A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN

The Undivided Five NINJA TUNE

8/10

Orchestral ambient duo’s latest grants a sumptuous state of grace With two film scores behind them – 2016’s Iris and 2017’s God’s Own Country – it’s unsurprising AWVFTS’ second studio album sounds cinematic. If its pace is funeral, though, its mood is elevating, with strings swelling serenely on the aptly titled “Our Lord Debussy”, and “Sullen Sonata” like an ecclesiastical Brian Eno. Further emphasising its lavish textures are subdued brass and Dustin O’halloran’s low piano tones on “Aqualung, Motherfucker”, while Adam Wiltzie’s guitars shimmer behind “The Slow Descent Has Begun”’s solemn strings. “Adios, Florida”, moreover, drifts like the summer clouds from which it appears to emerge.