Leila Arab

Settling back into the studio seven years after her debut, Like Weather, and following sophomore outing Courtesy Of Choice, Leila Arab comes off a stint of Björk collaborations and tour dates a serious electronica connoisseur. Sporting a well-honed edge to her wide sonic palette, Leila injects Blood, Looms and Blooms with dynamic analog and playfully avant-garde qualities that shine beneath both the production polish and grit. Enthused with an "every track an adventure” attitude and clearly knowing her way around a sine wave, Leila unfurls deliberate and distorted synth lines and heavy filters in crunchy opener "Mollie.” Before you realize that it’s the track not your stereo that’s frappéing, Blood, Looms and Blooms has moved on to jazz-inspired retronica, rock opera salutes, symphonic strings, psychedelic ska and electro swing. Most tracks feature a guest vocalist. Terry Hall’s voice rides the easy melody and tickle trunk rhythms of "Time To Blow”; Lucas Santucci’s clear, heart-soaked vocals top the bubbly synth of "Teases”; and Martha Topley Bird croons above the fried guitar rock of "Deflect.” The heavy bass and guitar of the EP-bound "Mettle” is probably the crunchiest selection and the jazz guitar and velvet vocals of Roya Arab in "Daisies Cats and Spacemen” bring the smoothest. However, the road in between is as varied as it is long, nodding to countless electronica influences while never losing its way in originality.