Bonobo - Animal Magic

Animal Magic, Bonobo’s first album, is simply that: magic. From the opening strains of “Sleepy Seven” to “Silver,” the entire album is filled with such a depth of emotion that you forget how beautiful the songs themselves are. “Dinosaurs” goes for a slow, lumbering funk, buoyed by a trumpet that almost sounds like a brachiosaurus call. “Terrapin” is one of the most compiled tracks from the album, and for good reason: starting off with a single sitar, the track emerges from its cocoon to become a butterfly, unfurling its wings. “The Plug” goes for melancholy instead, with equally gorgeous results. Albums like this really make compulsive buying worth it.