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The Weekly Froth! - 20160916

  • Published in Columns

 

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘RockMeLoveMe’ by Tiger & Woods

I love the loopin Louie’s that are Tiger & Woods, chaining all those loops together just right to get that whole dancefloor momentum going, giving it the hypnotic movement thing one can’t sit still to. Here, too, they get it going with this kind of spacey synth sound, which they, at one point, start riding, and not letting off. Which is, really, what we’ve come to expect. Especially as, continuously, things are added and subtracted, like the piano at the two minute mark, immediately changing the feel of the track a bit as the tone of the instrument is unlike other things that are making up the track at that point. There are also some vocals, not surprisingly repeating the same words over and over, which give it a nice funky vibe. With that and the piano it does get a funk tinge, which balances the inherently more mechanical feel of the way they build the track together. The piano is, naturally, not the only instrument that does it’s thing, with a clear and distinct percussion line moving through there as well to get that extra rhythm in. Apparently they are gearing up to release a new album, which is only something I can get excited about! As you quickly come to understand by the way, it is a preview, and the hammering home of it is really the only annoying thing about the stream of this track, but all the more reason to strengthen patience and just wait for the minty freshness of a newly released LP.

 

‘Tranquillo (Melt My Heart)’ by Carly Simon (Young Pulse edit)

This one starts out pretty minimal with a steady beat and just some synths to build mood. After that, a piano riff comes in, the vocals are already apparent in the background, and then the bass arrives to give a bit of boogie to it. Add the horns, a little guitar riff, and a minute in the track has fleshed out to a nice disco edit asking you to Melt my heart (why don’t ya?). At 1:40 a short break before all the rhythm elements return with, this time, Carly Simon singing the verse. It’s a real disco kind of tune here with all the horns and other disco touches, with Young Pulse doing all them things to make it just this sweet and smooth ride. At the four minute mark he even works the instruments a bit, though he always returns to the chorus and its horns. And that’s the way we like it, really, don’t we?

 

‘Mediator’ by AlunaGeorge

AlunaGeorge starts this one out with the orchestra, before breaking with the drum and her sweet vocals arriving on top, singing that she doesn’t think This is fixable. There’s a little guitar riff in this slow burning R&B track, that adds some synths when the chorus comes in, with AlunaGeorge upping the emotions a bit. After the chorus there is a short instrumental interlude, after which she continues to lay out her role as Mediator, upping the pace in delivery slightly as she asks to let Me talk to him, let me be your friend, he’s no good to you, he don’t need your help. It has this lovely, slow old school R&B vibe, with a bit of class and a bit of sass.

‘Building A Beginning’ by Jamie Lidell

My goodness, I remember seeing Jamie Lidell just after releasing ‘Multiply’, which skyrocketed him up in the popularity rankings. Soon, the soulful singer is coming back, with this being the opening track, a sad sounding soul turn that talks about Building a beginning (with you). It’s a slow burner, with the band in the back laying down the groundwork with the drum and that little guitar that lets out a short solo every now and again. It really sounds as one of those bands in a Jazz cafe doing their ditty, a bit of rhythm, a bit of straying and improvisation, as the singer croons on top of it, with plenty of oeeh-hoo’s, improv lines, and the like. Some old fashioned craftsmanship at work here. Lidell showcases his impeccable voice again here, and the band vibe gives it a nice vibe that probably announces the sound of the album pretty clearly I reckon.

‘Remember Red’ by Chris Malinchak

I was turning on a stream of a festival this weekend, and luckily dived in there just in time to witness the set of Chris Malinchak. The comments on SoundCloud confirm what I already was thinking, huge sampling by Madonna, and who can blame anyone for going that route? But, understated. The start, too, just a bit of that rhythm, some vibe sounds are used to get that dreamy, floaty thing going, but no hard beat, no punches. And just before the minute mark, a little bass that gives you the idea you’re being seduced at some beach in the Caribbean somewhere. The track has a lovely flow to it, some enticing Ahh-ha-ha-haas in the vocal background, luring you like the sirens just offshore. Near the end we get some spoken word, telling us to remember that these are Maybe the best of times. And certainly, when listening to this, good vibes all around.

 

‘Somebody’ by Whitney Houston (Rayko Super Disco Rework)

It is always a good time to get back to that ol’ Whitney Houston powerhouse, and really, what is a better dancefloor filler than a good edit of her amazing vocal turn in ‘I Wan’t To Dance with Somebody’? Rayko, over some hand percussion, first goes for Whitney repeating the Don’t you want to dance line, after which he moves her a bit to the background in favor of the percussion and rhythm, putting the emphasis on that instead of just throwing Houston’s vocal prowess out there. This change in balance gives it a refreshing feel, as the vocals don’t overpower the track, you are still steered by the rhythm percussion that Rayko provides in there (along with some of those synths), but it is still very much clearly THAT Whitney song which basically means you just have to dance (coppers will come out and arrest you for not doing it, ya know?). Rayko also chooses for the repetition in the vocals, picking up mostly the same words to repeat, and all other lines then Don’t you want to dance seem even more de-emphasized. Fun edit by a real master of it, with as source material just one of those darling things.

 

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The Weekly Froth!

  • Published in Columns

 

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week:  ‘Coastal Love’ by HONNE

The lads of HONNE will be releasing a new EP in May, and this is a cut off of that. I like the start, catchy enough, but not obtrusive. And that is a good quality here, as the melancholic vocals talk about him being a dreamer, and he is convinced (oh the foolishness of youth!) that this long distance thing is going to work with his loved one. And the synths and percussion, as said, it does have a slight catchiness to it, but it is exactly the right tone to go with the vocals and subject matter. And I do love the vocals, and in the chorus it even gets some help from a little guitar riff that they put in, which is a nice touch. The synths lay down the right atmosphere as well, and this is one of those dream-away thing whilst road tripping and the sun shines through that car window and lets you bathe in its light. Something to look forward to in May, I reckon.

 

‘Love Myself’ by Ebony vs. Bicep

Ebony and Bicep cross the continents to do some work together, and apparently that should mean we have to "Be happy", as the female vocals repeat those two words at the start, even before the song gets going. Then the synths build it up and up and up, and then it’s just waiting for that bubble to burst. That, it does at about 1:30, when the house beat comes in, with some fast talking vocals, and some strong synth lines. The track definitely has some attitude to it, with the pace of the beat, but especially the way the synths are used. That deep, short little synth line just pounces through, it definitely gives the thing some oomph. At about 2:45 we get some drums in, for the people who know how to dance to that fast percussion kind of thing. The vocals have returned to the “be happy” singing of the start, though it is a layer below the percussion, though still pretty much audible. Then those starting synths come back as well, building it up once more before the collaborative group of Ebony vs. Bicep brings back the beat to ride the last few minutes out. Definitely a punchy affair, for if you’re not in that soft kind of mood.

 

‘Falling In Love With A Memory’ by Monarchy

The boys from Monarchy are back, and the start with the synth and piano already indicates this sort of pop bigness. The track gets a little extra oomph from the drums and the vocals, which then slides into a more soft synth-pop sound when the vocals pace it up a bit. At this point, you just get this happy dancing vibe from the instrumentals, really catchy and fun, and the vocals are a slight counterweight to that as you do have the idea that the narrative story isn’t quite as happy-dancey as the track itself. It’s been a while since I interviewed them for this site when they were getting ready to release their first album, and this song is a good example of why we did that. It’s just got this lovely pop vibe to it, giving you some strong vocals and some catchy synths, but then there is also, for instance, that more subdued piano to end it with. Their new album is, I believe, almost ready to go, so if you like those synths that make you dance (and who doesn’t), this is one to have a listen to when it arrives.

 

‘System 90’ by Holy Ghost!

So what do you get when you put two hardware nuts in a room with two synthesizers (new System 55 and System 35 modulars, apparently), and you give them roughly five hours to play with them? Apparently, this synth ditty-jam. First you put the kind of bass rhythm in, and then you start piling layer upon layer. It is just fun to hear all the different synth sounds, and how they are floating ideas around on top of the base rhythm After the two minute mark they do seem to mix that base layer up a bit as well, even getting rid of it completely for a moment to get some of that jazz improvisation going (but, synth style, obviously), and then it is cool to see how they fizzle this thing out. It is definitely a jam, and not a perfect piece of song that they always do manage to get when creating an album. But it is cool to see two guys trying new stuff out and finding a way to create a four minute piece that, surprisingly, actually has quite a bit of structure (In just a few hours yours truly probably wouldn’t have stumbled upon such a thing, I’m sure).

 

‘Believe in Me’ by Jamie Lidell

I must admit that I do have a soft spot for that voice that Jamie Lidell has. In this track you’ve got the understated, slightly haunting synth line that is on loop, and then you immediately get his vocals in there. And these are so powerful that it adds some instant strength and emotion to the track, and he does know how to play with them a bit as well. In the mean time, the synth is still going, and it gets some help from both a bit of percussion as well as some aerial sounds, as they relieve each other from duty every once in a while. As said, the vocals, he does know how to make them work. Sometimes they’re bolstered a bit, sometimes you’ve got some overlapping layers, and sometimes he adds a little humming there for good measure. And then, suddenly, something like after the three minute mark, where the main vocals really go for it comes in, even to the point they can ditch the synth line as, really, the vocals are near enough to hold the track afloat. I saw him live once when he was doing his ‘Multiply’ thing (guess my age now, eh), and although I do have to admit that I haven’t religiously followed his every step, I am always happily surprised when I get the chance to hear that voice doing something again.

 

‘It Looks Like Love’ (Rayko Super Extended Love Re-Work)

Because there’s always a need for your dosis of disco eh, and you know you can get it here weekly, right? This time thought I’d slide some Rayko in for you, doing his thing by putting the disco and the dancefloor in this old son-of-a-tune. You’ve got all those original sounds right in there from the get go, really laying down the vibe from it’s very moment of birth. But, obviously, you’ve got some beats to bolster the whole thing up as well. Add the little guitar riff, the violins at about 2:20, and you know the vocals are going to be coming in at any minute now. He’s a big tease though, and he rides those sounds out for a while, even doing one more change-up before getting there. And then, he gets there, the whispery vocals first, and the rest later. In the mean time, the disco groove is still going full throttle, as the vocals, by this time, are telling you that, yes, It looks like love. At this point, we’re just halfway of this nine minute disco monster, by the way, so better get your dancing shoes out for this one (and always, really). Just happy he did ditch that flute-from-Marocco thingy of the otherwise superb original.

 

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