It's good to have Leila back; gone for far too long she returned a few weeks ago with the absolutely stunning 'Mettle' 10" and now we're simply overwhelmed with this brand new EP. Although the lead track is pulled from the upcoming (and very exciting) 'Blood, Looms and Blooms' full-length we get three exclusive tracks thrown into the mix which all adds up to a rather tantalizing package. 'Deflect' is first off the mark and features Martina Topley-Bird on vocals. Her smoky syllables are perfectly pitted against Miss Arab's stunning crunchy production and the track builds up into one of the most commercial Leila tracks to date, in the best possible sense. It's funny, but in the umpteen years since 'Like Weather' dropped Leila's sound has barely changed; she still sounds like the bastard child of Delia Derbyshire and Quincy Jones, she's just managed to hone that style carefully, coming up with new variations each time. The bonus tracks here are just as essential as the first, with 'Dwayne' coming across like The Silver Apples doing crunk, 'In The Garden' sounding like White Noise doing a wonky Central European nursery rhyme (complete with amen breaks) and 'Twelved' giving us some absolute classic Leila electrical tomfoolery. Charming and deeply moving from beginning to end, electronic music has never sounded so good. Highly Recommended.
