Bonobo – El Toro
With his 5th album under the Bonobo moniker, Simon Green has created a minor electronica masterpiece. Multiple styles, themes and tempos converge, often featuring Andreya Triana’s lovely vocals (when will this woman put out a record of her own??? {updated 7/19/2010…the answer is apparently August 23rd in the UK and Sept. 3rd in the US!}), from the epic sounds of the opening “Prelude” and closing title track, to bubbling soul of “The Keeper” and “Eyesdown” to my personal fave “El Toro” a simply gorgeous vamp with strings where Green makes use of virtually every part of an exceptionally long drum break from a Port Authority Band track, and chops it up to the point where if you didn’t recognize the break, you’d think there was a live drummer. Nothing short of bloody brilliant.