Immersion, Sleepless

[Swim]
Grade: B-

Married couple Colin Newman and Malka Spigel—separately the driving forces behind, respectively, Wire and Minimal Compact—make their most straightforwardly beautiful music together as Immersion, where the two post-punk veterans indulge a mutual love for sprawling electronic instrumentals. There’s far more of head-tripping 1970s West Germany in the duo’s fourth album than the gray-hued ’80s textures the two are individually known for, with opener “Microclimate” riding a gentle, Future Days-era Can groove under slowly oscillating synth tones and sparkling-seaside guitars, and the classic motorik drive of “Propulsoid” (supplied by Holy Fuck’s Matt Schulz) buttressed by thick organ chords to hit a hypnotic flow akin to Neu! or Stereolab. The anxious, sci-fi hard-bop of “Manic Toys” and the dystopian drones of “Seeing Is Believing” break up the mood a bit, though Sleepless as a whole is not especially varied—and not every song justifies its four-plus-minute runtime. Some, like the preset pings and warbles in “MS19” and “Io,” will also test just how much kitsch you take in your kosmische. Still, there are frequent spacey pleasures to latch onto, and an evident, infectious joy in its creation.

RIYL: Tangerine Dream. Neu! Cavern Of Anti-Matter. 1980s science documentary soundtracks. Korg synths.

Start here: The title track derails Sleepless’ restive forward motion with, ironically, its most soothing moment, a bluesy, Blade Runner-esque interplay of slow-burn saxophone countermelodies with a digitally decaying soul. [Sean O’Neal]

The English Beat, Here We Go Love

[Here We Go]
Grade: C-

The classic ska band known as the English Beat has spun off into two separate factions, decades after its (only) three albums in the ’80s: The Beat Featuring Ranking Roger and The English Beat Featuring Dave Wakeling. The latter leader has pulled together his seven-piece band to release his first new album in many moons. The definitive high point is the title track and the one that follows it, which function as a pair of relationship bookends: “Here We Go Love” is a deceptively boisterous dive into a new romance, but it’s backed by some sinister sirens and oddly profanity-laden lyrics. The dissonance is then explained by “Never Die,” a stirring tribute to the end of a relationship, as Wakeling’s still-imminently appealing voice emotes over sobbing violins. Unfortunately, the rest of the record lacks this much spark, with many tracks running together in a chirpy, insipid ska hodgepodge.

RIYL: The ’80s. General Public. Frantic dancing.

Start here: “You’re Stuck” ramps things up with some sorely needed guitar rants and appealingly familiar vintage organ. [Gwen Ihnat]

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