Electronica, ’80s pop, hip-hop, traditional Japanese music, jazz, salsa — Sweden’s Little Dragon draws from this mishmash of influences to create their own uniquely individual sound.
The foursome’s self-titled debut garnered them much praise and attention, and their follow-up, Machine Dreams (Peacefrog Records), is sure to extend their reach even further. A Japanese lead singer from Sweden singing in English? Can’t get much more globe-spanning than that.
Machine Dreams is a great model of how an album should be put together: an equal blend of upbeat and chill numbers that spotlight the band’s most worthy assets. In Little Dragon’s case, those assets are strange but memorable melodies and singer Yukimi Nagano’s soft yet arresting voice. She never sings far above a whisper, but it forces you stop what you’re doing and devote some attention to her music.
Frustratingly subtle nods to their influences abound and make the aural experience all the more satisfying when you finally recognize where you’ve heard that sound before. “Looking Glass” brings to mind The Police and Men At Work, “Fortune” can be best described as a 2009 take on a 1989 ballad, and “Feather” is straight-up “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys. The chimes on “Thunder Love” embrace Nagano’s Japanese roots, while songs like “Never Never” and “Come Home” reveal modern, beat-heavy songwriting.
Little Dragon is an undefinable band with unbelievable originality and style. Check them out.
