Life And Death Italy At Juno Download

Review: There's remarkably little information available online about Clockwork, though the fact that he's part of the growing Life & Death family should offer enough clues to his identity and sound. BOATS (Based on a True Story) continues the Italian label's journey into deep tech-house territory, fusing the wide-eyed shuffle of the Visionquest family, with the semi-organic goodness of Pillow Talk and prog-leaning downtempo electronica. The result is a crackly, atmospheric album full of pleasant surprises, from the plucked jazz guitars and Nicholas Jaar-ish rhythms of "One Way Ticket", to the bleary-eyed deep garage of "Places".

Review: Following on from the success of their album and a string of other projects and releases, dOP return to their freaked-out best on this single for Life and Death. "After Party" shuffles along with a cheeky, lean percussive focus and very little musicality. Jaw's vocal is as sleazy and seductive as you can ever wish for from the French trio, while displaced hums and murmurs add to the tension. The two remixes are decidedly minimal, but Le Loup manage to excel with a slow-grooving oddball take that keeps the essence of the original and adds some acid grime to proceedings.

Review: There's something a wee bit cheeky about calling your first EP "The Come Back", but we'll forgive San Francisco newcomers Pillow Talk - not least 'cos this is an impressive debut. The title track sets the tone by fusing cutesy blue-eyed soul and organic instrumentation with stupendously heavy synth bass and snappy 808 hits. "Long Lost Friends" and "Soft" do the same, offering touchy-feely sound combinations that will have fragile souls gently weeping tears of joy. Label bosses Life & Death handle remix duties, weighing in with two more straight-laced house versions that should find favour with fans of Soul Clap and Wolf + Lamb.