Animal Magic - Bonobo

...hearing Silver and Gypsy from Animal Magic I was hooked. The album's ten tracks (including intro) are all completely different, from the uber-chilled out Kota to the more lively tracks such as the pretty bass orientated Sugar Rhyme. Having said that, they all follow a fairly relaxed theme, perfect for summer evenings with mates or post surfing...

Unfortunately, this album is really difficult to describe and I recommend that you listen ...
...me this is what sets Animal Magic above Melody AM by Röyksopp, Mishaps Happening by Quantic or Hotel by Moby.

On that note, this album would, in my opinion, be loved by anyone that likes Moby, Röyksopp or any other chillout type music. Also worth looking into along the same lines as Bonobo would be Quantic (mentioned above, another artist on the Tru Thoughts label).

Price: £11.99 (at HMV in the dance section, I would ... more

Bonobo was a name introduced to my by some fellow kitesurfers from Brighton about 12 months ago, and after hearing Silver and Gypsy from Animal Magic I was hooked. The album's ten tracks (including intro) are all completely different, from the uber-chilled out Kota to the more lively tracks such as the pretty bass orientated Sugar Rhyme. Having said that, they all follow a fairly relaxed theme, perfect for summer evenings with mates or post surfing...

Unfortunately, this album is really difficult to describe and I recommend that you listen to a track or two to really find out what it's like, but I have attempted to summarise the tracks below:

1-Intro:

A bit surreal for me, and doesn't really show what's in store for the rest of the album, but it's not too bad.

2-Sleepy Seven:

One of the best tracks on the album in my opinion, and one of the easiest songs to appreciate whilst being used as background music. The effects and sounds used are very varied and everything about this track is exactly what I've come to think of Bonobo.

3-Dinosaurs:

I'm not too sure about the talking part at the start of this track, but it picks up twenty seconds in to become one of the more lively tracks of the album. It's got a slightly Asian sound, mixed with a prominent bass line, which sounds unique.

4-Kota:

Probably equal with Terrapin for being the most chilled out tracks on this album, and another good background piece. Kota has a strong Oriental feel to it with the guitar throughout, which is a nice touch and splits up the Asian themes of Dinosaurs and Terrapin.

5-Terrapin:

As mentioned above, this is one of the two most chilled tracks on the album, and is heavily influenced by Asian style sounds. I'm personally not too sure about this track as it is a bit repetitive, but it is good to work to or to have as background music. It's still not bad enough to skip when I listen to the album.

6-The Plug:

As featured on New Tricks on BBC. Everything about this track is just right, the mix of different sounds and the vocals in it are all excellent. As a track it's pretty difficult to describe, much like the rest of the album, it's just sublime.

7-Shadowtricks:
The name of this track suits it very well in my opinion; it is quite light and cheerful, definitely a lot more "active" than a lot of the other tracks. This one is the hardest to appreciate when it's just on in the background, it really needs actively listening to I think.

8-Gypsy:

Another lively track, this. The only real issue I have with it is that it's pretty repetitive, but again I haven't found myself in any way inclined to skip it.

9-Sugar Rhyme:

This is the track with the strongest bass and the most vocal input; it's a really good track although I would have liked to have seen it slightly earlier on in the album with something like Kota at number 9 instead.

10-Silver:

This was the track that got me hooked on Bonobo in the first place; to me it evokes classic surf style music to a certain extent, and is one of the most unique tracks of any album I've heard, for me this is what sets Animal Magic above Melody AM by Röyksopp, Mishaps Happening by Quantic or Hotel by Moby.

On that note, this album would, in my opinion, be loved by anyone that likes Moby, Röyksopp or any other chillout type music. Also worth looking into along the same lines as Bonobo would be Quantic (mentioned above, another artist on the Tru Thoughts label).

Price: £11.99 (at HMV in the dance section, I would have been prepared to pay £20...)
Label: Tru Thoughts
Written/arranged/produced: Simon Green 

...less