Albums
February: 18 albums you need to hear this month
That's the month sorted, then
Bonobo 'Migration' (Ninja Tune)
The title of Simon Green’s sixth Bonobo album, ‘Migration’, hasn’t been plucked out of the air. Green, who has moved from the UK to New York and, recently, LA, is a musical migrant: he absorbs the sounds of wherever he lays his studio. You also can’t escape the fact that, in these ever-disturbing times, he’s making a political comment about the benefits of free movement. The LP itself is a music-making masterclass: the title track plays with the recurring loops of modern classical greats such as Steve Reich and Terry Riley, setting them amid militaristic percussion and fuzzy electronica. Nick (née Chet Faker) Murphy lends vocals to the dancefloor shuffle of ‘No Reason’, while ‘Grains’ samples folk legend Pete Seeger (a nod to Green’s father, who was something of a folk kingpin). ‘Outlier’, meanwhile, meanders from gentle, glitchy beginnings into wonky house and harp-filled ambience. It’s a record of subtle strength, with all-encompassing warmth and chilled introspection. Stephen Worthy
9/10
