Little Dragon - "Slugs of Love"

I’m incredibly late to discovering this incredibly talented Swedish Trip Hop group.

Little Dragon formed in 1996, when they were friends in high school, though they didn’t release a debut album until 2007. The band’s name reportedly comes from a nickname for vocalist Yukimi Nagano, who had “fuming tantrums” in the recording studio.

But the band’s sound is anything but fiery. This is slick, smooth, Jazz and R&B with a lot of electronic polishing, nestling neatly into the Trip Hop category, though there is very little actual hip hop on this album. There aren’t many upbeat moments on the album, and it’s very atmospheric, making this a great album to relax to. “Frisco”, “Disco Dangerous”, and “Tumbling Dice” are as upbeat as it gets, and these are still very easy-going, lo-fi songs.

There are no bad tracks here, but the album definitely has some high points on “Lily’s Call”, “Stay” (featuring rapper JID), and “Glow” (featuring Damon Albarn of Gorillaz fame), which is, by far, the best track on the album.

As for the album’s title and throughlines, I haven’t managed to pick up on anything. Still, even without the deeper elements, this is a very enjoyable album.

Rating: Green