Tom Aspaul pulled off quite the sneak attack last year with Black Country Disco. The Wolverhampton headquartered artist found his debut set sitting pretty in a host of year-end “best of” lists—including ours here at Albumism—and there was a good reason for that. As I described in my five-star write-up for Black Country Disco, the project “is a striking and fully realized recording unified across its tonal, sonic, and narrative quarters.”
Now, just a few months after unveiling that masterpiece, Aspaul has readied a remix companion—Black Country Discothèque—which will likely rival the greatness of that parent effort. The collection is said to hold some new cuts and reimagined takes from the originating Black Country Disco tracklisting courtesy of MNEK, Bright Light Bright Light, Initial Talk, Funk LeBlanc and others.
“Tender 2”—a lush rework of “Tender” and the second single from Black Country Discothèque—is serviced by the San Francisco based DJ/producer Funk LeBlanc who also tunesmithed its equally evocative forgoing single “The Program” featuring Madeleine Wood. Sporting a mesmeric performance from Aspaul—who re-recorded his vocals for this sensuous revision—“Tender 2” is an infectious blend of soul and synth-pop that spins like a welcome collision between the Doobie Brothers and Ray Parker Jr.
With Aspaul still putting the finishing touches on Black Country Discothèque, an official announcement regarding its street date remains forthcoming. But “Tender 2” and “The Program” are fantastic primers for what is sure to be another sonic feast from Aspaul.
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