Tahliah Barnett’s first brush with fame occurred in 2011 when she appeared in two Jessie J videos, ‘Do It Like A Dude’ and ‘Price Tag’. Her debut album is nothing like Jessie J – or any contemporary pop artist for that matter. Barnett makes space-age music that sounds as if it was beamed from another planet.
Co-produced by Barnett, Florence/Adele sideman Paul Epworth and Kanye’s Yeezus protege Arca, LP1 combines trip-hop and downbeat dubstep with minimal R&B. The result is a spooky soundscape of icy beats and strange bleeps and doodles – the kind of thing Aphex Twin might come up with if challenged to pen a hit.
LP1 shares a similar tone to Neneh Cherry’s astonishing recent Blank Project album with Four Tet. There are choral elements and all sorts of eccentric influences delightfully difficult to pin down.
There were suspicions the i-D cover star would become the preserve of the fashionistas, without the music to back up her cool credentials. Such fears are unfounded. FKA twigs is a unique new voice and songwriting talent and LP 1 a riveting first chapter.
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