Canada’s hugely successful R&B and darkwave artist Abel Makkonen Tesfaye’s new LP is a form of concept - light-themed afterlife through the prism of a fictional radio station that generates inventive smooth and clever 80s-style synth pop and disco. It’s a more refreshing and palatable release than much of his Autotune-heavy R&B, as successful as that has been and includes an intriguing guest cast list. The production team is Max Martin, Swedish House Mafia and experimental electronica artist Oneohtrix Point Never. Narration comes from actor Jim Carrey with ironic tone between tracks, Quincy Jones appears on A Tale By Quincy with reference to his mother’s mental illness and the effect it had on his relationships. Here We Go… Again brings together rapper Tyler The Creator and Beach Boy veteran Bruce Johnston. Take My Breath, for example, recalls the galloping rhythm of Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop and elements of Daft Punk, Sacrifice fuses R&B with infectiously catchy funk and disco, Out of Time feels like a Barry White seduction number, while Phantom Regret By Jim nods has echoes of Prince and Marc Bolan With that, and Tesfaye’s strangely soft, high and gentle voice, this is an easy-listen and musically magpie-clever release. Out on XO/Republic.
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