Simon Green began working on his seventh studio album as
Bonobo at the beginning of 2020, as dancefloors around the world were closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past,
Green had typically created music while touring, but this time he was able to stay grounded and concentrate, creating the record in a self-built studio in Los Angeles. Appearing a few years after
Bonobo's underappreciated Fabric Presents mix,
Fragments has more of a focus on club-driven material than
Green's previous full-lengths, yet it's still composed and structured as a proper album rather than just a collection of tracks. His productions are just the right balance of lush and gritty, blending rich string arrangements by
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and lovely harp playing by Lara Somogyi with modular synth swells and soulful organs.
Green's sound is refined and accessible, yet never too slick or loaded with artificial feel-good vibes like a lot of commercial, Ibiza-friendly house. The disembodied vocal sample on "Rosewood" ("I won't leave you") is mysterious and stirring, while "Otomo" uses a haunting choral sample that sounds like something
Deep Forest would've employed in the early '90s, but sets it to more of a charging breakbeat rhythm. "Closer" and "Sapien" both feature garage-influenced beat patterns and hazy synth textures, and could easily mix with
Bicep tracks without being mistaken for them. As impressive as
Fragments' dance tracks are, two of the downtempo tunes are easily the most memorable ones on the album. On "Tides,"
Green pulls back the curtain a bit in order to spotlight
Jamila Woods' tender lyrics; he praises
Woods' contribution for providing a centerpiece and giving focus to the record, and he's right on the mark.
Kadhja Bonet guests on the album-concluding "Day by Day," and her delicate vocals tiptoe through sturdy beats and gently rising strings, providing a message of hope and patience. ~ Paul Simpson