Paris-based, genre-fusing, indie-jazz from the mind of a DC ex-pat? Don’t mind if I do. And so should you, for Ambient Joy , their latest album, is a gorgeous sonic experience. Even having paved the way for this sophisticated and seductive album with the single, “Up and Down,” itself a delicate and deft blend of the chiming and charming, the funky and fantastic, that taster and tester of the sonic waters still doesn’t fully prepare you for a whole album of such sensational songs.
The first 20 seconds of opener, “Bound To You,” a beguiling head rush of ticking beats, shimmering guitar, and mellifluous bass runs, mark this out as anything but the usual territory. By the time the song has wandered through various dynamic twists and moods and Sophia Nadia has delivered her warm and welcoming vocals in two languages, you realise that there is something very special going on here. Very special indeed.
“Leave It Alone” feels like a modern take on those seductive ’60s chamber-pop ballads, and by contrast, “Brick and Concrete” pushes almost into indie-rock territory, though even that they are able to treat with the same attention to detail and dream-scape brilliance that they approach even their most gossamer of songs.
Ambient Joy is thematically a celebration of finding contentment and happiness in the mundane and the understated rhythms of life, rather than being subjected to the dramatic slings and arrows that many seem to thrive on. I can relate to that, and when you find yourself celebrating the gentler pace of life, you now have the perfect soundtrack.
