On their fourth long-player, London's Afrofuturist collective Ibibio Sound Machine alter their sonic approach without shifting their musical focus. Electricity finds the band looking outside the organization for the first time to enlist Hot Chip (Al Doyle and Joe Goddard) as producers. Together, they shift the electronics forever at the core of their hybrid of Afrobeat, future funk, and post-punk, and move them way up front, weaving in crashing electro, Kraftwerk-ian new wave, and disco.Opener "Protection from Evil" ...
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On their fourth long-player, London's Afrofuturist collective Ibibio Sound Machine alter their sonic approach without shifting their musical focus. Electricity finds the band looking outside the organization for the first time to enlist Hot Chip (Al Doyle and Joe Goddard) as producers. Together, they shift the electronics forever at the core of their hybrid of Afrobeat, future funk, and post-punk, and move them way up front, weaving in crashing electro, Kraftwerk-ian new wave, and disco.Opener "Protection from Evil" perfectly illustrates that formula. Al Doyle's filthy, rubbery synth bassline ushers in a four-on-the-floor pulse and a bank of forceful synths before frontwoman Eno Williams delivers a onomatopoeic bilingual screed in her native Ibibio and English (she moves between the languages throughout the album). A propulsive drum kit, jagged ambient sounds, pitch-shifted keyboards, and a wonky bass create the hypnotic frame as she sings through a vocoder in the bridge. The title track follows. Williams emulates Kraftwerk's robotized vocals in the intro as driving Casios and drum machines open the gate for a melody drenched in pop-soul. "Afo Ken Doko Mien" is a gorgeous love song; though articulated through a textured ambient electro, it's tender, mystical, and spacious, saturated in nocturnal atmospherics. Williams' crystalline singing hovers above droning, minimal keyboards, voicing the ache of her desire with clear intent. "All That You Want" weds progressive pop to LCD Soundsystem-esque synth vibes from Scotty Bayliss before deliberately evoking Giorgio Moroder's sheeny electro-Euro-disco. "Wanna See Your Face Again," by contrast, is an orgiastic exercise in anthemic, souled-out house. "17 18 19" finds Williams offering a spoken word lyric à la Grace Jones atop a massive rhythm collision of break-laden disco and fractured post-punk. Speaking of disco, the neo-electro in "Truth No Lie" at once recalls the twin influences of Afrika Bambaataa and Francis Bebey -- Alfred "Kari" Bannerman's lean, mean guitar solo is a treat as it foreshadows wrangling layers of angular synths and cascading beats. Strangely, "Oyoyo," a track deeply saturated in African polyrhythms, could have appeared on any of the band's earlier albums, but it sounds like a welcome outlier here. Its crisscrossing weave of hand drums, horns, double-timed snares, and kick drums framed by popcorn Casio buoys Williams' trancelike singing. Where "Something We'll Remember" is a disco anthem created for the heat of the dancefloor, "Almost Flying" channels poppy new wave amid blips and beeps with an infectiously hummable chorus. Set closer "Freedom" is an intense three-minute exercise in Afrofuturist broken beat, roiling neo-disco, and soul-drenched cinematic pop with guest vocalist Adenike Ajayi claiming the front as Williams soars in the cascading chorus.Ibibio Sound Machine have always sought to get listeners onto the dancefloor. Electricity reveals that they won't have to coax. Here, they have taken their songcraft, production, and rhythm science to an entirely different level without sacrificing their Afrocentric roots. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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Add this copy of Electricity to cart. $6.48, fair condition, Sold by Service First Media rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Taylorsville, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Merge.
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Fair. Ex-Library rental. Disc(s) are professionally cleaned and may contain only light scratches that do not effect functionality. Includes disc(s), case, and artwork. May be missing booklet. Disc(s), case, and artwork may contain library/security stickers and ink writing. ARTWORK IS UNORIGINAL AND PRINTED BY LIBRARY. Case and artwork may show some wear. Case may not be an original jewel case. All disc(s) are authentic.
Add this copy of Electricity to cart. $6.83, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Merge Records.
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Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Electricity to cart. $17.43, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Merge.
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Ajayi/Ibibio Sound ; DeRose/Ibibio Sound; Ibibio Sound Machin. New. New in new packaging. USA Orders only! Brand New product! please allow delivery times of 3-7 business days within the USA. US orders only please.
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