Chris Coco – How To Disappear Completely

Chill out specialist with another sedate offering...

Continuing to paddle in essential album, soundtrack, radio and compilation comedowns (the title of cushion plumper laureate can’t be far off) chillout specialist Chris Coco’s latest is a crisply delivered travelogue-scrapbook affair that wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Majoring in acoustica, soft shades, humble orchestration, campfire vigils and coffee mornings in bed, lovers running in slow motion through fields, and hammocks swaying gently over ever-decreasing circles – and any other chillout maxim you can think of – suffice to say Coco’s latest disappearing act is one for daydreamers and twilight revellers.

Neither taxing in execution or demeanour, ‘Dreaming Of Love’ does dubby desert exotica that still reaches out to the hotel lobby (or more obviously, a daytime holiday programme). Thanks to the sparingly fresh air tones of Finnish aural illusion Sansa Ilkka, ‘Thee Internet’, despite its title and random bookends of whirring hard drives, reaches the pinnacle of pastel-coloured contentment between bohemian and snobbish. Arguably there’s a hint of indigestion hurting ‘Spiritland’ and its range of synths going from introverted to sweeping, thought it’s a polite touch of negativity.

Effortless tempo switches spellbind gossamer deep house ‘It An Tells Ya’, and drizzly, beat-less, intuition-lead despondency featuring Lol Hammond on concluder ‘Leave No Trace’. All arguments aside about the progressive nature of chillout and downtempo (i.e., can it be progressive at all?), Coco’s ‘How To…’ keeps on the right side of fading into a puff of smoke, will fit perfectly in your suitcase or for any time when you’re coming home to something candlelit.

While the illusions it casts are obvious, it would be churlish to call it cliché. Very easy to throw on with no further effort on your part required, once again you should feel safe in putting your downtime in Coco’s hands.

7/10

Words: Matt Oliver

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