Meet the downtempo Disclosure, who give good intro – even if they don't follow it up with a song to match
Hometown: London.
The lineup: Chris Davids and Liam Ivory.
The background: What is the greatest pop song intro of all time? We'd have to nominate the first 15 seconds of Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Til You Get Enough before the eruption into the main disco symphony, with honorary mentions for Blue Öyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper and Iggy and the Stooges' Search and Destroy, and a subsidiary intro gong for Getting to the Lyrical and Melodic Point the Fastest awarded to Brian Wilson for Love and Mercy.
We were moved to write about Maribou State, two producers from Hertfordshire now living in London, because of the intro to one of their tracks, Blue Sunday. It is sublime. Now, we realise that word gets bandied around a lot in pop music reviews but we refer you to the online Freedictionary definition of the term, because we don't just mean it's great and lovely and all of that – which it is – but that it is "of high spiritual, moral or intellectual worth", particularly the "spiritual" bit: it's idyllic, paradisal, the soundtrack to an ineffable state of grace, heavenly and celestial, all harp glissandos and distant cries of cherubim and seraphim.
Of course, maintaining that level of otherworldly rapture was always going to be tough, and so it is the case here: the intro is divine, yes, but then it's gone, replaced by something altogether more earthbound. That doesn't mean it turns into torpid indie or somesuch. Instead, it is replaced by an appealing downtempo beat, a trip hop-paced groove worthy of Moloko, an altogether more linear affair, although stick around for the third and fourth minutes because it goes freer of form and those ethereal voices do return.
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If you like Bondax, and glitchy, sad and slow, atmospheric dubstep and house in general, you should check out some of the other tracks on their Truths EP. Truths is a chillout – not chillwave – soulful, sorrowful late-night/after-hours affair. Jimi Nxir's voice is curious, with idiosyncratic tinges, and halfway through the song breaks down and transforms into something looser and freer of form, before the languid disco pace starts up again. Tongue featuring Holly Walker is sultry, and intoxicating, with the accent on the toxic: "Desire, like an illness, chokes me," she sings, good words for clubbing – talk about murder on the dancefloor. Hollow Grove is jazzy, featuring a cameo this time from Nubiya Brandon, who's clearly feeling kind of blue, and plangent piano chords at right angles to the vocal line. Then there's Moon Circles, which reminds us of Rainforest by Paul Hardcastle, such that fans of '80s jazz-funk might be coaxed out of retirement, as it were, to enjoy it, and it wouldn't have to be on vinyl 12-inch because Messrs Davids and Ivory have very kindly imported the clicks and scratches of said format for extra authenticity and period feel. Not heavenly, maybe, but seriously nice.
The truth: They'll never beat that intro – but the EP's still worth hearing.
Most likely to: Make dance music from heart.
Least likely to: Move back to Herts.
What to buy: The Truths EP is released in November.
File next to: James Blake, Bondax, Alpha, Moloko.
Links: soundcloud.com/mariboustate.
Wednesday's new band: Gossling.
by Paul Lester via Music: Electronic music | theguardian.com
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