Album Review: Je Ne Sais Quoi - PillowTalk

PillowTalk seem to have been making interesting, eclectic and experimental records for an age, so it is interesting to hear how their sound has matured and is sustained across this, their debut album.

Ever difficult to pigeon-hole PillowTalk are San Francisco three-piece Sammy D, Ryan Williams and Mikey Tello. They all bring an important element to the mix, with Sammy providing distinctive, soulful vocals, Williams guitars and keys, and Tello all that spacey synth work. The result is distinctive and yet incredibly versatile - at times cosmic and beautiful, at others gritty and soulful.

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Je Ne Said Quoi - PillowTalk

Je Ne Sais Quoi wears its heart on its sleeve and there are a slew of influences, whether subtle, painstakingly obvious or, as on The Night I Met Luther, deliberately called out. What is surprising is how well these various sounds work - an early high point is Devil's Run, a pure-Springsteen moment that is clearly influenced by the trio's final recording session in Portland, Oregon. Similarly, Slim's Night Out is a grimey take on vintage-Prince.

Yet there are also more original and innovative moments, like 4 Walls, a collaboration with DOP and Navid Izadi that focused on trying to create a track at 144 beats per minute that retains a soulful feel... And they effortlessly achieve it within a single 90-minute recording session.

With their focus on live instrumentation and experimentation in combination with soul PillowTalk operate in a fairly under-populated genre. At times Je Ne Sais Quoi feels like it takes a little too much time to reveal its charms - this is an album that is perhaps too varied, making the first few listens feel disjointed and confused... And yet most of the tracks here come into their own with a little space and time, whether they are the dreamy balladry of the extended Lullaby or the moody 80s electro-pop of Home Sick.

The sunny California closer The Outcast feels like an appropriate call to action - vocals asserting "You can't stop us now" just as the band are playing furthest from their home territory... And we wouldn't dream of proving them wrong.

Je Ne Sais Quoi is released through Wolf + Lamb on 17 March, available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on CD or MP3 [affiliate links]. Check out Lullaby and Home Sick below:

EP Review: Ain't Got The Time EP - Navid Izadi

You can tell a lot about Navid Izadi by with whom he associates - this EP on Double Standard features the soulful PillowTalk and he has recently worked with Deniz Kurtel and Soulclap.

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Ain't Got The Time EP - Navid Izadi

So much of the EP has the exactly the kind of simple yet well perfected electronic sound of someone like Kurtel but with a little more soulful flair. There is a bluesy mood through the whole EP and the vocals all play to that. The title track has a simple spongy analogue bass sound wrapped in slow moving synths and hard 808 electro rhythms together with a moody vocal. This is then followed by 'Lost In The Fold', which retains the muted tone but has a little bit of disco in its heart, the warm, soft electronic chords the perfect soundtrack to early mornings and driving through the dark. It is a well realised track and a highlight of the EP.

PillowTalk feature on two tracks - 'Too Long' and 'Follow The Leader'. Their vocal style is actually pretty similar to Navid's and so it isn't surprising to hear them here, though some vocoder work on the first of these tracks does lessen their usual impact a little. 'Too Long' is played a little more free form than much of the rest of this EP, with an extended middle-break. 'Follow The Leader' lets the vocals come through a little stronger and features a rap from Navid - it sounds like something Outkast would make with enough time locked in a Detroit nightclub, which is pretty good as far as I'm concerned. Deep, thick and strange - once again, it is a real highlight of this six track EP.

Ain't Got The Time EP is released through Double Standard on 12 November, available to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

You can stream 'Lost In The Fold' on Soundcloud below - there are a few more tracks on Navid's Soundcloud page:

EP Review: Kisses - dOP

Having just got back from on tour this new EP on Circus Company sees dOP bring back some new influences and a fresh sound.

'Your Feelin'' on side-A is a synth-pop / soul / house blend that conjures thoughts of sweaty nights of unfulfilled promise on the dance floor. It is the result of meeting of minds with Pillowtalk when in San Francisco - this being what the two groups ended up collaborating on once dOP were back in Berlin. Pillowtalk have already impressed with their mixture of house and R&B and this shines just as bright - it's a strangely sparse track for either group. The restraint creates an uneasy tension, giving the vocals a neediness that feels like a vice gripping the vocalist tighter so he can't escape.

'Kisses' is similarly withdrawn but more reflective. The gentle looping chords and deep drums form a very minimal texture to a track that sees the trio pause for thought and give thanks. It's both deep and contemplative, bittersweet in its execution, gradually building around a mood.

The Kisses EP also comes with an acapella version of 'Your Feelin'' and an instrumental of 'Kisses', but your focus should really be on the two original versions, which boast a greater subtlety than expected.

Kisses is released on Monday through Circus Company, available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].