As GoGo Penguin embarks on its seventh studio voyage with Necessary Fictions, the Manchester trio adds some subtle changes to its jazz/classical/electronic goulash: more synthetic beats, more overt uses of synths, guest vocalists and musicians. If anything, though, these elements just make the band sound even more like itself.
Take “What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be.” The track opens with an electronic pulse that parts the crowd on the way to the dance floor. But then Nick Blacka’s slithering double bass comes in, pulling the jazz influence forward. Chris Illingworth works his usual minimalist magic, shifting back and forth between his distinctive muted piano strings sound and full-throated riffs on the 88s. Drummer Jon Scott sits at his kit to add counterpoint the electro-throb, as distorted synths surge up and down like synchronized waves. The song sounds fresh, but is also the trio at its most GoGo Penguinish.
Other tracks also explore the road while staying in lane. “Forgive the Damages” invites singer/songwriter Raki Singh to twist the Penguin’s usual MO into a hopeful pop song. “Naga Ghost” eschews piano for burbling synth riffs, while “Living Bricks in Dead Mortar” gets menacingly funky. “Luminous Ghosts” and “State of Flux” add eight-piece string section the Manchester Collective to gorgeous effect. And there are still plenty of tunes that uphold the band’s usual values, like the minimalist groove of “Fallowfield Loops,” the atmospheric balladry of “Float,” and the soaring melody of “Silence Speaks.”
GoGo Penguin makes it clear here that it’s not going to rest on its creative laurels, while still maintaining its own very distinctive traditions. Listening to Necessary Fictions is like staying at a refurbished B’n’B in one of Chicago’s old neighborhoods. All the technology and accoutrements have been brought up to code, but the foundation and framework remain faithfully beautiful and comfortingly dependable.
