We knew Shades of Gray from way back in thanks to tracks like ‘Drums of the South’ and naturally we were looking forward to getting stuck into the album. A twosome comprising of Czech Michal Schwa and Australian Nick West, ‘Unlock the Rhythm’ is their second LP after ‘Soul Machine’ in 2012.
What you get from an album is completely different from a two or three track EP. The care, character and individuality that has gone into Unlock the Rhythm shows that the lads have spent a lot of time crafting these cuts and building a narrative that evolves with chapters loaded with harmonic twists and turns.
Occasionally, like with ‘Never Alone’ and ‘Back to You’ we are treated to a bit of indie dance, the latter in particular coming with some MGMT-esque vocals, albeit chopped and filtered; but elsewhere it’s a much housier sound, with driving four-four rhythms like ‘Tonight is the Night’ and ‘Unlock the Door’. The beauty of the album is how it flows effortlessly from slower, downtempo songs to more floor-orientated jams without ever deviating too far from common ground.
It’s easy these days, with all the shorter releases we’re sent to forget how a well-collected, coherent album can deliver a different kind of experience, even with our beloved four-four. Unlock the Rhythm highlights the array of the talent the pair obviously boast, an album which combines great compositions using sample hits, vocals, synthwork and a whole load of organic sounds in there too, not to mention their atmospheric homage to the mighty Moog.
The bonus ‘Smash TV remix’ of Unlock the Door is a techy, club-ready roller and in that respect probably the best track on the album, though to say that is a slight injustice to the more melodic, expertly-hewn tracks in the first half of the LP. Unlock the Rhythm is available now digitally, on vinyl and good old fashioned compact disc.
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