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Author
David Drake
Publication
Pitchfork
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Nicolay's second record with Little Brother MC Phonte (2008's Leave It All Behind) was an underheralded work of alternative R&B; Nicolay's solo project, a tribute to a trip he made to Toyko's Shibuya district, follows this understatedly smooth vibe, all rough edges of genre-recombination sanded down like a 2000s recap of a late-1970s fusion record. It doesn't quite live up to the excellence of the former project, though; meandering instrumentals that soundtrack memories aren't always easily translateable, with an unfortunately low "songs" to "album interludes" ratio. But on "Saturday Night", Nicolay and vocalist Carlitta Durand get the balance about right, veering just on the correct side of the divide that separates conservatively bland from evocatively sophisticated.
A six-minute celebration of everybody's favorite night of the week, it's simply structured into two halves, an aerodynamically smooth build and a propulsive release supported by a gravelly bass engine. It's glossily atmospheric, a soundtrack to city lights rolling rapidly over car winshields. It's also unabashedly cosmopolitan and feminine, its streamlined sheen all the more enveloping when Nicolay drops a more compulsively jacking rhythm for the last minute, a whirring rush of tastefully restrained, classy hedonism.
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