Their debut album Stealth Of Days snugly fits around the ears like a cosy winter hat (you know the ones with the flaps). It’s such an intoxicating, goose bump inducing collection of tracks, that as a reviewer it’s difficult to know where to start.
The most notable traits are that it is full of little references, tips of the hat to bygone eras, most notably to the 1980’s - Toto’s “Africa” reverberates in the big snare hits, marimba lines and arpeggiated synths of “Light Through Lace”, while Michael Jacksons “Human Nature” is almost posthumously audible on the track “After Gardens”.
Stealth of Days is by no means just a love letter to the 80’s despite previous comparisons. Jensen Sportag remain utterly relevant to the present day music scene. The production and arrangement skills are breathtaking. Old and new sonic qualities are melded together perfectly to create nostalgic yet original soundscapes.
Whilst many electronic producers currently use a mix of beats, samples, vocals and loops to create their tracks, Jenson Sportag seem entirely to use originally composed parts to construct elegant, atmospheric music. It's a refreshing change from the norm, elevating them to the upper echelons of modern alternative R&B along with Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and How to Dress Well.
The tone of Jensen Sportag’s dark and moody first full length album is staggeringly mellow. It’s easy to forget where you are whilst listening so intently. Even the harshest of brightly lit rooms would seem to softly melt into a warm, hazy dreamlike oasis as the album soothes the listener into a synthy coma. For some however, this mellow atmosphere might become slightly tiresome after a while, as for the most part it moves at a relatively slow pace, so track skipping could become a frequent occurrence.
The lyrical content may leave some listeners heads slightly itchy, as at times they are a often difficult to decipher, and on the occasions where the lyrics are audible they can feel slightly uninspired and possibly a bit ‘shmatlzy’, as can be heard on “Six Senses” - “You were my angel, my little angel, now you’re my ghost”.
Stealth of Days will most likely divide opinion amongst avid listeners of modern electronic soul/R&B. For some it might be a little too slow and self involved to take seriously whilst for others it may feel like an ornate escape from reality.
It is an album drenched in etherial melodrama no doubt, but in this particular case I’m happy to get soaked.
"Stealth of Days" is available now on iTunes and for your listening pleasure here.
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