Benoit & Sergio – New Ships EP
VQ018
24/09/2012
After inaugurating the Visionquest label with the now canonical ‘Where The Freaks Have No Name’–an EP whose A-side anthem, ‘Walk and Talk,’ inundated the dance music world with a lovelorn soulfulness–Benoit & Sergio return to the throne of Visionquest with ‘New Ships,’ the more beautiful younger sister to their debut.
The opening track to the EP, ‘Lipstick & Lace,’ bounces along on a rubber-ball bassline and artfully selected percussive details before a dexterous vocal line about unfamiliar places adds a melancholic counterweight to the effervescence of the groove. Truncated piano chords and a mammoth synth hook, which fades into the song’s second half, elevate the track into pop magic party-mode.
‘Not In Your Nature’ follows in the footsteps of ‘Lipstick & Lace,’ while at the same time, deepening the groove and lyrical content of its predecessor. A canopy of etherealized synths and vocals float above a libidinous bassline, to which are added slices of rhythm guitars that recall the tropical moodiness of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tango in the Night.’
On the flip-side, the title track, ‘New Ships’ tilts on the waves of enormous bass and rollicking Rhodes chords. The echo drenched vocal line–“So many nooses around my neck, as I stare at the sea waiting for the new ships”–provides the emotionally ambiguous anchor to the track, as orchestral strings and high octane arpeggiation tug the cargo toward the night’s peak-time…
Real fans always check the run out…
