Since the first Ancient Moons album, Damian Lazarus has been travelling a lot – but here he actually tones down the world influences a bit, in favour of a second album sound that is more lean, bass driven and soulful. The bass is his principle weapon, powering the likes of ‘Eli Eli’, but the vocals of Jesse Appiah are key too. ‘I Found You’ is brilliant, as is ‘Feedback Loop’, with its great lyric ‘take me to your future before I take you to mine’. ‘You’re All I Need To Get High’, meanwhile, is a slightly fuzzy, misty-eyed recollection of the Haçienda era. Lazarus has an enjoyably wide range of styles within which to work, with techno as his starting point, and the soulful edges he lends to a lot of this album suit it really well and make it primed for the hot weather. One to seek out at your earliest opportunity.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
DAMIAN LAZARUS & THE ANCIENT MOONS – HEART OF SKY (CROSSTOWN REBELS)
