Never have I seen an electronic artist confound the public and refuse to tow the line quite like Leila. Her debut 'Like Weather' is an absolute genre smashing classic that still sounds like the future today. Who took the producers chair for that beauty? Ah. Richard D James of course. Well....XL she landed on next and they (as usual) didn't know how the fuck to "market" their secret star in waiting so she disappeared off the radar once more...for years....and now just pops up on Warp with a total corker of a "difficult" 3rd album. So many styles line up harmoniously on this delicate, absorbing eclectic opus. It's been an office fave for a couple of months now (ex towers resident Mingus was in love with it for starters & he were a hard man to please, bless!) & it grows & grows. From the moving downtempo opener, loaded with waves of emotive synths, understated drum pads & intergalactic twinkles to a playful soulful waltz dripping with slo-mo drum skitters. Then comes a cheeky broken beat electro wibbler wandering into a haunting ghostly jazz tinged torch song that sounds like Portishead on a less gloomy plain. Mettle you all know, a brooding stalker of a tune, well ominous! I could go on and on and write a fucking magazine about this album and about how every song moves me profoundly. It's a tender, graceful journey that shreds the myth of electronica being all po faced and injects some real soul & feeling into it's many gorgeous fragments. There's some techno elements scattered around the place but I'd say she just does what the hell she feels is right and in turn creates new landscapes of fantastical, exotic music that just evolves & evolves without having to pander to the latest cool plug-in or fad. Oh, all the guest vocalists add real power to some of these songs, old faces & new recruits such as Terry Hall (and he shines on here!) If you find a more diverse and satisfying album this year i'll eat my socks! 'Blood, Looms & Blooms' is utterly essential for anyone who loves the power of sound, It's well kaleidoscopic! Dbl Vinyl & CD on Waaaaaaaaaarp
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What their label says...
A breathtaking new album of captivating melodies and infectious beats, featuring guest vocals from Terry Hall (The Specials) and Martina-Topley Bird. Leila’s long-awaited third album is finally here. Includes the singles ‘Mettle’ (DJ Magazine single of the month) and ‘Deflect’ (Mixmag’s experimental single of the month). Incredible lush artwork on both formats.
Mollie Time To Blow ( ft Terry Hall) Little Acorns (ft Khemahl And Thaon Richardson) Daisies, Cats And Spacemen (ft Roya Arab) Mettle Teases Me (ft Luca Santucci) Carplos The Exotics (ft Seaming) Deflect (ft Martina Topley Bird) Norwegian Wood (ft Luca Santucci) Lush Dolphins Ur Train (ft Luca Santucci) Young Ones Why Should I? (ft Terry Hall & Martina Topley Bird)
