Kin sonic

"It has been four years since his much-praised debut album, and four of the eleven songs here appeared on the powerful EP he released last year, which included Damon Albarn on keyboards. But the new material is equally impressive, from the edgy greeting song Hello to a furious invitation to dance, Ekombe. His growled vocals and wild laugh are at their best on Benanga, in which he uses a Congolese parable for a furious attack on corruption".

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"Congolese bandleader Jupiter Bokondji's follow-up to the feverish Hotel Univers follows much the same route of Afro-rock crossover stylings, heralded in "Hello" by the alliance of heavy-rock drums and fuzz-bass riff with lighter, spiralling guitar part. The crossover is cemented by a couple of key guests, Damon Albarn adding a cute, wheedling keyboard line to the propulsive groove and snaking, cyclical guitar figure of the unity anthem "Musonsu"; while less predictably, Bad Seed Warren Ellis's distinctive violin and keyboard drones lend an intriguing new depth and texture to most tracks".

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