Andrew Weatherall: Convenanza review – pleasant but plain electronica

It’s only February and Andrew Weatherall – veteran British DJ, producer and remixer – is already on to his second album of 2016. The first, as the Woodleigh Research Facility, with Nina Walsh, was an electronic oddity that twisted and turned in unexpected directions. This one, released under his own name (but conceived with Walsh), is a more straightforward affair that casts backward glances over a long and prolific career. Tracks such as Frankfurt Advice canter along steadily, buoyed by a sturdy dub bassline, post-punk guitars and exotic brass. Nervy trumpets scribble away in the background and, as with his 2009 solo debut, Weatherall adds deadpan vocals to many of the tracks. The results are perfectly listenable, but it feels like Weatherall’s coasting a little here.