Avant-pop, silky vocals and visual country
A weekly look at must-hear music recommended by Times staffers. This week’s picks include the latest from indie electronic act Little Dragon, budding R&B artist Sabrina Claudio, crooner Charlie Puth and country star Brad Paisley.
Little Dragon “Season High” (Loma Vista)
Pop music historians looking for a contemporary record that captures the so-called “sound of now” would be advised to timecapsule “Season High.” The fifth album by the Swedish avant-pop group since its 2007 debut merges synthetic R&B, modern textures and of-the-moment dance music. The result finds the quartet at its most magnetic and adventurous.
This is Little Dragon’s first record since its 2014 album, “Nabuma Rubberband,” earned a dance/ electronic album Grammy nomination, and the group feels newly energized and eager to draw in the masses.
Led by vocalist Yukimi Nagano, a striking presence who recently performed at Coachella with an over-sized hot-pink veil over her face, the group is restless in its quest for unheard tones and textures.
The down-tempo track “Don’t Cry” floats as if infused with helium. “The Pop Life” opens like an R&B ballad before moving into a driving double-time rhythm. The beat during “Should I” wobbles with a weird time signature. Best, the group’s so versatile that each track contains odd moments of distinction.