Little Dragon “Seconds”
With highlighted appearances on recent projects from Gorillaz, SBTRKT and Maximum Balloon, not to mention an ever-increasing cult-like fandom surrounding their first two albums (2007′s Little Dragon, 2009′s Machine Dreams) and live shows, it’s safe to say that the hype over Swedish experimental synth-pop-meets-neo-soul outfit Little Dragon is in peak form right about now, creating the perfect climate of buzz and anticipation for them to release a brand new album in, especially one that easily steals the prize in being their best so far.
Throughout Ritual Union‘s eleven offerings, the four-piece amazingly expand on the mechanized leanings of the preceding Dreams, cooking up the most wondrously sharp-edged futuro-electro patchworks that are made all the more appealing by the human-embedded element of singer Yukimi Nagano’s warm, frilly tones off-setting the icy, robotic new wave/ R&B soundscapes with her richly poetic tales of love, loss and life.
Instantaneous favorites fall on the groovy wedding paranoia captured on the title track (the album’s poppiest moment), the menacing robo-churn and digi-funk whiffs on the Prince-gone-Trans-Europe Express “Precious” and the dark alleyway 8-bit creep and jazzy belle vocal marriage that powers “Please Turn”, but most recommended is set-closer “Seconds”, a lovingly gentle send-off blanketing Nagano’s pouty, angelic coos in a lullaby-toned field of glitchy reggae-tweaked burbles that conjures up feelings of Sade and No Doubt pushing the limits of their respective sonic creativity.
Stream “Seconds” and the rest of Ritual Union, due July 26th, over at NPR.
