Bullion - 'Affection' review: alt-pop that deserves to be heard by the masses

Bullion – aka producer Nathan Jenkins – has long been a key voice in the alternative music scene. In 2008, he released ‘Pet Sounds in the Key of Dee’, a cheeky mashup album in the same vein as Danger Mouses ‘The Grey Album’ and a nod to J Dilla’s ‘Donuts’. Credits with Nilüfer Yanya, Westerman and Avalon Emerson have since stacked up, his involvement with a project lighting up the eyes of listeners who pay as much attention to the liner notes as the love and care within the songs.

‘Affection’, then, feels particularly special for Bullion, a collection of alt-pop that deserves to be heard by the masses. Speaking on the album’s announcement earlier this year, he discussed having to take the same advice that he gave to his collaborators: be open to adventure. ‘Affection’ is certainly that. Carly Rae Jepsen’s turn on ‘Rare’ – returning the favour after Jenkins worked on her last album ‘The Loneliest Time’ – makes for a sparkling duet, while ‘World_train’, starring Charlotte Adigéry, is similarly playful. Much of ‘Affection’ is indebted to the sounds of the ‘80s – blown-out soundscapes, booming drums – but there’s clever twists, like on the gorgeous ‘Your Father’. Over a decade down the line, Jenkins remains a vital and intriguing force.