In between his 2010 debut album
Ardour
and its 2014 follow-up
Estara
,
Teebs
'
Mtendere Mandowa
spent a little time collaborating on music with friends like
Prefuse 73
, and a lot of time on his painting. It's hard to say whether it was the time spent honing his visual art that gives his first album's gorgeous sonics more shape and structure on
, but it's undeniable that
' music feels more dynamic and disciplined. Even more than before, his tracks are like sound paintings: on songs like "SOTM," carefully layered samples and beats pop in and out, advance and recede, and circle each other in calming, yet active, ways.
emphasizes those beats on
, which helps pin down the sounds that seemed in danger of floating away on his debut. However, the unexpected and playful ways he uses percussion operate more like temporary landings for his melodies rather than lifelines. Crisply busy drums frame "View Point"'s watercolor sounds, but the unpredictable, asymmetrical beats on "Shoouss Lullaby" and "Hi Hat" are more decorative than driving.
's songs are also more developed than
's tantalizing snippets. "Holiday"'s almost-pop uses
' signature sparkling percussion, birdsong, and
Jonti
's airy vocals to craft a softly sunny atmosphere that's like a spring day viewed through a window draped with gauzy curtains; "Piano Days" and its companion "Piano Months" are testaments to the enduring power of a beautiful piano melody bedecked with copious amounts of reverb. Likewise,
expands his emotional palette to include more varied and distinctive moods that still feel related and organic; the way "NY, Pt. 2"'s nocturnal cityscape melts into the lush exotica of "Mondaze" is one of
's subtlest but most entrancing highlights. Even with all of this growth,
' music remains just as lovely and soothing as it was on
, particularly on the shimmering opening track "The Endless" and "NY, Pt. 1." Instead, his newfound control on
makes the flowing sounds and uplifting moods that distinguish him within the beat music scene all the more expressive. ~ Heather Phares