Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, Seattle’s premiere exports of wall-of-sound pop and blissful electronica have amassed an enormous following thanks to their cathartic live shows, and this new set of songs (their third full-length and second on Ninja Tune) seems tailor-made for neon-lit stadiums and packed festival fields. There’s no shortage of life-affirming chord progressions, gigantic drops and hands-in-the-air crescendos. Some of the instrumental tracks (“Late Night,” “La Ciudad,” “Show Me”) recall Bonobo’s earthy deep garage turned up to eleven (“Boy” kinda sounds like Kanye’s “All Of The Lights” re-tuned for festival season), but A Moment Apart shines brightest on the duo’s collaborations with vocalists: Leon Bridges shows up on “Across The Room,” and indie-pop queen Regina Spektor lends her pitch-perfect vocals to “Just A Memory,” one of the album’s absolute best tracks. This pressing on clear vinyl is available in limited quantities; housed in deluxe gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves and code for digital download of the album.

• clear colored vinyl
• double vinyl pressing
• deluxe gatefold sleeve
• printed inner sleeves
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Counter Records 2017

reviewed by mayor of hounslow 09/2017