Ok I have a confession to make - I've been keeping Little Dragon from you. Not intentionally of course - it's not like I wanted to keep them all to myself or anything of that selfish nature. I just couldn't seem to find the right time to talk about them - should I have mentioned them before their show, knowing it would be sold out if word got out about this fantastic Swedish ensemble? No, I decided, I would write about them after being on the guest list to see them at my favorite venue, the large but intimate El Rey. For weeks I imagined what they would be like - lights, chandeliers, and of course, their sexy, mellow vibes cresting over me in warm waves of deliciousness. But sadly, my fantasies were cut short when will call told me quite abruptly that I was not on the guest list. So I went to Father's Office instead, and drank a decent pint of cider, but despite its filling qualities, there was an emptiness inside me.
It was one that could only have been filled by Little Dragon, a band who emulates the sensual atmospherics of bands like Zero 7, but so chilled they have to be from Sweden, home of artists such as the uber mellow Jose Gonzalez, who has not so incidentally played with Zero 7 and collaborated with Litte Dragon vocalist Yukimi Nagano. In addition, she's also played with fellow Swedes Koop, a jazz electro outfit capable of ridiculously cool and sensual grooves. Machine Dreams, their beatifully, recently released, gorgeously colored sophomore album, is a solid follow up to their 2007 self-titled debut. Though they successfully escape the sophomore slump, the evolution from album to album is subtle. Little Dragon is much more R&B, with more bedroom jams and relaxed grooves, whereas Machine Dreams is crisper and synthier, adding an edginess.
For a decidedly chilled band, they have some surprisingly energetic numbers - I like the jagged, minimalist rhythms of "My Step," with its surprisingly low chorus, as well as the detached, '80s inspired groove of "Looking Glass" which has echoes of New Order and just the right amount of production on Nagano's voice to blur the lines between machine and human. And of course, their calmer numbers resonate well with me, much in the same way that Fink does. "A New," which has the same dramatic feel and haunting arpeggios that characterize Air, though Nagano's vocals are far more soulful than the quasi-ironic accented whisperings of the French duo. But ultimately, it is the mellower songs, that effortlessly capture post coital intimacy, that remain Little Dragon's forte. Songs like "Never Never," and "Blinking Pig," which may appear deceptively minimal, are on second listen, a bit more like the musical equivalent of phyllo dough - paper thin layers of sound that work best when combined together to create a beautifully textured, but still detailed effect.
Thanks for being awesome La La.
