Cristobal and the Sea
Sugar Now
(City Slang)
4/5

WITH its members hailing from Spain, Portugal, France and Britain, four-piece Cristobal and the Sea’s debut album is appropriately diverse and global in ambition.

Recorded in Lisbon and produced by Rusty Santos (Animal Collective and Beach House), the music shifts from bouncy Afro-Pop and Bossa Nova to more familiar Western rock and pop — think Canadian indie folk group The Acorn crossed with the soulful Brazilian singer-songwriter Seu Jorge.

With its exquisite and infectious harmonies, Fish Eye is a bright, melancholic track that brings to mind the organic beats and attitude of the Madchester scene, while New Carlton House dances along with a Girl from Ipanema-style spring in its step.

Easy on the ear, warm and positive, it’s the perfect soundtrack to the summer, though its official October 2015 release date means listeners may have to wait until next summer to get the album’s full effect.

Review by Ian Sinclair

Xaos                                                                                                                                                                     Xaos: Post-Troika Trance Music                                                                                                                               (IRL)                                                                                                                                                                        5/5                                                                                                                                              

XAOS is the latest venture of Nick Page, mastermind behind Transglobal Underground (TGU) and latterly Dub Colossus — projects which used various forms of “world” music as the raw material for his own style of deep and dubby dance music, a deliciously accessible east-meets-west club fusion. 

With Xaos he turns his hand to Greek music, already effectively a blend of eastern and western influences. But rather than “westernising” the sound, Page has chosen to emphasise its eastern elements.

There are surprisingly few beats and the assembled pieces are more soundscapes than tunes, entrancing explorations in texture and scales featuring few melodies and certainly no hooks — a far cry from the bubblegum gyp-pop of TGU. 

The musicians are eminently talented and innovative, and the overall effect is a sometimes haunting, consistently compelling album of great depth.

Review by George Fogarty

Sean Taylor
The Only Good
Addiction is Love
(seantaylorsongs.com)
4/5

POLITICAL songster Sean Taylor returns with this emotionally charged feast of folk.

Eleven tunes explore the full range of his guitar and singing skills, with title track The Only Good Addiction is Love a slow, soulful exploration of the merits of love, with piercing orchestral backing giving the tune added weight. There’s a change in Bad Light and Rothko, with Taylor’s blues influence showing through.

Taylor knows how take the listener on a journey and keep them interested and his dark edge, never depressing or self-indulgent, is showcased on Flesh and Mind. But he quickly lifts the mood on the brass-infused We Can Burn.

The album’s a step forward for Taylor, who’s clearly branching out from mere protest singer to fully rounded artist. He’s got an unmistakeably smoky, soulful voice and once you start listening, you’ll want more.

Review by John Millington