• Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: May 19, 2015
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 60 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 60
  2. Negative: 22 out of 60
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  1. Jun 3, 2015
    0
    Sounds like Gnarls Barkley from hell. If this passes as music today, I'm afraid of the future. This is some of the worst drivel I've ever heard. The electronic from "Malukayi" is stuck in my head and that's not a good thing at all. Pretty sure the critics are either paid off or they have no taste in music
  2. Aug 12, 2015
    9
    This album is very interesting. I've never heard anything like it. I totally understand where people are coming from saying that the voices are annoying. Your enjoyment to this music directly correlates to your acceptance of new sounds.
  3. Jun 25, 2015
    6
    I don't see why the hate for the album. It's ok, but I'm pretty much neutral on this one. The beats are nice, but the vocals can be annoying at some points which is what makes the album nothing really special. It's sometimes thrilling, but as whole it could've been much better. 6/10
  4. Jun 9, 2015
    9
    A highly contagious mix of traditional congo percussion, sharp groovy bass lines and atmospheric instrumentation. The kind of band that you hope to cross paths with during a music festival whilst carrying a flagon of Cider as the sun beats on you, it's contagious and demands you dance, and it comes across incredibly well on record. It's not for everyone, the vocals in particular I can seeA highly contagious mix of traditional congo percussion, sharp groovy bass lines and atmospheric instrumentation. The kind of band that you hope to cross paths with during a music festival whilst carrying a flagon of Cider as the sun beats on you, it's contagious and demands you dance, and it comes across incredibly well on record. It's not for everyone, the vocals in particular I can see being kind of divisive on some people, but honestly I haven't had a single other album grab my attention quite like this one this year. Expand
  5. Jun 23, 2015
    8
    An album that will appeal to fans of both Congolese soukous and Adrian Sherwood's industrial-dub On-U Sound label. It's a pity neither Loketo or Kanda Bongo Man in their heyday opted for dubby nocturnal sounds, but its here for those who waited. A near masterpiece.

Awards & Rankings

Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Aug 14, 2015
    90
    From the rock of “Nganshé” to the roll of “Coco Blues,” two forward-looking cosmopolitans (plus friends) craft new directions in urban sound.
  2. The Wire
    Jul 27, 2015
    80
    The album is imbued with the expectant, febrile energy that comes with having forged ahead into unknown spaces with out the means or desire to backpedal. [Jul 2015, p.58]
  3. 90
    It may be titled From Kinshasa, but this record could easily be from the future.