March: 18 albums you need to hear this month

Barclay Crenshaw 'Barclay Crenshaw' (STX&BRX)

For an artist who came out the blocks with ‘Who’s Afraid Of Detroit’ as Claude VonStroke and spent December criss-crossing the US playing lashings of house and techno with Cajual Records boss Green Velvet, Barclay Crenshaw’s debut LP (using his real name) is something of a surprise – albeit a very pleasant one. The tone recalls everything from early Dirty Projectors to classic Timbaland and ‘Guns Don’t Kill...’-era Major Lazer – and with a smattering of vocalists across the album from Lady Chann to The Underachievers, it’s a record that reveals new, soulful depths with every listen. It’s a departure from his usual dramatic club sound, and those expecting to hear bangers in the ‘….Detroit’ mould may be confounded by this space-exploring 10-track collection (‘The Gene Sequence’ and ‘Hidden Harmonics’ are arguably the standout tracks, the latter thanks in part to Aviella).

But Crenshaw has always been a fan of leftfield funk and hip hop, and on ‘U Are In My System’, those influences are alchemized brilliantly. It’s followed by ‘Artifacts’ featuring a fierce flow from The Underachievers (who ironically more than deliver over a DJ Shadow-esque beat). Whether it will find the same audience that DirtyBird have cornered in clubland remains to be seen, but Crenshaw should be applauded for taking this artistic risk: ‘The Sleepy Kids’, let’s not forget, is about alien abduction (no wonder he gets on so well with Green Velvet). But most important of all, the LP is a blast from start to finish. Ralph Moore

8/10