsong and Sean’s dogs, Fred and Barney. Uptown/ Downtown is a woozy mix of synths and beats under those hovering, fabulous vocals. Sorry I Made You Cry is a dark, melancholy songs of crashing emotions, joys and regrets. Goodbye Drama Queen has a retro feel with a ghostly melody and skipping disco beat. High With You moves into a bossa nova beat, while Night Drive feels like a sleep-deprived scene from Bladerunner with its sheen of long synth notes and gentle tinkling sounds. Star gently twinkles, Sleeping Pill is a distorted club haze, and closer Sirens is a dream-like state of computer dial-up sounds and gospel voices and whispers and we return to the daylight in a full cycle. It’s a bizarre, but enjoyable album, progressing through a series of stories and sensations, and one Sean describes as “like you were in a dark head space while being hugged by your favourite person at the same time.” Out on Plastique Recordings.
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