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Aim - Flight 602 Agoraphobes beware, because Andy Turner is back. After the wintry climes of the seminal Cold Water Music and Hinterland albums, you might think from the title of the new album that he’s moving into warmer fronts (along with the rest of the planet), but in actual fact his broad open sound (which really does feel like being outside), is as strong as ever. And with much more emphasis on the instrumental elements of the hip-hop, the cold echoing pianos and distant horns can leave you feeling even more exposed that before.
Actually, saying that there’s more emphasis on the instrumental side of things is a huge understatement, and fans of Aim’s previously mentioned Grand Central albums should take note. There are absolutely NO raps on Flight 602. None at all. And whilst this is still very definitely hip-hop, it’s much more about escapism, about surrounding yourself with the nuances of the arrangements, than about being in your face. And whilst the music is subtler this time, it’s hard not to feel (at least on the first few listens) that this is an Aim album waiting for the rappers to join in. There’s also no collaboration with Kate Rogers this time, so anyone hoping for the next ‘Sail’, or ‘The Girl Who Fell Through The Ice’ might also be disappointed. Luckily there’s a great album to be enjoyed here; it’s just not the one that you might have been expecting. You have been warned.
Clearly the changes to ‘formula’ stem partly from the fact that Turner is more confident in his own arranging abilities, and feels he can leave his music more open to the elements, and partly because he didn’t just want to follow the same formula again. Since Hinterland, he’s also left Grand Central (some time before they finally folded) and set up his own Atic Records, so it’s hardly a surprise that Flight 602 represents a fresh start for him.
Indeed, without the desire to alternate instrumentals with songs and raps, Flight 602 arguably works better as a whole experience than Hinterland or Cold Water Music did. It also reflects how Aim functions now as a live band, whereas in the early days, Turner made his music without necessarily considering how it could/would work on stage.
Which brings us to Niko (pictured above), the amazingly talented singer who is now a full member of the live band. She’s appeared on the other albums too, but she contributes to no less than five tracks here. What’s interesting is that she’s not so much used as a singer; more like another instrument in the sound palette. Northwest, the first single, is the closest we ever get to a proper song, and throughout the album, Niko adds depth and clarity to the soundscape itself, rather than feeling like a vocal layer on top. Anyone who’s seen the band live will of course know that’s she’s a great frontwoman too, and her influence on the ‘new’ Aim sound is undeniable.
Her range really gives the album depth – from the funky delivery on the aforementioned Northwest, to the snowflake-delicacy of her ethereal vocals on Landlord. Then on Smile she’s drawing you in to the finale as it builds with such magnetism that it’s impossible to resist.
Not to say that when she’s not contributing the album feels empty though. Birchwood is a damn funky hip-hop instrumental on its own terms for instance, and the divergence between the tuba and horns, and the high-pitched flute and synthetic violins is to be relished.
Then there’s the deep house of the title track, which shows yet another side to Turner’s arrangement capabilities. Interview touches upon a Boards of Canada sound, another group who make music that feels like a landscape as much as a soundscape.
Final track, It’s Later Than You Think, is more of a folk song than anything else, and is actually lifted from Turner’s other project, Paperboy, an indie band who reference everything from The Smiths to Belle and Sebastien, but it’s actually a fitting coda for this very open album. It’s like coming in from the cold to the warmth of a log cabin after a mountain trek, such is the atmosphere generated by Turner’s instrumentation.
All in all, Flight 602 (curiously named after the number of the flight that celebrated author Charles Bukowski took to a poetry reading in Germany) is a subtle concoction, and doesn’t have the initial impact of previous albums. But importantly, it’s not meant to, and what’s left in the space where the raps and conventional song structures used to be, is a hugely enjoyable experience that can truly be appreciated as a whole, not a combination of disparate elements.
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