Take some time out, put on the headphones, drop the needle on the record, or queue up the latest releases on your phone.
Here’s four recently released albums that we’ve been playing at OUTinPerth HQ, new records from Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & Mouse on Mars, Baby Cool, Kinobe and Matías Aguayo.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & Mouse on Mars
Spatial, No Problem
★ ★ ★ ★
Legendary dub artist Lee “Scratch” Perry passed away in 2021 at the age of 85, but given the sheer number of producers he worked with, it is no surprise that unreleased music continues to emerge. Here, he teams up with German electronic duo Mouse on Mars.
The result is an intriguing mix of jazz, dub and eclectic world music, with Perry’s often bonkers lyrics dispensing his idiosyncratic worldview, exactly what fans would expect. On Hallo Shiva, he urges listeners to pick a cherry from the rose garden before casually commenting on the Roman Empire. Economic Train continues the blend of global beats, free-flowing brass and stream-of-consciousness commentary.
Spatialee shifts gears with drum and bass rhythms, woozy saxophone lines and Perry musing about dreams. Funky bass comes to the fore on Fire Dali. There is an ambient, almost drifting quality to Yayaya, while To the Rescue offers a hazy reinterpretation of Bob Marley’s Sun Is Shining, a song Perry originally produced in 1971.
The album closes with the epic eight-minute track State of Emergency. If this odd but compelling collaboration appeals, it is also worth seeking out the album Perry recorded with British band The Orb.
Baby Cool
Infinity Baby
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This is the second album from Baby Cool, the side project of Grace Cuell, who also performs in Brisbane psych rock band Nice Biscuit. It is a collection of dreamy rock tunes filled with the sound of harps, chirping birds and gently strummed guitars. The album flirts with blues, dips into country and occasionally rocks, but mostly does so with a light touch.
Cuell has a delightful voice that drifts in like a summer breeze, and her tracks flow easily from one to the next. The overall feel is like a road trip along a desert highway, complete with stories to tell and people to meet. From songs about the earth mother to reflections on not looking for love, keeping it together while falling apart and odes to the desert, a wide range of themes is explored.
One of the album’s most upbeat moments arrives on Everything, where a four-to-the-floor beat kicks in, Cuell’s vocals soar and electric guitars go wild. At the other extreme, the title track features birdsong, strummed guitars and an invitation to picture a perfect paradise. This is an album that rewards with repeat listens.
Kinobe
Open your Mind
★ ★ ★ ★
This is the latest album from British band Kinobe. While the group are best known for their track Slip Into Something More Comfortable, released in 2000 and featured on countless chill-out compilations, they have built a substantial body of work over the years. This new album is no exception.
It opens with the uplifting Dream Come True, a beautiful mix of laid-back strummed guitars and mellow beats, topped with an expansive symphonic melody. It sounds like the music that might play over the end credits of a film after the hero has achieved all their goals. As a soundtrack for the start of the day, it sets an optimistic tone. Similar vibes continue with Star Crossed and Passing Clouds.
A spoken vocal sample appears on Nothing Else Exists, inviting the listener to slow down and breathe. With each passing track, the album draws the listener deeper into a relaxed space where daydreaming feels encouraged. In My Head moves further into a mellow mood, before the marvellously titled Blue Sunshine introduces a vocal chorus and more of those uplifting strings.
A spoken prompt returns on the title track, which continues the album’s gently immersive journey. Across its nine tracks, the album flows seamlessly, as each piece employs a similar musical soundscape. There is, however, enough variation and the occasional spoken-word moment to keep things engaging.
The final track, Peace in My Soul, lives up to its name. After travelling through this warm, reflective soundscape, it is difficult not to feel that sense of calm.
Matías Aguayo
Anenoa
★ ★ ★ ★
You may not be familiar with Chilean-German vocalist Matías Aguayo, but he has been blending techno with elements of world music since 2004, and this release marks one of the latest chapters in his recorded output. On the album, he moves through a wide range of musical styles, drawing the listener directly onto the dance floor.
The album opens with Sentimento Encontraos, built around a fast ska rhythm and an intense, almost desperate vocal. Things shift quickly on Asuca, Rock, Roll, which showcases the lighter, more melodic side of Aguayo’s voice in the chorus, while the verses lean into a pleading, spoken-word delivery. With each track, the sound morphs into something slightly different from the last. It is funky and loose, but never overproduced.
Highlights include Aqua que corre, which has a playful, free-flowing feel. Anoenoa arrives in two parts. The first has a deliberately cartoonish tone, while the second uses the same beat but adds lyrics about a lazy day. It is also one of the few tracks on the album sung in English. The Beat feels like a young person’s guide to the orchestra set to a disco groove, introducing snares, congas and cowbells layer by layer.
Across the album, numerous collaborators appear, including Javier Mena, Camile Mandoki, Girl Ultra, Daudi Matsiko, Barbie Williams and IARAHEI, introducing listeners to a wide range of artists worth exploring. This is an album that rewards diving headfirst into the distinctive sound world of Matías Aguayo.
