Album Review - Little Dragon ‘Ritual Union’
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Posted by Madeleine Walto... on Thu 3 November 2011
See more from Madeleine Walton Hespe
I still can’t put my finger on why Little Dragon hasn’t hit the mainstream yet. Their third album Ritual Union, builds strongly on all the sound base of their first two albums Little Dragon (2007) and Machine Dreams (2009). ITunes has classified Ritual Union as electronica, but it’s more like a very fresh mix of electro-pop and R&B carried along by the Yukimi Nagano’s swirling soulful voice.
The title track, Ritual Union confirms for me that the Swedes sure know their stuff when it comes to polished pop. The album rolls seamlessly from R&B in Ritual Union and Shuffle A Dream into a dance track Please Turn and back again with Precious. The undeniable attraction of Little Dragon’s half Japanese half Swedish singer and polished production has seen them featured on the Gorillaz Plastic Beach album of last year, and in future collaborations with Outkast’s Big Boi. With friends and fans like these, I can’t help but feel if Little Dragon haven’t broken through with this album, they definitely will with the next one.
So what do they sound like? Prince, Robyn and Cut Copy mixed in to a punch and served up in pink cups at a super fun house party. Put it on and dance around your lounge room in your undies.
Get on board early.
Little Dragon - ‘Ritual Union’
Out through Peacefrog Records (2011)
Photographer: Madeleine Walton-Hespe
