jonny nash: eden

18 months after the release of his acclaimed Exit Strategies, Jonny Nash returns with Eden, an album recorded in Bali and the United Kingdom throughout 2016. While many of his aural trademarks are present -- think glistening guitars, drifting synthesizer chords, and subtle piano motifs -- Eden feels a little different: humid, dense, and decidedly "murkier" than previous outings. Check, for example, the gently pulsing rhythms, layered vocal samples, and hazy ambient house era textures of "Maroon Crisp", or the sparkling melodies, chiming percussion, and bubbly drum machine matters of "Ding Repair"; both tracks are as beautiful and life-affirming as you'd expect, but feel far more widescreen in vision. Eden is full of these kinds of moments. There's the undulating mysticism of "Conversations With Mike", the delay-laden, outer-space ambience of "Down In Babakan", and the crystal clear brilliance of closer "Lime".