Melbourne’s indie wunderkind Leigh Hannah follows up his 2010 debut Islands with another captivating dose of soothing, atmospheric electronic music that manages to remain consistently interesting and unique.
On Diaspora, Hannah, aka The Townhouses, creates intricate, delicate landscapes of layered sounds, in the same vein as electronic pioneers Four Tet and Caribou.
The album has a natural, coherent ebb and flow between the purely instrumental tracks and those with guest vocalists that are dispersed throughout.
The hand-picked guest singers complement the musical backdrop perfectly, offering similarly mysterious lyrics and calming, soft vocals.
The title track in particular is a dreamy, sparse affair, with an equally powerful and important message.
Hannah describes the song as being “an open letter to refugees coming to, and currently living in Australia”, as the vocals of Sydney’s Guerre masterfully deliver s the haunting lines “Do you miss your home? / Do you miss your life?” Subtle piano lines and restrained beats that never become overwhelming add to the minimal and trance-like nature of the track
Italian Giorgio Tuma lends his enchanting vocals to ‘Talk’, which sees strumming acoustic guitar combined wonderfully with steel drums and trumpets, which also feature heavily on ‘Opium’.
On ‘Schoenberg’, Rainbow Chan’s vulnerable and distant vocals are paired with a slowly expanding background of expertly created, sparse electronic melodies, building to a textured finish as the vocals become increasingly distorted.
Despite the range of influences and instruments, The Townhouses manage to seamlessly combine them in the 11 songs of Diaspora, that are best listened to while doing nothing but staring at the ceiling, drifting away into a hypnotic world of Leigh Hannah’s creation.
Diaspora is available now through Yes Please Records, with vinyl pre-orders available here.
