Bonobo fragments shadows Jordan rakei
Music, Sounds

Bonobo, Fragments: REVIEW

by Dave MacIntyre

“Green’s trademark emphasis on lushness, texture and stirring instrumentals — with ambient, deep house and various international genres as guideposts — are on full display once again, even if the results aren’t always as compelling as he’s capable of.”

Bonobo, Fragments (Ninja Tune)

Leave something unbroken too long, and it will eventually need fixing. British producer Simon Green, best known as Bonobo, has returned with his seventh studio album, Fragments, released exactly five years and a day after its predecessor, Migration. Green’s trademark emphasis on lushness, texture and stirring instrumentals — with ambient, deep house and various international genres as guideposts — are on full display once again, even if the results aren’t always as compelling as he’s capable of. That’s not to say Fragments doesn’t have its shining moments, however: the Jordan Rakei-featuring “Shadows” is one of Green’s best vocally-driven tracks to date, and “Otomo” marries Bulgarian choir chants with one of Bonobo’s most percussive, hard-hitting beats ever. But on the whole, the album feels a touch too safe musically, particularly after such a long gap between albums. While Fragments is another solid addition to his kaleidoscopic musical canon, Green will need to emerge from his comfort zone and take his sound in bolder, riskier directions next time. 7/10 Trial Track: “Shadows” (feat. Jordan Rakei)

Bonobo, Fragments: REVIEW (Trial Track “Shadows” feat. Jordan Rakei)

This review of Fragments by Bonobo originally appeared in the February 2022 issue of Cult MTL. 

For more on Bonobo, please visit their website.

For more music coverage, please visit the Music section.

Posted in Music, Sounds

by Dave MacIntyre

Contributing editor for Music
Dave MacIntyre is a Montreal-based freelance journalist. His primary topic of interest is music, but is equally comfortable writing about sports, current events, and Montreal-related initiatives. Outside of Cult MTL, his bylines can be found in publications like BeatRoute and Northern Transmissions. And no, he is not related to Reba, nor to the WWE wrestler Drew, nor to Joey from New Kids on the Block.