Ala.ni – Cherry Blossom
Formerly a backing vocalist for Damon Albarn, Andrea Bocelli and Mary J Blige, Ala.Ni is a singer-songwriter, producer and video director from London who appears to have stepped out of some unspecified, pre-war time in the past. A time (and place) that might have featured artists of the stature of Billie Holiday – perhaps Ala.Ni could have supported her at the Cotton Club. The video to Cherry Blossom, from her debut EP You & I Spring (released on 23 March through ParadYse/No Format), is a bleached-out affair that, combined with her voice’s in-built graininess, makes it sound as if it’s been unearthed from the 30s or 40s. The fact that she resembles the ghost of Lady Day in the video helps maintain this eerie quality, while the spare arrangement feels period-perfect. Over pedal steel she sings sadly, “My love for you was sprung in Spring/And flourished in the Summer sun/Autumn killed the fresh green leaves/By Winter all was said and done.” It’s almost a let-down to learn that she’s not a spectre but a functioning human being who is currently touring the UK with Ibeyi and will be appearing at London’s Bush Hall this Friday, 19 February.
The Beach – Thieves
The Beach is a Hozier/Rhodes/James Bay of a singer-songwriter, one of those sensitive troubadour types with a quavery voice, a chip off the old Jeff Buckley block. But be warned: there is some rocking out towards the end of his debut track, Thieves. Anyway, he’s very “now” in the sense that the sound of 1994 (the same year Grace was released) is very now. Apart from that, little is known about The Beach, although the departing Zane Lowe loves him (course he does) and he apparently lives in Clapham, South London, where he kickstarted his career, literally, by booting a football into his future producer’s back garden. On his Facebook page, he’s written an open letter of sorts, explaining his motives – “It’s hard to say what The Beach is about … You can only jump in head first and let it take you to a place that your imagination can’t” – which you will either regard as specious waffle or poetic insight that marks him out as your favourite new artist.
Huon Kind – Feel Like This
Australians are becoming increasingly masterful at neo-/quasi-/avant-/post-disco, what with the wonderful Flight Facilities and the excellent Harts. And now here come Huon Kind, a duo from Sydney whose single Feel Like This makes a purée of disco, R&B, boogie and Guilty Pleasures/yacht rock. They’ve been said to sound like a mix of Blood Orange, Kindness and Twin Shadow, only more 80s, and they count D’Angelo, Brandy, R Kelly and Tuxedo among their influences, in which case we hope they’ll stick around.
Gordi – Nothing’s As It Seems
Sydney is evidently the city of the week, as far as this column is concerned – because here comes Gordi, a 21-year-old indie folk/folktronic singer-songwriter whose pure, clear tones over sparse synthetic accompaniments and minimal acoustic guitar, have drawn comparisons with Angel Olsen, Asgeir and Laura Marling. Nothing’s As It Seems is about about “the struggle to move on from something or someone”, she says, explaining that the lyrics are a lot darker than the melody in order to show the difference “between the face we show others and what we’re actually feeling inside”. Breezy wintry melancholy at its finest.
Tuxedo – Do It
Sick of Uptown Funk but want something similar? Try Tuxedo’s Do It – or indeed, any one of a number of tracks from their self-titled debut album, out on 2 March. It’s released via Stones Throw, a popular label round these parts with releases by Dâm-Funk (due to be the DJ on Todd Rundgren’s summer tour – fact!), The Stepkids, Silk Rhodes and Mayer Hawthorne. Actually, Hawthorne – who I raved about yonks ago for his superb approximation of ‘70s symphonic soul – is one half of Tuxedo with “Grammy-nominated producer Jake One (Drake, Snoop Dogg, Fun)”. They came together to share their love of 70s disco and funk, 80s electrofunk and boogie and 90s R&B. Do It outdoes Mark Ronson, Chromeo and Breakbot at their own game with its slick bassline and slicker production, finger-snapping beat and unforgettable melody. Why Hawthorne isn’t a major star remains one of the mysteries of the modern age, although one suspects, as per Chromeo, that his ability to recreate sounds makes people dismiss it as redundant pastiche or homage rather than a living, breathing original.
