That it flourishes with fresh intricacies and delicate affections on each new listen is all the more surprising given the theme of isolation at its core.
Inevitably some gambles with fail, and others will pay off, but at least here there is an apparent ambition to continually re-invent.
It’s as carefully and intricately produced as anything the group has managed to date, but with a blinding vibrancy added to its tonal pallet and outlook.
It's fun to think about Darkstar's raw materials and what they might do with them one day, but nobody's going to come away from News From Nowhere feeling like they've successfully cultivated their own unique universe.
News From Nowhere attempts to look past the trappings of electronic genres and devote themselves to a more spare genre source: ambient.
Producing a near beatless pop album sounds borderline oxymoronic, so it’s to Darkstar’s absolute credit that the full listen is as engaging as it is.
The half lit, pop sign says: Get rid of real life, open up your ears and sleep.
If you followed these instructions, when you wake up, you will sense a familiarity with these news from nowhere that it will make you look for them sooner than you think.
#61 | / | Rough Trade |