16. Smurphy A Shapeless Pool Of Lovely Pale Colours Suspended In The Darkness
Smurphy is an affiliate of Mexican club crew NAAFI, which has been a group to watch for some time now. However, no-one could have anticipated that one of its dance floor-oriented members would release an album as mesmeric, immersive and just generally gorgeous as Smurphy's brilliantly titled A Shapeless Pool Of Lovely Pale Colours Suspended In Darkness. The album fuses abstract soundscapes and the influence of avant-garde styles like musique-concrete with the sensual club textures of her NAAFI compatriots and a fascinating take on vocal science techniques in a seamless and utterly unique way. This is one of the most singular records of the year so far. The album is named for synaesthesia, seemingly designed to be a sonic abstract and expressionistic portrayal of colours and non-representational images. Multi-layered vocals drift in and out of a mix that features eerie samples, pressing percussion, interludes that are reminiscent of the softer moments of free jazz and deep, dubby bass. Grime producer Logos has received a wealth of praise for creating a minimalistic, ambient take on the genre that strips away the muscle and leaves shadowy residue, but Smurphy's similarly "stripped back" approach actually has the opposite effect. This is not a shadowy release, despite lacking the propulsion of the club genres that it references. Rather, it is full of evocative sonic images, at once wonderful and surreal. Where Logos' work is like listening to grime music through a misty fog, ASPOLPCSID is more reminiscent of enjoying a particularly strange slowed-down club mix in which everything is actually doubly highlighted in technicolor. Every detail grips the listener's attention from start to finish - woody percussion, dripping water, beautifully rendered brass sounds, off-beat drums coated in static. This is a release that does not let go, despite its frequent ambient leanings. Even in its softer moments, like the gorgeous Heavenly Bodies, weird effects and jarring interjections of noise interrupt the flow and enforce focused listening. Album closer Pisces is almost provocative in its discordant anti-ambience, daring you to try to either drift off or dance while listening. Smurphy may be one of the less recognisable names on this list, and this may well be the most difficult album here, but it is magnificent from start to finish.
