JODA - JODA (Anjunabeats) 
Release Date: Out Now
I know you're thinking; two bald men creating intoxicating electro music - great, Orbital are back! But wait, put your preconceptions back in their box and meet JODA (known as Jono Grant and Darrent Tate to their mums). This is a debut outing as a duo but these are no new kids on the block with Grant normally found as a third of Trance-EDM behemoths Above & Beyond and Tate a well respected and prolific British producer and DJ. The album gets underway and 'Fall Away' builds slowly from a sparse piano riff like the sun cresting over the horizon to bring a fresh new day for you to live and it is honestly the most perfect start to an album I think I've ever heard. This opening track then errupts gloriously in to a synth laden, late 80s inspired banger and we are off.
'We Find Ourselves' follows up with that contemporary retro vibe that the Weeknd does so well with before the pulsating synths and crunching beats demand your presence on the dancefloor. Following an interlude of rain, bird song and ambient melodies, 'Try' gets underway with a punchy melody that feels like a brilliant time capsule from some long forgotten Nordic electro outfit. Similarly, 'Closer' has that cinematic sound full of hope, innocence and optimism but with a pulsating bass line and vocals that could come from the sirens themselves (they actually come from the excellent Robyn Sherwell). The flutter and soar of 'Breaking Down Walls' has a very Above & Beyond tone to it but the overlaying synths are pure JODA so there is definite progression of sound here. On 'Air', layers of piano notes undulate and ripple beautifully like a river flowing over smoothed rocks before strings and breathy vocals complete the mood only for it to be shifted by the superbly 16-bit melody of 'Shape Of Your Heart'.
'Spark' has a more subdued and thoughtful sense to the melodies while 'Dark Strings' is ambient to the point of being positively blissed out. There's a sprinkle of late 80s magic to 'Smile' which shimmers and sways in the early evening sunlight before 'Coming Alive' gets that first party of the night going with the kind of beats that make you strut through the crowd and straight to the bar to order the coolest drink in the circumstances (probably a White Russian). The album closes with a similar energy to its opening as 'No One Walks Away' as a lush strings sound soothes and transports you to to a higher plane. This might be a debut album but you can hear and feel the experience and art of skilled song crafters behind every one of these tracks and it is a real delight to listen to.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/JODAmusicofficial