Stateless: Matilda (Ninja Tune, 3/1/11)
Stateless: “Ariel”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/02-Ariel.mp3|titles=Stateless: “Ariel”]Matilda, Stateless‘ second full-length, showcases the British electro-rock group’s continued maturity. Lead singer Chris James hits an impressive range of notes, from reverb-cloaked backing croons to soulful leads, atop an amalgamated mix of styles, sounds, and beats.
With contributions from The Balanescu Quartet, DJ Shadow, and Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond), Matilda is stylistically inventive, with familiar worldly touchstones reworked into new contexts.