Mathematique

Following 2018’s Fantaisies Stellaires, an aggregation of 27 science-fictional miniatures, France’s Ray Borneo returns to Earth for a more conventional collection of retro-inflected studio psych-pop, a ten-track album including a quartet of instrumentals and a six-pack of songs with various female singers.

The title suggests a cold and calculating affair. The equations here, however, are either deliberately off by a fraction (the woozy “Melodica Arithmetica” and the slippery “Odd Bird”, the video for which premiered here on PAN M 360 a few weeks back), or settle on a simple, satisfying sum. Standout moments include “Shut Up Baby!”, which sounds like Stereolab looking for a fight, while the elegant “Dans l’ombre des fantômes” wanders through a haunted, crystalline castle. 

Check it out and do the math yourself – at less than a buck a tune, the latest from Tara King Th. is a worthwhile investment, especially if you take the opportunity to grab the recent, impulsively released quarantine giveaway Pendant le grand confinement – Borneo’s classical inclinations, only passingly present on Mathematique, are the focus, with analog-synth interpretations of Schubert, Chopin, and of course Bach, as it’s all in the spirit of Wendy Carlos’ celebrated Switched-On series.