Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Louis Cole is a US drummer with virtuoso skills and an open mind. Signed to Brainfeeder, the cult Los Angeles label run by electronic musician Flying Lotus, he shares characteristics with labelmate and occasional collaborator, the bassist Thundercat. Dazzling technique is combined with laid-back irreverence. Eclecticism shades into quirkiness, as with his 2017 viral hit “Bank Account”, a memeable jingle about being afraid to check his bank balance.Nothing belies its negative title by providing Cole with his largest sound palette to date. It has been made with Metropole Orkest, a Dutch orchestra specialising in pop and jazz, conducted by Jules Buckley. The 17 tracks are based on live recordings of Cole’s European tour with his band and the 50-strong Orkest in 2023. The music has been written, arranged, mixed and produced by the Californian. He sings in a wispy high voice and moves between background and foreground roles with his supple drumming.In “Life”, the Metropole Orkest sets up a staccato routine reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score. Cole and his bassist Sam Wilkes cut across it with pinpoint fast rhythms. The next four minutes resemble a high-octane contest between different orchestral sections and Cole’s band, including a volatile sax solo by David Binney and singing led by Genevieve Artadi, his partner in the jazz-funk duo Knower. “Disgraceful,” a British voice, presumably Buckley, says drily at the end. “All right, let’s move on.”And move on they do. The album has a broad stylistic range, from the Gorillaz-style bounce of “Things Will Fall Apart” to the title track’s lush air of romanticism. The straight-faced numbers are generally the least successful. “Doesn’t Matter” is 11 minutes of soporific orchestral moodiness and affected vocalisations. “Let It Happen” is saccharine jazz pop with positive-thinking platitudes. Cole’s ear for texture and dynamics is better represented by the livelier numbers. In “Cruisin for P’”, he croons over vibrantly swinging big band melodies. “Weird Moments” is mazy jazz-funk to which the orchestra adds bombastic flourishes. All the many musicians involved sound alert and responsive, as though ready for whatever lies around the next corner.★★★☆☆‘Nothing’ is released by Brainfeeder
