Nabuma Rubberband
The fourth studio album by Sweden’s Little Dragon is exactly what it should be; *Nabuma Rubberband* follows the band’s trajectory from playful electro-jazz hinting at pop to its mirrored opposite. Their intoxicating brand of seductive electronic music tempers any commercial excess, resulting in a more accessible collection that\'s sophisticated and complex. Singer Yukimi Nagano has a jazzy soul feel that delivers a punch when needed (as on the lone hard-edged tune, “Klapp Klapp”), and, according to interviews, she unabashedly pays homage to the sultry side of Janet Jackson (Jackson’s “really slow stuff” makes “you feel like you’re floating,” she told *Rolling Stone*). Indeed, tracks like “Mirror” and “Pretty Girls” ooze with an \'80s R&B velvety-ness that runs on the fumes of chillwave, but a hazy cloud envelopes ”Pink Clouds” and “Only One.” Janet’s brother Michael flavors some of the more pop-oriented songs like “Paris” and the strings- and fingersnap-flavored title track, while the subdued swagger of downtempo club music swirls through “Underbart.” Little Dragon aren’t afraid of the “P” word (pop); they’ve mastered the art of sifting it to save the finer parts.
During the recording process of Little Dragon's fourth LP, singer Yukimi Nagano wandered around the band’s longtime hometown of Gothenberg in winter while listening to Janet Jackson. When Nagano and the band don’t stick too closely to dance music or downtempo on the album, the results are adventurous.
Gentle electronics and almost beatless trance for Little Dragon’s fourth LP, and a sparse setting much like their Swedish colleagues’ recent efforts.
That carefree and innocent look contradicts the sound of Little Dragon's fourth album.
The more layers Little Dragon shed, the more interesting their sound arguably becomes, with fourth album Nabuma Rubberband containing some of their sparsest yet most intoxicating work to date. It employs a palette broadly in-keeping with predecessor Ritual Union, yet here the parts add up to a more nourishing whole: shinier, funkier, more daring.
Yukimi Nagano's voice is a force of nature, but not in the way you might think. As the frontwoman for Sweden's Little Dragon, Nagano has a smoky, sultry R&B voice that is instantly recognizable.
Album review: Little Dragon - 'Nabuma Rubberband'. An assured fourth album to match the brilliance of the Swedish band's live sets...
The Gothenburg band opt for textured atmospherics over a crack at the big time, writes <strong>Kitty Empire</strong>
With the release of their fourth album, Nabuma Rubberband, Little Dragon has completed a slow but striking transformation.