Bonobo - Days To Come (2xLP) 2021 (Mint (M))

Days To Come, released October 2006 on Ninja Tune, is Bonobo's third album and the one where his songwriting caught up to his production. Simon Green plays, writes and manipulates nearly every note himself, and this record shows a clearer sense of structure and song form than his earlier Animal Magic and Dial M For Monkey. Singer Bajka appears on several tracks, giving the record an emotional throughline alongside its purely instrumental pieces; "Between The Lines" leans into big-band soul-jazz while "Nightlite" sits at the melancholic end, with "Ketto" and "On Your Marks" standing out among the instrumentals. It's been described as a record built as much for dancing as for sitting still and actually listening.