Review: They've yet to make as much of an impact in the northern hemisphere but Melbourne-based outfit Mildlife are big news Down Under - their last (second) album 'Automatic' went Top 10 nationally in 2020, and won the ARIA award for Best Jazz Album to boot. Now they're back with long player #3, 'Closer', and it showcases a sound that's hard to pin down, with the album as a whole fusing elements of jazz-funk/jazz-fusion, Balearica, cosmic disco, psychedelic pop and modern indie, and even straying close to ambient territory on the title track. With the tempo seldom rising above walking pace ('Musica' being the only exception), there are no obvious dancefloor moments here - instead, it's an album that's best served whole, when in a mellower frame of mind...
Review: Any time that DJ Harvey gives us a sneak peek into the current contents of his record bag - sorry, USB stick - is a cause for celebration. As you can imagine, we're cock-a-hoop that he's decided to deliver a follow-up to his superb 2017 compilation "The Sound of Mercury Rising". As with its predecessor, volume two offers a giddy skip through chiming, synth-heavy original Balearic classics (Mandy Smith, Hugh Mane), weirdo European disco (Marta Acuna), evocative electronic soundscapes (System Olympia), blue-eyed synth-pop (Pamela Nivens), drum machine-powered Middle Eastern madness (Switchdance's sublime "Arabian Ride")and a swathe of tasty contemporary cuts (the jaunty jazz-funk of Midlife, Das Komplex's ace "Slap", Nu Guinea's splendid "Je Vulesse" and Peaking Lights remix of Land of Light being the highlights).
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