We get a lot of records sent to us here at The A.V. Club. Fortunately, we end up liking some of them. In Playlisted, we share our latest recommendations.
Album: One Second Of Love by Nite Jewel, out March 6 on Secretly Canadian
Press play if you like: Sade; Bat For Lashes; moody, subdued electronics; languid dance music.
Some background: Nite Jewel is mainly Ramona Gonzalez, a California native with a zeal for analog synths and multi-track cassette recorders. As known for its evocative ’80s-era pop-disco and freestyle sound as it is for trading remixes with the likes of Caribou and Dam-Funk, Nite Jewel makes good use of preprogrammed tones and layered drum loops. And though early recordings seemed almost too dependent on minimal aesthetics—to the point of sounding cheap—the new One Second Of Love ups the production value enough to show the distinction between lo-fi and low-key. The sheen of a good polish does wonders for the record, Gonzalez’ first release for Secretly Canadian. One Second makes much broader musical strokes as well. The quiet ballad “No I Don’t” is Portishead-like in its trippy, electronic ambiance, while tracks such as “In The Dark” and “Autograph” are much more R&B-inspired with Gonzalez’ coolly seductive vocals at their helm. Admittedly, this might not be Nite Jewel’s big breakout record—it lacks in an overall cohesiveness and punch—it isn’t a bad place to start either.
Try this: The title track, “One Second Of Love,” is a hand-clapping dance number with an ’80s bass warble that’s addictive in its simplicity.