Devonté Hynes
' first proper
Blood Orange
album in seven years coincidentally arrived the same month "Champagne Coast" (a
Coastal Grooves
highlight gone viral) and "Charcoal Baby" (off
Negro Swan
) were awarded respective platinum and gold certifications in the U.S. For
Hynes
,
Essex Honey
was in no way a return after a lengthy absence. He thrived throughout the time between
LPs by scoring films and television series that linked him with
Melina Matsoukas
Rebecca Hall
, and
Paul Schrader
, among other directors.
Fields
, his collaboration with
Third Coast Percussion
, made him a Grammy-nominated classical composer. He was also involved with recordings by
Carly Rae Jepsen
the Avalanches
Turnstile
. Even more astonishing as a demonstration of
' range, there was a five-month period when
Paul McCartney
Sugababes
Beverly Glenn-Copeland
each released a
remix.
surely could have taken his main alias in any number of directions, but instead,
exists largely on familiar ground -- quite literally so. It expands on previous
themes like alienation, grief, and ambivalence with regard to
' lonesome adolescence. There is a strong sense of place with (dis)locations, scenes, and experiences often evoked or detailed. Nostalgia and trauma entwine most powerfully on "Countryside," a wafting ballad where
is out of harm's way but lonesome and distressed: "As my chest begins to tighten, I seek comfort in the leaves."
transmutes glum post-punk, winsome indie pop, and progressive soul with deviations far outside those styles, and many of the songs indeed change tack. Driving rhythms sprout from empty spaces, wilt, and regenerate. "The Last of England" begins and ends as a piano ballad and contains a simmering drum'n'bass section in the middle. "The Train (King's Cross)" is full of anxious locomotive energy ("Can't turn back and the worst is yet to come") and lets the listener out to the sounds of river waves, seagulls, and sawing cello. For every other reference to
' surroundings, there's a nod to the North, more specifically Manchester.
The Durutti Column
are sampled,
New Order
are name-checked, and the recurring gentle wails of harmonica might bring
the Smiths
to mind. Elsewhere,
the Replacements
and
Elliott Smith
are quoted, and
Yo La Tengo
are interpolated. All of these figures hover at the periphery, just past
' posse of sympathetic co-lead and background vocalists -- a number greater than indicated by the featured artist credits.
' hooks, frequently accompanied by his keys and/or strings, are at their most exquisitely sorrowful here. A remarkable album with more gateways than a knowing mixtape,
shows that
is as ingenious as a would-be DJ, A&R, and talent connector as he is as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer. ~ Andy Kellman