Maribou State - Kingdoms In Colour (2018)

Much has changed for Maribou State since they delivered their breakthrough album, 'Portraits', in 2015. The runaway success of that album led to live performances at festivals across the globe, and in turn an opportunity to make their own field recordings of sounds - musical and otherwise - in a variety of far-flung locations. As a result, 'Kingdoms in Colour', their third album, is a much more wide-ranging and worldly-wise affair. It exudes warmth and humanity, with glistening tropical guitars and kaleidoscopic electronics rubbing shoulders with shuffling machine beats, jazzy live percussion, warped samples and hazy vocals (Holly Walker and Balearic outfit Khruangbin make notable guest appearances). As a result, Kingdoms of Colour more than lives up to its name, offering a memorable collection of songs and instrumentals bristling with brilliant ideas.