Okay, so it's officially December, Winter is here, Christmas is coming, the night is dark and full of terrors. All of that aside, it's time to kick off 2018's Album of the Year countdown and bringing us in at number 30 is Maribou State with Kingdoms In Colour.
In the year of fantastic lo-fi beats and where to find them, Maribou State's dreamy, ebbing waves have been a welcomed addition to any late night study session or early morning commute. Before this year I didn't really have much of an idea about Maribou State, but after falling in love with Khruangbin and finding out about Maribou on their Spotify Radio, their album has made a permanent home in my music library. The radio transitioned into Maribou State's Kingdoms In Colour with such a subtle sway that I almost didn't realise the shift until I lifted my phone to check the name of the song I was enjoying.
My favourites right now are "Beginner's Luck", "Turnmills", "Feel Good (feat. Khruangbin)" and "Vale". These definitely change often depending on my mood and it tickles me slightly when the songs that resonate the most aren't necessarily the ones with lyrics. Maribou State have managed to capture the swell of the synths amongst the various samples they've played with on this album phenomenally. The influences from both their tour travels and their collaborators are clear throughout, with several East Asian touches and instruments alongside European deep-cuts and vocals. There were even a few instrumental portions of this album that reminded me of a more refined version of Delphic's "Baiya".
I was a little surprised to find out that this was their sophomore album. I've spoken often about the effects of a sophomore slump and so as great as this album is, it's exciting to think that they may have already released something even better. That said, aside from having one of my favourite album titles of the year, Maribou State have painted a beautiful soundscape for us with this record and it will be dancing around the softer moments of my 2019 I'm sure.
Have a look at what brought me into my Top 30 in 2017 here.
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