Maaaan, I feel druuuuunk.Don't worry, I'm not. This isn't yet another unnecessary blog written by yet another self-important non-ebrity personality, this is still an album review. I'm just listening to the title track of Blackbird's Echo, by the erstwhile Yvonne Cornelius, A.K.A. Niobe. And I have to say, its making me feel a bit tipsy. It's a tempo-less, stuttering waltz where all the instruments seem to have been played by the inebriated. And on top of all this is Yvonne herself, wistfully chirping away, like an old soak walking home after closing time, reciting the lyrics of an old favourite song, stopping occasionally to throw abuse at cars, animals and anything else that might be deserving of insults.Thankfully, not all the tracks are like this. That would be a bit TOO much.Blackbird's Echo is a masterpiece of production. Sonically varied, but not just in melody and note-based tomfoolery, this album is a patchwork quilt of sounds, squeaks and noises. And each track manages to have it's own sense of identity without falling into the 'shit eclectica' camp.There are times on this album where you feel Niobe isn't taking herself too seriously, like the joyful 'Ava Gardner At The Swimming Pool' (what a title!), which has a rolling and burping brass bassline, and fluttering and jumpy vocals. 'A Shark' is a track about....well, swimming around and encountering a shark. And it is a very literal track, with splashing noises and screams mixing with the avant garde jazz music and vocals. Halfway through the tracks 1 minute 14 second lifespan, Niobe's voice glitches, and rebounds over and over, paddling its way through the track with repetitive strokes. Weird, but very fun. It's chronological successor, 'Fever' is A Flaming Lips-esque slow burner, with cymbal sweeps and a subby bassline. And the track 'Cadillac Night' is well, pretty fucking stunning. It has to be one of my favourite songs of this year. So it's getting its own paragraph.I used to play a game called 'Jet Set Radio Future' on the good old Xbox. It's soundtrack was contributed by the short-lived Grand Royale records, and it was full of tracks that were just cool. Not indie-cool, not 'pour champagne on a bitch' gangsta cool. The songs just leaked style out of every pore, subtle electro bangers that were so refined and classy that they demanded a second listen, which was pretty hard given that you were playing a computer game at the time. And when listening to 'Cadillac Night', I am reminded so vividly of the songs on Jet Set..., and how this little gem would easily hold its on in that particular soundtrack. It is a spanking little song.Niobe is also fully in control of her voice, and able to manipulate it like it was any other instrument. Sometimes its a melodic device, sometimes its almost percussive in it's intent, and sometimes its just background decoration. Sometimes she's a cool and sleek lounge-lizard (see 'Silicone Soul'), sometimes she's a 50's crooner ('Lovely Day'), and sometimes she's competing for the title of Queen Of New York Cool in 'Cadillac Night'. And even with the overuse of the word sometimes, this album still feels like a united work, not disparate elements packaged together and sold as one. If Niobe or her press company ever read this, I humbly request that she put this track up on her myspace or release it as a single, as it is ruuuuuudeeeee.Now, negatives. There is one obviously bad thing about this album, and that is the male voice on 'Time Is Kindling'. While he is obviously good with words, his voice just doesn't suit, and quickly gets irritating. Sorry mate. Aside from this, it's just nitpicking really, way beyond what us music critic arseholes normally do.

So I won't. This is an ace album. It's a neatly wrapped present, a collage of electronica, analog sounding instruments, found sounds, nu school styles having head on collisions with luxuriously retro thoughts and ideas, general genius at work. Very highly recommended. 85%

Niobe On Myspace Music