The xx, the Flaming Lips, Bonobo and Sohn Music Reviews

— -- intro: What stands out most about this week’s new music is how similar it all sounds. I reviewed four new albums. All of them have a chilled, electronic sound for the most part. The xx return with a more forceful record that builds on their signature sound. The Flaming Lips explore somewhat sedate atmospheres on their latest. Bonobo offers up a lush, mature set. Sohn merges his minimalist electro music with some touches of R&B. It’s a bit of a strange release week and the schedule hasn’t quite picked up to a regular pace just yet, but there is still music to explore.

quicklist: 1title: The Flaming Lips’ “Oczy Mlody” ***text: “Oczy Mlody” is a much more satisfying offering than the last offering from the Flaming Lips, an album-length collection of Beatles covers retitled “With A Little Help from My Fwends," though it doesn’t come even close to hitting career high points like “The Soft Bulletin” and “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots.”

The album has a title and cover art that brings to mind a drug-drenched funhouse mirror answer to Stereolab and sonically the record has a very even tone, full of murky atmospheric touches and an emphasis on instrumentation over lyrics. This is one of the band’s most chilled efforts to date, relying on a mostly downbeat, synth-heavy sound. As time has progressed, guitars have played less of a role in the Lips’ music, so if you are still expecting the psych-rock grunge of their hit, “She Don’t Use Jelly,” you need to pay better attention. This is a post-apocalyptic score that will wash over you as it plays but may not make you want to go back for repeated listens. “How?” easily summons a modern answer to Pink Floyd, while “Sunrise (Eyes of the Young)” brings to mind a lush reinvention of a signature sound for the Lips.

It isn’t until the end of the record when you get its brightest moment, “We a Family,” which features their frequent collaborator Miley Cyrus.

It is safe to say of all the weird, ground-breaking musicians to emerge out of the '80s and '90s underground still making music today, the Flaming Lips have been among the best at blending modern electronic elements into their sound. Perhaps that is why (unlike a lot of their peers) they still manage to maintain a major-label contract.

Like many of the Flaming Lips’ recent offerings, there are passages of this album that come off weirdly simply for weirdness’ sake. “Oczy Mlody” offers a compelling listen to some degree, but it ends up sounding more like background mood music. In their discography, this album ranks as simply good but not great. It is, however, strikingly unusual.

Focus Tracks:

“We a Family” This is the closest this album has to a traditional single. Miley Cyrus and the Flaming Lips make an unexpectedly good combination, as she takes over during the song’s second half.

“There Should Be Unicorns” Reggie Watts’ odd spoken-word guest appearance on here is alone worth the price of admission. Otherwise, this is a cool, trippy, hazy psychedelic meditation.

“Sunrise (Eyes Of The Young)” This vaguely feels like the kind of song Wayne Coyne and company could create in their sleep, but at the same time, the breakdown brings to mind a woozy answer to the work of the “Pet Sounds”-era Beach Boys.

quicklist: 2title: The xx’s “I See You” ***1/2text: “I See You,” the third record from electro-pop outfit the xx, is in many ways their beefiest-sounding collection to date. Immediately from the opening of first cut, “Dangerous,” it is evident that this album is taking its cues from group member Jamie xx’s incredible 2015 solo effort, “In Colour.” There’s a bulkiness to the beats that wasn’t necessarily present on the band’s previous, often stylistically sparse offerings. Members, Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft each share vocal duties here, often singing alongside each other.

There is still a sly, sultry energy to this album, like on the chilled groove of “A Violent Noise,” but elsewhere on the standout, “Oh Hold,” Jamie xx manages to effectively warp a Hall & Oates sample, giving the track a slick sense of drive. Sure, songs like “Performance” and “Test Me,” recall the minimalism often found on their first two albums, but the stars of this set are the moments where the tracks blossom into something bigger and more bold.

If the xx have any weakness, it is that their formula is still a little too predictable. This is a more than decent record, but if you have heard their previous records, this album offers few real surprises even if “I Dare You” and “Dangerous” sound like bigger potential pop crossover hits than they have ever made, previously.

The xx are clearly, slowly evolving and “I See You” is still easily a step forward. This album boasts a more confident sound. This is an album aimed to transform them from beloved indie darlings to pop sensations. Give them another two or three albums and they will probably craft a pop masterpiece.

Focus Tracks:

“On Hold” When that beat kicks in, this track bursts into full gear. This is a prime example of sampling as a specific art form, requiring skill in manipulation and placement. The sample in question, “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” by Hall & Oates has been used in many other songs before, but this is a nicely placed reinvention.

“Say Something Loving” This is definitely a big hit waiting to happen with its unforced, natural pop charm. It boasts one of the most infectious melodies on the entire set.

“Dangerous” By the xx’s standards, this is a rather thunderous intro, with its bass-heavy beat and its club-ready groove. It recalls the late '90s work of Everything But The Girl, to a certain degree.

quicklist: 3title: Bonobo’s “Migration” ****text: British musician Simon Green has been recording under the Bonobo moniker for 16 years now. “Migration” is his first album in four years. If you are unfamiliar with his past work, this album offers up a down tempo, chilled sound with elements of trip-hop and house music embedded into the mix. This is electronic, but it sounds surprisingly organic, much like the work of peers like Four Tet, Prefuse 73 and Boards of Canada.

Four tracks on here feature vocals with guest turns from Rhye, Nicole Miglis, Nick Murphy and Moroccan-American band Innov Gnawa. During the rest of the set, the music is able to take over, frequently providing a semi-hypnotic and nearly orchestral feel. Murphy’s guest turn on “No Reason” sounds like pop-crossover fare that should get wider play, but for the most part, this is an expressive record for an artier crowd.

Bonobo as a musician brings the kind of focus to his electronic soundscapes that you would more typically find on jazz or even classical records. The altered voices on “Grains” for instance bring about a transporting sense of solace that wraps around you like a warm blanket.

“Migration” is overall an excellent offering, proving that you can make an album with machines while still maintaining a human touch.

Focus Tracks:

“Ontario” This has an alternately welcoming and ominous hip-hop swagger. Like an ace piece of score music, it captures a whole scene without the need for any visuals. The track itself also has an effectively environmental-sounding mix. It’s a simultaneously slick and sly track.

“No Reason” (Featuring Nick Murphy) I can actually imagine this track getting mainstream pop airplay and getting some high-profile licensing offers. Murphy (who used to record as Chet Faker) does some very nice work here.

“Grains” I mentioned this track above. What an impressive sonic feat.

quicklist: 4title: Sohn’s “Rennen” ***1/2text: British musician Toph Taylor makes soulful R&B-tinged electronic music on his second album as Sohn. Like the rest of this week’s reviewed albums, this is yet another comfortably lush set of songs, with a strong electro-undercurrent. This is an often minimalist set that makes the most of the tools at hand, meant to soundtrack adult dinner parties or perhaps even erotic encounters.

The seductive quality of both “Signal” and “Dead Wrong” is undeniable and the keyboard break at the 2-minute, 40-second mark of “Conrad” will jump out at you immediately and hug your ears. Sohn’s music is sometimes on the repetitive side, like on the bluesy opener, “Hard Liquor,” but he knows how to work a groove.

This album has a less glitch-driven sound than 2014’s “Tremors,” with a stronger sense of soulfulness throughout the set, but both records share an enveloping earthiness. The ballad “Primary” for instance ends up sounding like a club-ready mixture of Bon Iver’s weirder material and James Blake.

The title track sounds like a solemn prayer, while “Falling” is a reductionist, percussion-heavy stomper, which optimally uses a somewhat bare, looping vocal line.

“Proof” and “Still Waters” both have a haunting sound, with the vocals firmly out in front. I don’t know how he’s achieved this, but somehow Sohn manages to conjure up a sound that is simultaneously warm and eerie, which is a very delicate balance. “Harbour” maintains this sound as well, with its skeletal approach, until the beat comes in during the second half of the track.

“Rennen” is an album full of interesting moments. It is in places an atmospheric marvel showcasing Sohn as an artist to watch. It is an album big on mood and light on hooks, so it is more sweeping than catchy. Nonetheless, this is a more than decent offering.

Focus Tracks:

“Conrad” The way this song blossoms, it should earn itself a lot of airplay. Sohn works this funky groove like an electro-minded Bill Withers. When that aforementioned keyboard line comes in, it is a solid game-changer that cements this song as a keeper.

“Signal” This is so understated and sleek but it really works well as it showcases a warped answer to “smooth R&B.”

“Falling” This is minimalism at its apex. You could get lost in the beat’s repetition, but the vocals never fade from your attention.

Next week: New music from Kid Koala, AFI and more.

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