Demob Happy

Fairweather view

7/10

A slightly tongue-in-cheek bohemia runs through this wigged-out collective’s latest LP. There is a lot of shoddy material released through Ninja Tune but this can certainly be placed in the context of the more interesting artists on their roster (see Amon Tobin and Bonobo also). Live instrumentation is pitted playfully against the label’s trademark noodling but this is a more international in its musical vision than the jazz n’ breaks fodder of their stablemates. Quirky and exotic, this album is a melting pot of downtempo jazz, lilting acoustica and ethnic influences coupled with drum and bass inflections, hippy sing-alongs and trip hop. The highlights are the beautiful plucked strings, skittering rhythms and mangled Eddie Cochrane-esque vocals of‘Fairweather View’ and the bonged-out freeform of Fruit Machine. Moments of inspiration jossle with the occasional slide into characteristic Ninjaindulgence.