This week’s Album Of The Week show is kickstarted way away in Iceland; home to spectacular scenery, fishy cuisine and the wonderfully talented Jazz-Pop artist Laufey Lin Jonsdottir. Laufey’s latest release, Bewitched, has been crafted to be a “love album, whether it be a love towards a friend or a lover or life”, a brilliantly tug-at-your-heart-stings thematic to feature on Album Of The Week. We continue in the established heartfelt feel as Australian 9-piece spiritual Jazz group, Menagerie, provide their latest “hedonistic release” The Shores of Infinity.
Only good vibes allowed on this week’s Album Of The Week.
James Hickey of DIY wrote that Laufey’s “crystalline voice and effortless charisma make this album into a gorgeous display of a unique talent”, which he also described as “stuffed full of immaculate jazz ballads, shot through with luscious strings and swooning stories of hopeless love”. It is in this way that this album can, should and will transport many of us back in time to reminisce on our lives and the journeys each of us have been on, pathed by stepping stones of stories of love. Truly this album can be surmised with ‘Live, Laugh, Love’!
Bringing this week’s episode back to the golden shores of Oz, Menagerie’s 4th studio album, The Shores of Infinity, expands the group’s musical profile into a forward-looking, rhythm-heavy expression of contemporary jazz that is steeped in the tradition but somehow also defies genre pigeonholing. The nonet promise hypnotic drums, epic climaxes, a soaring and uplifting vibe accompanied by droppings of wisdom throughout their album. We certainly feel this album exceeds reasonable hype.
You can re-listen to this show here, and tune in every Wednesday 15:00-16:00 for Album Of The Week.