Sometimes you need that freedom that England’s Afro-funksters Ibibio Sound Machine can offer. Now off the heels of its Pull The Rope album released this past May, the band returns with The Black Notes EP (Merge Records) which opens with its title track, with an infectious bounce and dance groove. The band’s chorus is cleverly worked, with a comparison between emotions & black key notes with vocalist Eno Williams’ descriptive words. There’s a much more afrobeat feel to “Honey Bee” as horns surround the track, soothing spirits and captivating listeners. Guitars delicately embellish the rhythm it joins into as Williams quick-tongue smothers it. Two remixes are included here, “Pull The Rope (Captain Planet Remix)” and “Got To Be Who You Are (Vanguard Remix)” off the band’s previous release. It offers a distinctly different take on the tracks while the band’s roots are still firmly planted here. We should all be here for Ibibio Sound Machine.

The Canadian outfit SUNNS returns with its latest release The Breaks (Joyful Noise Recordings) and seems to do so much with very little. Before everyone lambasts me and inundates my inbox with hate mail, I’ll explain. SUUNS creates a wide array of sound, creating pop songs without need of an inordinate amount of instruments. The band’s sound is sparse but also rich in texture. The opening track alone “Vanishing Point” allows a quick look into its sound with a beautiful composition that doesn’t require a lot. It’s fog-thick thanks to the gooey bassline and Ben Shemie’s voice is run through effects but even without it, it’s still sweet and tangy, both at the same time. At almost 7-minutes long, it’s difficult not to play it over and over again. With “Road Signs And Meanings,” the band sounds minimalistic, but not. It repeats the same rhythm for almost two minutes before changing the dynamics with the eventual addition of any other instruments, as brief as they might be. SUUNS is enchanting with its experimentations as well on “Wave,” as distortion is added in order to texture the track differently. The Breaks is a trippy psych ride through pop music.

FACTOR CHANDELIER – COLD, COLD WORLD

It isn’t difficult to imagine anyone constantly and consistently storming the studio and with that in mind, this is generally how I’m sure most perceive Canada’s Factor Chandelier. No one will ever accuse the producer/beatmaker/musician of ever sitting on his laurels, amazing a hefty solo discography but probably multiplying that by five with both collaborative efforts with other artists (Myka9, Awol One, Kay The Aquanaut, etc.) and production credits for several others. Now, just over a year of releasing Moving Like A Planet and releasing New Physics with Kay The Aquanaut earlier this year comes Cold, Cold World (Fake Four, Inc.).

For those familiar, the new album is fitted with an array of instrumentals placed alongside one another and flows together as if telling its own story. Of course, there are guest appearances that normally make things clearer, and on Cold, Cold World, that’s what we find here as well. Don’t misunderstand, Chandelier never makes the same album twice but you’ll always find a keen uniformity within his releases. While we all may enjoy the different aspects of The Codefendants, Chandelier pulls something different out of Sam King & Ceschi Ramos on the melancholic “Without A Trace,” which just might have you feeling lost thinking of the not-so-distant future, wondering how you’ll be remembered. The duo’s pessimism is offset by Chandelier’s lugubrious composition filled with strings, thick beats, and synth play. The track feels heavy without weighing anything down. But it’s the false-flagged title track, “Don’t Leave Too Soon” – a track that includes background vocals singing “It’s a cold, cold world/don’t leave too soon, don’t leave too soon” that’s intriguing. While the rhythm is upfront and personal, it’s what’s behind it that’s inviting. The horns (Danny T Levin) & strings (Emmett Glancie) make for a massive soundtrack, but it’s the additional instruments (wind?) that add an interesting ambiance to it.

There’s always been something strange about Factor Chandelier’s work but it’s those odds and ends that make the music unlike anything you’ve heard before. You hear it as soon as the track begins with effected vocals(?) over scattershot rhythm, while Kay The Aquanaut offers additional vocals. “In the Zone” is a balloon taking flight over a sonic revelation of “Keep Them Coming Back.”  It’s here on both tracks where there’s another constant, dabbing & sprinkling much of himself throughout the release, and that would be multi-instrumentalist Gregory Pepper whose voice we hear in a variety of ways, burrowing its way within the melting pot of Chandelier’s music. And of course, we find the verbose baritone of Myka9 on “Size,” and here, it matters. Within a repetitive rhythm, Myka9 both sings and rhymes here as horns blare in the background and synth fits in right alongside. There’s a starkness to the closing “We Lost You,” featuring Ceschi with additional vocals by Taylor Jade, which sounds much like an era piece. You might want to think you’re at a school dance in the 50s or even 60s as future lovers make their way to the dance floor moving with all-but-forgotten dance steps. It’s a throwback, to a simpler time. That’s just one perspective anyway.

It isn’t an easy task to keep listeners interested, especially after a long and illustrious career but Factor Chandelier does it and keeps doing it. With Cold, Cold World we hear the evolution of his music as he weaves tracks together with the help of others. He doesn’t boast, he’s not shouting from rooftops with needless braggadocio, although he could. He puts his money where his mouth is and continues creating album after album of infectiousness.

MERCURY REV – BORN HORSES

We’ve come a long way. When I say “we” I don’t actually mean all of us but then again, I do. In this case though, I’m referring to Mercury Rev, the Buffalo, NY outfit that threw things into chaos with its first album in ’91, Yerself Is Steam. The band’s psychedelic noisiness is what attracted many to the band, which has evolved throughout the years, holding tightly to that psychedelia but infusing it with pop sensibilities. The band has quietly released its 12^th – or 13^th – studio album, depending on who you ask, and we can all hear the change.

I’ll be the first to admit I’ve lost sight of the band since its earliest formation and the band’s latest offering, Born Horses (Bella Union) is quite the musical journey led by Jonathan Donahue and Grasshopper, the only two consistent founding members left in the group. The music throughout the album is consistent, more chamber-pop jazz than indie rock, which may just suit the band fine. But, and there’s always a but, I’m not sure if Donahue’s spoken word delivery will find much appreciation. Through the majority of the album, songs are wrapped around his breathy words, which at this point, may take away from the glory of the music woven together by well-weathered musicians who know exactly what they’re doing. The compositions, yes, they amaze and could possible stand tall amongst giants in music but I can’t imagine many coming back to it over and over again.

With that said, I do find solace within “A Bird Of No Address” where Donahue sings airily, across this wide landscape of sound filled with piano, thundering percussion that crescendo, and washes of horn play. It’s the track that plays like an actual pop song but its direction and movements will leave you enraptured.

While Mercury Rev’s music doesn’t fully disappoint, I’m not sure if there’s enough within Born Hoses to give it what it truly deserves. It’s like I mentioned earlier, the music is captivating but vocally it seems self-gratuitous.