The third LP released on Kode 9's mighty Hyperdub label this year: after Walton's Beyond and first lady Ikonika's Aerotropolis - Pull My Hair Back is a sumptuous slice of futuristic electro-tinged 80s R&B. Don't be fooled by the Ontarioian's Tyler-esque forlorn expression, from the instant you press play her coyness is done away with. In retrospect, if she were facing the camera it would have been to overt. It's always the quiet ones. Now she's no Adina Howard or Rihanna but she's certainly not suitable for the Jonas Brothers.
Although her lyrics are fairly incomprehensible on the opening track 'Giddy' her enchanting falsetto paired with a hypnotic acid bass line suitably loosen you up for a cosmic ride. Junior Boy Jeremy Greenspan's minimalist soundscapes hold just enough weight pin down Lanza's sultry notes but not so much to drown them. 'Fuck Diamond', 'Keep Moving', and 'Against The Wall' all step up the pace making them just as suitable for home listening as they are for tracks to play at any roof top parties this summer.
Title track 'Pull My Hair Back' returns to the sparseness of debut single 'Kathy Lee' but is not nearly as sweet. Starting of with a booming Timbaland like 808 before she sings explicitly 'Baby I don't give a fuck what you do' this is most 'explicit' track on the album. She cites a love for Gerald Donald's Japanese Telecom project and in some way she embodies what I imagine a Virtual Geisha would be, through her skill, confidence and boldness - making this project right at home with my vision of what the name Hyperdub invokes.
The album closes out with my favourite - the apocalyptic 'Strange Emotion'. Generally, if it sounds like it came from outer space I'll probably like it - and this album certainly does whilst still remaining accessible. A possible chart attack (a very welcome one) from Kode9 this album certainly deserve all the attention it gets; and at 9 tracks its seems like a teaser when compared with the usual 14 or 15 tracks of a mainstream album - meaning that once you've played it through you'll surely want to play it again. And again. And again. There must be something in the water in Canada because it's seems a lot of R&B is coming from there lately.
If you're yet to hear the album do yourself a favour and buy it here.
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