TOTW: Nils Frahm_ All Armed

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I’ve talked repeatedly about my love of Nils Frahm and seeing him towards the end of last year was a great experience. “All Armed” perfectly demonstrates what he does best. Namely stripping down music to its rawest form melodically and instrumentally. But then giving each of those instruments a rich sound and deep sound stage to shine in.

The bass line in “All Armed” is a perfect example. It’s comprised of only three different notes and looping every 8 bars for almost the entirety of this 11 and a half minute track. However it never gets stale, as filters slightly open and close, varying the synth between softer and a more aggressive edge as it oozes with the warmth that you can only achieve from analogue circuitry.

The bass may be the front and center of this track, providing the foundation and permanent drive of the piece. But other organic eastern instruments pepper their way throughout, creating a world that sounds brooding dark and exiting.

Some tracks just come along at the right times, I first heard “All Armed” when driving to a night shift in work and the atmosphere of the track perfectly suits this experience. So why don’t you do the same. Drop it into a driving playlist and see just how great Nils Frahm is at setting a scene and a mood:

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TOTW: Cate le Bon_ Home to You

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I recently went on holiday spending a couple of weeks traveling around Sri Lanka and took a trusty Spotify playlist of music from this year I needed to catch up on.

Home to You was a track that stood out to me immediately with its catchy jolly melody backed up by interesting rhythmic vocal patterns in its second half. They kept me returning to it throughout the holiday and since then back in the UK.

Home to you Is Pop music at its finest and well worth a listen:

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TOTW: Clark_ Flask / Abyss

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Clark’s latest album “Kiri Variations” elaborates on and develops themes that he made for the British tv show Kiri. In parts it does sound more like an OST then a traditionally tailored album but this doesn’t stop Clark from showing his incredible qualities as a producer and sound designer.

As you may well know I’m a sucker for synth pads and “Flask / Abyss” doesn’t disappoint. Warm warbling synthesis with slow attack and releases drift into and out of the track like waves. Bobbing on top of these waves is the light melody that only lasts briefly before the mood of the piece plunges into deeper darker territory.

Clark continues to make music that sounds lush vibrant and unique. His production is some of the best in electronic music. Pushing elements of sound design to new places without sacrificing quality in composition and production. “Kiri Variations” takes this in a more minimal and ambient direction but if you want something more dance floor orientated I would highly recommend his self titled album:

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TOTW: Purple Mountains_ Darkness And Cold

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David Berman committed suicide this August and the outpouring from fans (many of whom musicians I admire) made me want to listen to his music.

I had never heard his music before but its easy to see why he has received so much love an adoration since his passing. His lyrics are full of poetic observations unique to his own world view and yet are easily relatable to any listener.

The track “Darkness And Cold” from his last and latest album is a perfect example. A sad subject matter about his ex lover going on a date with someone else is told with a wry sensitivity and poetic genius that elevates it above most alt-country. David Berman achieved this repeatedly on this album and his work in the band “Silver Jews” which I also highly recommend. His unique vision will be sorely missed.

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TOTW: Prefab Sprout_Goodbye Lucille #1

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I first came across this song under its original name “johnny johnny,” before listening to their album “Steve McQueen”. It stands as my favorite Prefab Sprout song, and one of my all time favorite songs.

There are many elements in this track that would later be found in the “shoegaze” genre. Slow plucked, with lots of reverb rise and fall built in, the soundscape works dynamically against the lyrics of Paddy McAllon. His ability to write about both sides of love is second to none.

The track manages to perfectly encapsulate the grieving of a young love breakup. The overblown instrumentation and vocal delivery sound almost filmic, but manage to be grounded by the lyrics, which tell a simple story in a sincere and truthful way.

It’s that ability to exaggerate the small that resonates so well with the feeling of youth, when emotions run high and everything means the world to you. Prefab Sprout capture the feeling well many times but “Goodbye Lucille #1” distills this down into four and a half minutes.

A perfect pop tune that deserves a listen:

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TOTW: William S Fischer_Chains

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For those who haven’t heard of the “Late Night Tales” compilations, the concept is fairly simple. Artists are asked to create a late night playlist of their favorite music along with an exclusive cover of a song from the artist themselves.

This then gets released as a CD compilation album with the “Late Night Tales” moniker. It has resulted is some fantastic compilation albums, which have introduced me to many acts.

This is especially true of “This Years Floating Points” compilation, which takes you through a collection of down tempo jazz, soul and ambient electronic music. The whole album is full of gems that flow together perfectly, making it well worth a listen. I especially like the track “Chains” by “William S Ficher”.

This track blends string arrangements with jazz to create a woozy sound that is perfectly suited to a late night playlist. If you like what you hear, give the whole album a try and if you’re still interested, the other “Late Night Tales” collections are well worth a listen. A personal favourite is the Flaming Lips compilation.

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TOTW: Matmos_Fanfare For Polyethylene Waste containers

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Matmos have always pushed sound design and the idea of concept albums to new and unimaginable heights. Computer technology and sampling has allowed them to make whole albums out of the strangest of sources.

On their latest “Plastic Anniversary”, Every sound created on the album is made with plastic. Just like their other work they take this idea and push it to its limits. A highlight for me being the lead melody for the track “Fanfare for Polyethylene Waste Containers”. The monolithic almost brass like sound in the lower notes sounds closer to woodwind as it rises in octaves. It really stood out to me as a great piece of sound design, especially with the knowledge of its source.

Matmos continue to surprise and delight with their music. They never seem constricted by the limitations they set on themselves. Instead, it results in new creative music that keeps their style fresh from album to album:

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TOTW: Apparat-DAWAN

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Apparats blend of electronic dance styles with more traditional song composition has always stuck with me over the years.

As time has moved on, this style became more prevalent in popular music. But Apparat has always stood out due to his sound design. His synths sound rich and organic, blurring the line between the physical and synthetic.

This ability is displayed perfectly on my track of the week “DAWAN” the opening instrumentation sounds on its initial transient to be close to a xylophone but as the notes continue to resonate, they turn into more digital synthesized pad sounds, blending the percussive with the melodic.

The track develops, adding as a shuffling drum rhythm which creates a pace and focus for the synth pads and vocals. Slowly instrumentation increases and crescendos to the tracks conclusion. Apparat has always managed to create a strong mood in his music, with every instrument sounding complimentary, DAWAN demonstrates these qualities perfectly.

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TOTW: Prefab Sprout_ Fall from Grace

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Prefab Sprout are probably best know for their kitsch single “king of rock and roll” but underneath their 80s pop aesthetics Singer/Songwriter Paddy McAloon has always been able to write poignant lyrics in a style only he can. Songs “when love breaks down” and “Johnny Johnny” being personal favorites.

This re-issue of his album “I Trawl the Megahertz” shows off his talents as a composer/arranger. Its sonic pallet is stunning, strings underpin woodwind, brass and percussive instrumentation that allows melodies to drift in and out of focus. It creates a dreamlike, cerebral world that you cant help but be immersed in.

As themes in the piece come and go throughout the album works best when listened to as a whole. But if you wanted to dip your toe into the water the track “Fall from Grace” exemplifies the quality’s in the album I love so much and would be a great starting point:

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TOTW: The Comet Is Coming-Super Zodiac

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The Comet Is Coming create aggressive, groove orientated jazz that’s easy to be drawn into. They subvert a more traditional three Trio style by replacing the bass/piano player with a synth player who fills in both roles. This is blended with saxophone and drums to create a fresh direction, which they explore throughout their latest album “Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery.”

There are many great tracks on this album but, on first listen, Super Zodiac stood out to me. The track opens with lush synth chords that become the foundations of the chorus. This drifts away, replaced with a synth bass line, intricate drum patterns and attacking, distorted saxophone. Its raucous tones build to cacophonous choruses, jammed full of energy and power:

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