I must apologise as there’s been a bit of a delay since the last blog post - what felt like Coronavirus has had me bed-bound and pretty incapable of doing anything productive. It’s been boring and unenjoyable, but we’re back and (almost) better. With such a return comes the time for revolution, and I’m bringing an end to my posts based on Spotify’s Discover Weekly. As much as I loved the playlist at one time, the quality has been depleting further and further as time has gone on, not only providing me with repeats and songs I listen to all the time, but generally losing its eclectic excitement as well. So, in its place, I still want to have a regular post series, but from now on it’s going to be a variety of songs I’m currently playing on repeat. It'll be five tracks; a female vocal, a male one, an ambient instrumental and something club ready. The last one is just a surprise bonus, out of the box kind of thing, and I might change up the format in the future but hopefully this will give a nice balance of variety. Without further ado…
#1 - January - TSHA Remix - Millie Turner
TSHA’s delightful and playful tones have been somewhat of an addiction recently, and ‘January’ has been the most recent variation. The mellow sine wave that repeats three notes up, then three notes down alongside the vocals gives the track its bounce, like a cartoon frog, garish-coloured and hopping up and down its pond. This animated allusion is quite representative of the remix altogether, with Millie Turner’s singing sped up just to the edge of surreal, and the metallic tappings of the hi hat marking out the top of the mix. The voice is still stunning and the falsetto soars angelically over the electronic textures. All of the separate motifs are modest, and there aren’t too many, maintaining a sense of minimal beauty. TSHA has just started throwing her own parties in London and is on a variety of line ups for festivals and so on across the next few months, so it’ll be exciting to see her develop her artistic style through live performance.
#2 - Alone, Omen 3 - King Krule
Archy Marshall builds more anticipation towards his upcoming album with ‘Alone, Omen 3’. Everything he creates seems to be effortlessly individual, and this is no different. His vocals are kept soft and soothing, with rasp still subtly in the undertones and overlays, and as we progress towards the end both his voice and the instrumental echo around into a cloud of emotion. The drum beat has a sense of melancholy in its rocking back and forth, almost blues-like, and dissonant blares add an ominous flavour. The track comes with brilliant visuals, with a video from director Jocelyn Anquetil, highlighting the cool ease of King Krule’s artistry with great styling, referencing and cinematography. As he continues to mature, Archy’s innovative flame has in no way dimmed.
#3 - Turn Fast - Glows
There’s an ache of yearning in the alternating chords as ‘Turn Fast’ begins, before an ecstatic outburst erupts into your ears. What felt sombre before is replaced with undying hope, eager striving from something of higher meaning. It spreads throughout your being, like lights spreading across a city scape until the glow hovers over its entirety. Long, sustained notes are underplayed by rapid countermelodies and successions of drums, giving you the same warmth there is in the smile you share with a friend you haven't seen for a while. Glows released this single as part of Slow Dance’s compilation to round out 2019 with their ‘UK’s best artists’, which features a loads of other great music. As part of this effort, perhaps ‘Turn Fast’ could be seen as a letting go of the past to let in the bright, ardent excitement of the next decade.
#4 - Dizzy New Heights - Shanti Celeste Remix - MJ Cole
What a combination - MJ Cole’s classic garage production is a personal favourite of mine, and having just seen Shanti Celeste at Phonox last week, I'm all over anything processed through her lens. There are elements of the grounded, classic and acoustic sounds you'd expect from Cole, such as strings being brought in from a low pass filter, but it has very much been launched into outer space by the bleeping motifs and thumping kick familiar to much of Shanti's work. Within this setting, the vibrato of the strings shimmers like a light cast out across a planet from a UFO, seeking something in the gloom. Longer melodies are maintained, giving a sense of narrative. It's mysterious and fun, and the progression would create a great six minutes on a dancefloor.
#5 - Fantasy - Against All Logic
Nicholas Jaar has returned to his Against All Logic alias with another album titled by years of production. It's incredible; incredibly difficult to understand, and equally satisfying to enjoy. This is the first track on the record, and my personal favourite. The senses are forced to focus instantly with the rush of notes from some sort of plucked instrument and a blunt pan from the left to the right ear, before the beat drops for the fast time. There's something about the timbre of the drums that make them almost sound like they're bleeding through a crack in reality. Samples from Beyoncé's 'Baby Boy' make up the vocals throughout, and are crafted into completely original melodic and rhythmic lines while still being very much recognisable. Sounds are industrial and harsh, but it still grooves enough to mark a balance between experimentalism and danceability. Check out the whole album!
And that's all five for this week, hopefully the new layout will be a nice change. Here's the playlist link with these tracks and a handful of other new/nice bits. I think next post will likely be something more live review focused, after that lots of albums are coming out soon, so let's see. Anyway, have a lovely rest of the week everyone. xxx
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