Album Review: Bonobo - The North Borders

Bonobo, aka Simon Green, fronts this month with a new album of lusciously organic electronica that continues to groove to pretty chill downtempo beats. Moving away from the sample-based trip hop of his earlier albums, Bonobo crafts a shimmering electronic sound that is as smooth as silk.

First Fires opens the album with bittersweet neo soul vibes that features Grey Reverend's vocals dripping thick and sweet all over the mix. While Bonobo has recently moved to New York, the deep rumbling bass of this album suggests a strong relationship with London. The dreamy Emkay is propelled deep pulses of bass and fidgety two-step rhythms. Jets washes over like Burial in the midst of a summery daydream. Cirrus works whimsical layers of bells, chimes and gongs over an insistent beat that builds to provide dancefloor kicks. While many of the instrumental tracks exude a certain opulence, many of the songs on this album find Bonobo moving in soft electronic neo soul tangents. Erykah Badu coo's sweetly on Heaven For Sinner; her vocals, situated in the almost celestial twinking of harps and sensuous strings, still sound funky. Brooding and mysterious, Towers unveils Szjerdene singing about a lying lover, while the haunting Transits finds her helping Bonobo slip into an altogether more energetic mood. Ten Tigers bumps to a slow but solid rubbery beat but comes into full bloom with flourishes of strings that leave you wishing the entire track was smothered with orchestral indulgence. Pieces introduces vocalist Cornelia who helps this album come down with a lullaby.

Slipping softly off focus but not quite into unconsciousness, these gentle daydreams of tunes showcase Bonobo remaining true to his downtempo roots but at the top of his game.