Downtempo needs redemption from the ghetto of Novocain-numb musak piped into expensive restaurants and the elevators of over-priced Las Vegas hotels. Simon Green’s fourth studio album under the Bonobo moniker is poised to be that palate cleansing musical statement that consciously ignores all the tags synonymous with “downtempo” electronica. The express purpose of most chill out musak, I suppose, is to accompany the come-down for the post-rave after parties where bleary eyed sons of automobile moguls bliss out, wasted in the plush corners of VIP rooms, shades still on, with bleach-blond dental assistants passed out on their laps. Very few would ever consider this a legitimate art form. Zero 7 is to Underworld as Kenny G is to Duke Ellington. But no one ever told Green he was supposed to be boring. Or predictable. Or that he could get that live band sound from Pro-Tools. Or that downtempo artists don’t make albums worthy of the highest praise.
Black Sands is a Marina Trench of bottomless instrumentation. Impossible to take in all at once, the scope of what Mr. Green is doing unfolds over several listens. Black Sands expands and contracts with hyper-textual declarations of percussion, allowing programmed beats and live drumming to cavort freely with each other, creating a brilliantly lush sound palate with snare hits filling for trip-hop beats and vice-versa. Bonobo cuts broad swaths of musical cloth to weave trip-hop, dubstep, jazz, and balearic, into something wholly understated, contemplative, and downright sexy.
After a warm up of gorgeous ascending strings and a descending piano line, “Kiara” starts mid rave-up. A glitched-out beat gallops into the mix riding a cut-up vocal sample, before the repeated violin sample introduced in the intro sweeps back into the track with dynastic glory. While the violin is an oft and easily sampled standard, Bonobo waits for “Kong” to showcase what he can do with a live band at his disposal. A slinking bass-line and steady drumming step out from behind their timekeeping roles and become the true vehicles of the track, propelling Green’s orchestral compositions on one hand and his Massive Attack throw-back programming and live turntable scratches on the other.
Instrumentation on Black Sands is mostly low key, oscillating underneath the surface of a cold marble veneer of wordless austerity. Sometimes, however, there are moments that literally jump straight out of the speakers, creating lush, three-dimensional soundscapes that literally pin you to your seat. “El Toro” is one of these, featuring a swinging bossanova groove, sweeping orchestral swells of strings and brass, and a killer drum solo. Three tracks with Andreya Triana’s sultry, twin-track vocal contributions deepen the late-night feel and mysterious air of the album. While not exactly showcasing the instrumental virtuosity of instrumental tracks, Triana’s vocals never fully take center stage but proceed to showcase Green’s rhythm-centric melodies. Placing bass-line grooves atop hi-hat hits and bass drum rolls, with synth pulses fleshing out (but not closing) the space between the thrilling pregnant pauses.
For as undeniably solid as Black Sands is, the last two tracks “Animals” and “Black Sands” are more than worth the price of admission. Both sound the most “live” on the album, with Green settling comfortably into the role of band leader more than a producer. The jazzy swing, “Animals” showcases the proggy leanings of late seventies jazz-fusion while “Black Sands” pulls off an elegiac, traditional folk waltz composed of acoustic guitars and alto-saxophones and trumpets to reach a thrilling climax. This is Green in top form.
With every listen and in writing this review, I think the only major genre that I haven’t mentioned is heavy metal. If at any time in the reading of this review you’ve gotten the impression that Bonobo is some hyper-kinetic ADHD blender of disparate genres, I have failed as a writer. Black Sands is incredibly cohesive and Green’s moves are so deftly subtle that it takes several dedicated listens to get a grasp on just how breathtaking this album is. Bonobo, you’re doing it right.
Track List:
1. Kiara Prelude
2. Kiara
3. Kong
4. Eyesdown
5. El Toro
6. We Could Forever
7. The Keeper feat. Andreya Triana
8. All In Forms
9. Wonder When feat. Andreya Triana
10. Animals
11. Black Sands
