Tempering the industrial tilt of their previous Reload material with slower, more graceful rhythms and an ear for melody unmatched by any in the downtempo crowd, Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton produced the single best work in the ambient house canon. The tick-tock beats and tidal flair of "14:31" are proof of the duo's superb balance of beauty with a haunting quality more in line with Vangelis than Larry Heard (though both producers were heavy influences on the album). On several tracks the darkside appears to take over -- the pinging ambience of "9:39" -- but for most of 76:14 the melodies and slow-moving rhythms chart a course toward the upbeat and positive.© John Bush /TiVo

Frescobaldi brilliantly combines improvisation and architecture. These qualities resonate with the discography of harpsichordist Christophe Rousset, whose choice of repertoire and interpretation are adventurous and serious at the same time. Frescobaldi’s counterpoint goes along with the finest art of singing, inherited from the Italian madrigal, and the flexibility of his language highlights the virtuosity of his compositions. Christophe Rousset recorded toccate and partite on a beautiful and original harpsichord of the late 16th century. Its sound faithfully testifies for the significant place of this First Book of harpsichord pieces in the nascent modernity of Frescobaldi. If the modal harmonies are still old-fashioned, the free beat and subtle melodies make it an indisputable baroque master, admired from Italy to France and Germany: Bach is said to have had a copy of his Fiori musicali! This new disc by Christophe Rousset reveals the first treasures composed specifically for the harpsichord. Its repertoire was served from the beginning by musicians whose expressive boldness recalls in a musical way Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro. © Aparté

This is a new mutation of King Gizzard! The ten tracks on Butterfly 3000 see Stu McKenzie and his team develop their cryptic language. Against a dazzling concept-album background whose tracks run into one another, forming a whole, this 18th album goes in for psychedelic modular experiments, like the sublime synth progression on Blue Morpho with its kaleidoscopic chorus or Yours, which introduces the over-powered rhythm section. Stu's Passion Pit-style lead vocals flood these ten compact tracks, each one just under the six-minute mark. The result is a new journey into his overflowing musical imagination. As ever, there are many influences at work here. The oriental strings on Interior People evoke an 80s synthpop which is perfect for live performances; the influence of Tame Impala and MGMT has never been more prominent (Catching Smoke, Ya Love);  later we find the simple keyboard sounds of Japanese videogames (Dreams), while the progressive stylings of Hawkwind offer a backdrop.Butterfly 3000 is the first remnant of modular synthetic loops which the artist began in 2019, while writing the film-concert Chunky Shrapnel, whose release was thrown into disarray in early March 2020 by the pandemic. The piece was then reworked amid the gloom of lockdown. So while the distortions of Black Hot Soup immerse the work in drama, the climax of the album, 2.02 Killer Year and the voice of Ambrose Kenny-Smith brings closure to a record that is bursting with hope "Hope you can see the beauty within the grim world's ugly mess", a rare mood for KGLW. This is a successful, if facetious, tour de force for the audacious Australians, in which the electric gives way to the synthetic. © Charlotte Saintoin / Qobuz

Issued without advance notice 17 days after Kendrick Lamar's riveting 2016 Grammy Awards performance, untitled unmastered. consists of eight demos that are simply numbered and dated. Apart from segments previewed at the Grammys and late-night television appearances, there was no formal promotion. A postscript, it's (artfully) artless in presentation -- not even basic credits appear on the Army green liner card in the compact disc edition -- yet it's almost as lyrically and musically rich as To Pimp a Butterfly. The dates indicate that the majority of the material was made during the sessions for that album, and the presence of many of its players and vocalists is unmistakable. This was assembled with a high level of care that is immediately evident, its components sequenced to foster an easy listen. Track-to-track flow, however, is about the only aspect of this release that can be called smooth. After an intimate spoken intro from Bilal, the set segues into an urgent judgment-day scenario with squealing strings and a resounding bassline as Lamar confronts mortality and extinction with urgent exasperation. He observes terrifying scenes all the while sensing possible relief ("No more running from world wars," "No more discriminating the poor"). untitled unmastered. offers this and other variations on the connected themes of societal ills, faith, and survival that drove the output it follows, with Lamar at his best when countering proudly materialistic boasts with ever-striking acknowledgments of the odds perilously weighted against his people. Remarkably, this hits its stride in the second half. The stretch involves a rolling, ornamented retro-contemporary production from Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (with vocal assists from Bilal and Cee Lo Green), a stitched suite that is alternately stern and humorously off the cuff (featuring Egypt, five-year-old son of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, as co-producer and vocalist), and a finale of Thundercat-propelled funk. Even while coasting over the latter's breezy and smacking groove, Lamar fills the space with meaning, detailing a confrontation with sharp quips and stinging reprimands. While Lamar referred to these tracks as demos, and not one of them has the pop-soul appeal of "These Walls" or the Black Lives Matter protest-anthem potential of "Alright," untitled unmastered. is no mere offcut dump. It's as vital as anything else its maker has released.© Andy Kellman /TiVo