Bella Union Love Is Magic [VINYL]

"Each record I make is more of an amalgamation of who I truly am," says John Grant. "The more I do this, the more I trust in myself, and the further along I go." Even when the Michigan-born man released his debut solo album Queen Of Denmark in 2010, Grant laced sumptuous soft-rock ballads with an array of spacey, wistful synthesiser sounds, increasingly adding taut, fizzing sequencers, nu-synth-disco settings and icy soundscapes to the mix on 2013's Pale Green Ghosts and 2015's Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, the latter The Guardian described as, "variously agonising, hilarious, uplifting and moving: another bravura display from a unique song writing talent." Now, with his fourth solo album, Love Is Magic, Grant has continued evolving, creating his most electronic record yet, in collaboration with Benge (Ben Edwards), analogue synth expert/collector and a member of electronic trio Wrangler, Grant's collaborators earlier this year under the collective name of Creep Show on the album Mr Dynamite. Produced by Grant, and engineered by Benge at his Cornish studio, the diamond-hard, diamond-gleaming Love Is Magic, "is how I've always wanted my records to sound, but I didn't know how until now," Grant says. He also called on Paul Alexander of Denton, Texas maestros Midlake, renewing a working relationship that began on Queen Of Denmark. "Paul's trained in theory and harmonies and was responsible for a lot of the backing vocals," Grant enthuses. "He comes up with interesting angles rather than the obvious and plays some of the best bass lines I've ever heard." Besides the quest for sound, "the lyrics are exactly as I want them to be," says John. "They're not just the doom and gloom of the past, they're a snapshot of everyday life - the ridiculousness, the pain, the deep longing."