The art of disarming without destroying.
GoGo Penguin It's not a band, it's an experiment in motion, and Necessary Fictions It is his boldest statement. The band does not abandon its characteristic melancholy, but this time it mixes it with a more playful and, above all, more daring energy. The Manchester trio remains that jazz project with electronic DNA and fast rhythms, but here they go for something new: collaborations, voices and synthesizers that inherently adhere to their style.
For the first time they incorporate voices in “Forgive The Damages”where Daudi Matsiko provides a great performance, while the violin Rakhi Singh in “Luminous Giants” weaves new textures for the grouping. The result flows so naturally that it is surprising that these collaborations were not explored before. The synthesizers, present but not invasive, merge into the ensemble, creating liminal atmospheres where the acoustic and the digital dialogue without borders.
Is Necessary Fictions a revolutionary album? No. But it doesn't need to be either. GoGo Penguin It has never sought to break patterns, but rather to perfect within its own lines. And on this album they do it with an enviable fluidity: the rhythmic bases remain hypnotic, the bass lines flow with precision and the new textures add a new layer of depth.
The real achievement is not in creating a radically new sound, but in demonstrating that they can evolve without losing identity. It is not a contender for album of the year, but it is the most risky of his career. And, above all, a promise that the best could be yet to come.
This is the right path, without a doubt. Now we just need to see how far they are willing to go from here.
