Laki Mera – Clutter EP

 

Trip-hop may be playing its last down-tempo notes before finally kicking the bucket, but its spirit will live on in the sound of Laki Mera. The panoramic soundscapes that exude from the Glasgow quartet’s latest EP, Clutter, recall the hazy slopes with post-rock inflections of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack. At times it’s a suffocating ride, with introverted tracks like How Dare You and the key driven blur of Seagull’s Nex swamped in a heavy gloom of strings and Laura Donnelly’s misanthropic mew. But, beyond such overbearing sadness, these glossy numbers are beautifully poised and expertly executed. Maybe that Bristol sound's alive, well and still living in our midst after all. [Billy Hamilton]