Albums
October: 18 albums you need to hear this month
Black Coffee, Aluna George, Tee Mango and more
AlunaGeorge 'I Remember' (Island Records)
AlunaGeorge’s second album offers a distinctly 2016 soundtrack to the summer. Bolder and with increased confidence, ‘I Remember’ sounds more succinct and complete than 2013 debut ‘Body Music’. The swaggy synths of ‘Full Swing’ sound like what Major Lazer might come up with for Rihanna and mysterious producer ZHU lends his hip hop beats to the sensual ‘My Blood’, while ‘Not Above’ and ‘Hold Your Head’ are clear festival anthems. Aluna leads the charge on album highlight ‘Mean What I Mean’, welcoming US rapper Dreezy and hip hop hotshot Leikeli47 to deliver fiery bars. ‘I’m In Control’ boasts Popcaan’s sunny dancehall flavours before ‘Heartbreak’ and ‘Jealous’ bounce with energy.
8/10
Various 'Hostel La Torre Ibiza: Volumen Uno' (Hostel La Torre Recordings)
The word ‘Balearic’ is becoming over-used, but Mark Barrott (who compiled this comp with Pete Gooding at Hostal La Torre) insists that “it’s not the type of ‘Balearic’ music you’re going to be hearing elsewhere in Ibiza”.
New names such Francis Bebey and Domenique Dumont sit alongside ice-cold chill from Spooky, Cantoma and Hatchback. Highlights include Harvey’s soulful remix of Planet Funk and the spine-tingling ‘Air A Danser’
by Penguin Café Orchestra, which is underpinned by Spanish guitar. It’s as good as the seminal Café Del Mar comps from the mid-90s – and that’s firm, not faint, praise.
9/10
