The new Son Lux album Lanterns came out this week and I still have to listen to it a few more times to really get to grips with it. I heard the track Easy several weeks ago through the fantastic NPR podcast All Songs Considered and it instantly stood out with its eerie sound design and chugging saxophone:
Overgrown the latest album by James Blake has become a staple in my playlists over the past few weeks, It manages to blend a pop and dance aesthetic into something slightly more experimental. What it looses in accessibility it gains in cerebral complexity. Tracks blossom with repeat listens showing their quality in structure and sound design.
Life Round Here is centered arround a slightly staggered repeating melody which manages to go through layers of harshness with the simple opening of a filter. The melody fluidly blends from reserved in one section to an all out dance track in another. James Blake demonstrates this shift in textures with flair throughout the album and manages to create verity in his work that still feels uniform as a whole:
I’ve been listening to a lot of Boards of Canada recently and have talked about their quality in previous posts. Fueled by the newest album tomorrows harvest I’ve been working my way through their extensive back catalogue and came across this little gem.
It stands out from their other work with the heavy use of a Colonel Abrams vocal sample that’s been pitched down to create a slower and darker track to the original. Blend this with Boards of Canada’s unique sound design and your on to a winner:
Here it is, an hour of new music made/performed by myself for the Opening of the 14-18 Gallery in Leigh last month. I designed the set to slowly evolve and blend from track to track so I hope you can spend the time to listen to it and tell me what you think in the comments section below:
Avishai Cohen Trio create some lovely three piece jazz and 11 Wives is my favourite track from their album Gently Disturbed. Performed live on this video it shows off the tallents of the group. It’s off kiter piano line mixed with tight playing from the percussion and bass make it stand out as a great jazz track, so give it a watch:
Hospice by The Antlers is a fantastic concept album. Although slightly morose the tracks are made with such conviction and attention to detail in production that the whole thing works beautifully. Unfortunately it makes it hard to recommend one track for track of the week so I would recommend listening to the whole thing, However if you demand a single track I Would recomend Shiva. Find both the entire album and the track below:
I’ve been listening to a lot of Lighting Bolt recently. This two piece pack one hell of a punch with their raw energy. Well known for playing In the crowd they create a nervous power which feels like it could collapse at anytime. This comes across perfectly in this live video of Dracula Mountain below:
I’m Performing Live tomorrow at 1PM at the 14-18 Gallery in Bradshawgate for its opening. It’s an hour of completely new music from myself and im looking forward to playing it for the first time live.
If you can make it I would appreciate your support, if not I will try to find a way for people to see it after the show so watch this space.
CT
Working In my Studio
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favourite films and apart from it being a fantastic story it also has a wonderful soundtrack that i will be bringing up several times in the future.
But lets start with the main theme for the film. There is something about the melody of this track that grabs me, It feels awkward but manages to shuffle its way to resolution at the end of each phrase. Apart from standing out as a great track in its own right, its production complements the themes of the film perfectly.
The themes of repetition from the film manifest themselves in the track with both the melody and then the string loop clearly repeating in the background. When the track changes melody arround the 1 minute mark the instrumentation also turns from a traditional piano to a more childlike sound which reminds me of music from children’s cartoons like the herbs. This fits perfectly well with the films memory based story line.
The track manages put across the idea of nostalgia and reminiscing on memory’s perfectly. A wonderful accompaniment to the film but also a standout piece in its own right:
I’m playing over an hour of new music on Saturday 21st September At the Bradshawgate gallery in Leigh for its opening day. If you can make it please come on down to see the art from the collective and hear my music.
The gallery is open from 10am but I will be playing my set from 1. Come on down if you fancy it, For more info See the site here and see the flyer below:
Castlefield Gallery Flyer