After inaugurating the Visionquest label with the now canonical %u2018Where The Freaks Have No Name%u2019--an EP whose A-side anthem, %u2018Walk and Talk,%u2019 inundated the dance music world with a lovelorn soulfulness--Benoit & Sergio return to the throne of Visionquest with %u2018New Ships,%u2019 the more beautiful younger sister to their debut.
The opening track to the EP, %u2018Lipstick & Lace,%u2019 bounces along on a rubber-ball bassline and artfully selected percussive details before a dexterous vocal line about unfamiliar places adds a melancholic counterweight to the effervescence of the groove. Truncated piano chords and a mammoth synth hook, which fades into the song's second half, elevate the track into pop magic party-mode.
%u2018Not In Your Nature%u2019 follows in the footsteps of %u2018Lipstick & Lace,%u2019 while at the same time, deepening the groove and lyrical content of its predecessor. A canopy of etherealized synths and vocals float above a libidinous bassline, to which are added slices of rhythm guitars that recall the tropical moodiness of Fleetwood Mac's %u2018Tango in the Night.%u2019
On the flip-side, the title track, %u2018New Ships%u2019 tilts on the waves of enormous bass and rollicking Rhodes chords. The echo drenched vocal line--"So many nooses around my neck, as I stare at the sea waiting for the new ships"--provides the emotionally ambiguous anchor to the track, as orchestral strings and high octane arpeggiation tug the cargo toward the night's peak-time%u2026
Real fans always check the run out...