Tunes and Trouts Vol. 3
Third round of Tunes and Trouts here. More changes, more improvements, less filler in the beginning and the end. Adding a What's New? section before I get into my featured songs for the post.
The new section will be about songs or videos that have been on my radar that have been released recently. I won't get too in-depth about them, but I'll add my take on it as usual.
What's New?
Tristam - Before We Fade [Monstercat Release]
Canadian producer Tristams's newest tune comes almost as a surprise.
Before We Fade is a drumstep tune mixed with many elements which made Tristam popular in the first place: strong lead-ins, vocal implementations, and accomplished lyricism. I love the introduction to the song a lot, and the lyrics are probably the strongest aspect of the song. However, I feel that the main melodies in the verse are lacking a lot of staying power. It doesn't do a lot to accent the contrasting vocals, but it's definitely passable to listen to. It does particularly well in the later part of the bridge around the 2:37 mark though.
Overall, a strong release from Tristam, delving into a newer style for him. While there are some things that could be done better, I can't say I'm disappointed at all. In fact, this is a good avenue for him to explore. Versatility is a must for anyone producing or even listening to EDM. He won't be fading away anytime soon.
Tiësto ft. John Legend - Summer Nights
Impressive coupling with Tiësto and John Legend. The vocals work immaculately well with the tropical dance style beat and jives with the almost-generic but lively synth arrangement. The addition of the strings is simple, but adds to the richness of the song.
However, is it a memorable summer hit? Probably not.
The song doesn't explore any uncharted area in the genre. Whether it improves upon the standard formula is really up to the listener, but I feel like it's just a very safe song where it didn't need to be safe. The talent's there.
But will it be a summer hit? Sure. Expect to hear this at the club or any beach party, for what it's worth.
M.I.A. - Go Off
The pre-chorus or the buildup is probably the strongest aspect of this tune. Apart from that... Eh.
I love M.I.A., she's usually strong with her wordplay and she's got many delivery techniques and range that makes a lot of her songs stand out. I feel like those qualities are completely absent here. The song drones on, and there's not much else to say.
Kaskade (Ft. Too Many Zooz) - Jorts FTW
I've always appreciated Kaskade's masterful skills at producing house and downtempo wonders. I even find myself dipping into Late Night Alumni every now and then, and it's clear how he's involved. He's just that proficient in that breed of music.
But this... this is... different. I like it though, this change of pace, this more upbeat style that he's professing in the form of jort-philia. I'm more of a 90's librarian lady look, but I appreciate this guy's clear, profound fondness.
I've got to say, it really evokes a lot of nostalgia -- and not just through the music video. It almost seems to transcend time with it's blaring brass and tribal drum sounds. The chorus is super powerful, along with the first build-up. The other build-ups feel bland though, and drag on for longer than I'd hope. Good song though. Massive points for the retro style and running with it.
Anything Big Releases That's New?
Lil Debbie - Debbie (Album):
I have to admit, I do like Lil Debbie's visual styles and themes, despite her rather limited vocal prowess and lack of wordplay. When I do take a listen, the bar won't be incredibly high -- but I'm sure I'll like a few songs from the album.
BadBadNotGood - IV (Album):
This Canadian jazz group absolutely kills it. They're among the few to deftly mix traditional jazz components with electronic sounds and incredibly dynamic production skills. They've apparently added saxophonist Leland Whitty officially, which means I'm looking forward to a lot of brass play.
Aphex Twin - Cheetah (EP):
It's Aphex Twin. 'Nuff said.
Switchfoot - Where the Light Shines Through (Album):
Ever since the song "Stars" a little over a decade ago, I've been rather tuned into Switchfoot. I have heard "Float" from the album, which faces this elegant bassline and easy to follow precussions. Glad to see they're still making music, and pretty frequently too.
Featured Songs:
Artist: Clams Casino
Album: 32 Levels
Song: A Breath Away ft. Kelela
Clams Casino, popularizer of cloud rap with his grand-scale atmospheric sounds, seems to be coming out of that clam shell.
With over a couple dozen works produced for big names like Lil B, A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller -- you've probably heard some of his craft at one point or another. Back in 2011-2013, he also released three hot mixtapes of instrumentals that he's produced. It solidified a different view of hip-hop and electronic music for the public. What made beats impactful? What about that abrasive collection of sounds? The energetic basslines?
The album gave the public a better look at the structure of what goes in a lot of popular styles of songs. Much like how essays and publications tend to have conventional, traditional, and relatively new structures, Clams Casino makes it a point to really dive in and allow us to investigate for ourselves what really makes a song. As you could probably guess, it wasn't all "safe" stuff either. Listeners were treated to what's comfortable to them, what they're familiar with. Then, in other songs, samples were rather abstract in nature, pushing that sonic space to wider areas. It's really rich in color and vibrancy.
So, how does this producer-made album fare?
32 Levels plays a lot with contrast. As you may have read from music publications or other bloggers, the 12 tracks are halved. 6 tracks of rap where his trademark sound had been familiarized with, and 6 tracks of radio-friendly tunes of pop and R&B. Anyone who knows me recognizes that I'm a fan of the Based God, Lil B, so it's pretty cool seeing them work together closely on this release. Also, 'All Nite' is a venomous track with Vince Staples, showcasing a lot of that deep-wave sound that adds much room and flavor to the overall experience. The song also comes in music video form which is uploaded onto Clams Casino's Youtube, which doesn't have a lot of depth to it other than the enjoyable day to night shifting theme. The rap portion of the album is shown to have a lot of good direction and production know-how, but that's what anyone has come to expect.
But where does that leave the pop and R&B section of the album? I'll be focusing in on the track that he uploaded, A Breath Away ft. Kelela. It's also one of few songs that have been released for the public, so that's a plus for anyone on the fence about buying the album.
The air opens suddenly during the beginning on the song, revealing this foggy, mysterious backdrop. It's dramatic, it's minimalist. It does a damn good job of promoting the starry voice of Kelela. The opening lines set the stage rather quickly. "Why you complainin' keep makin' a fuss / Like I said, it's built on broken trust and lies."
Her feathery voice seems to delicately feel around the curtain of sound. It's intimate, it's bittersweet. The words build off of the story. The first verse set the stage with what has happened and what's happening now -- it's the same issues over and over again. Trust issues. The possibility of cheating. Infidelity.
The topic hits home for a lot of people. I know this venue affects many people around me too.
Then, the pre-chorus. It's different. Kelela shows off this different possibility, this different outcome that maybe if they face their problems, they can actually make the relationship amazing. This desire to make it work seems to eclipse everything else. "We are a breath away from heaven."
That says a lot by itself. Enter the transition to the chorus where Clams Casino amps up the synth and pops in this mysterious, misty percussive stance. And wow, that is a breathtaking chorus. It's not a 'rending the heart' kind of thing, but rather a suffering yet forgiving smile. It's an uncommon take on a topic that's been explored a lot.
Does Clams Casino hold up in this record? Yeah, definitely. The velvety smooth ambiance transitions pretty well into the R&B and pop genre. With this, he's very well diversifying his strengths and adding onto an already bountiful repertoire of sound that many producers try to emulate.
Although, I would say that some of the other songs just don't hold up that well. They're either very safe or almost bland feeling. Even then, that's two or three songs out of 12 that I feel on the edge about -- which isn't a bad ratio at all. For a producer made album, it's first-rate and outstanding.
Artist: White Shoes & The Couples Company
Album: Skenario Masa Muda
Song: Roman Ketiga
You might remember the Jakarta-based band White Shoes & The Couples Company from a "long" time ago during the Myspace era. About 2005, they released a self-titled album and an EP called 'Skenario Masa Muda' while they were signed by Aksara Records. It did incredibly well at getting international attention, garnering praise on many online sources. In less than a year, White Shoes had already been featured in heavy hitter websites like Rolling Stone and Allmusic. After that, they were signed by Minty Fresh, a Chicago-based label that's known for propelling the careers of groups like Veruca Salt and The Cardigans.
While their criteria is subjective, like any other critic (despite what they 'believe'), the fact that the band got all this attention is absolutely remarkable.
The group was formed in 2002 when Aprilia Apsari (the vocalist) and Yusmario Farabi (acoustic guitar / vocals) were attended the Jakarta Institute of Arts. Immediately, they picked up one of their colleagues, Saleh (electric guitar / vocals). Two years later, they added three more members: Ricky Virgana (bass / cello / vocals), John Navid (drums, vibes), and Aprimela Prawidiyanti (piano / viola / vocals). Apparently, they came up with the name White Shoes due to it being popular at the school where they went to. That's pretty dope.
Not only are many of them skilled at different instruments, they're masterful at seamlessly blending in different genres. Throughout their discography, they've displayed knowledge of mixing various smooth and rich sounds that comprise this old school indie sound, jazz, bossa nova, and film-style music. All that together, they produce these romantic series to tracks full of warmth and love.
Onto the featured song!
On their 2007 EP 'Skenario Masa Muda', Roman Ketiga is this saccharine cinematic tune that's pleasantly vivid. It's unplugged. The drums are lightly brushed throughout. The instruments are gentle and soft. Softer than cotton candy.
And maybe it's just me, but there's this quality in acoustic music that's nice to hear every once in a while. I feel that it has the capability to really reach into the "home" feel. I was born in south-east Asia, in Isabela, Philippines. While it's a far-cry from safe and I barely go back due to how bad the conditions can be, I still yearn for that place. To walk on the simple road beside the hills, surrounded by forestry and a lone, wooden house used only for karaoke.
The song is in Indonesian, so I can't really remark on the lyrics too well -- and I don't like to rely on cheap online translations. Sad to say I can't make any remarks on it, but I feel the singing is stunningly beautiful. The comforting melody goes so well with that voice, as Miss Sari employs many vocal techniques to extraordinary effect. Her vibratos are spectacular.
The melody is simple, but that's the charm to a lot of songs throughout the years. I feel like because it's uncomplicated and unpretentious, people can come together and play it. The whole 'pick up and play' thing. So it's not a bad thing in this case.
Besides, even if the melody is simple, the arrangements for each part put together blend masterfully. It's no easy feat to understand the elements of sound this well.
If you haven't already, give the song a listen -- as well as some other tunes from White Shoes & The Couples Company. It definitely struck a chord in me.
Artist: Sondre Lerche
Album: Please
Song: Bad Law
Speaking of striking a chord...
Sondre Lerche has been a consistently fiery multi-instrumentalist with a lot going for him. He's got quite the backstory.
He grew up in a place called Bergen, a city on the west coast of Norway. One of the nicest places in the Nordic countries thanks to the mild winters, and the fjords make for interesting subsea cultures and technology. Busiest port. Anyways, Sondre took up formal guitar lessons from a teacher at just the age of 8 years old. Turns out, he was really inspired by the 80's pop that he had listened to around his household. Tunes like A-Ha and The Beatles, and a lot of other popular bands. Classical lessons were useful, sure, but he eventually took interest in Brazillian music. At 14 years old, he composed his first song "Locust Girl".
Get this. Before he was even of age, he was performing acoustic songs on stage at the club where his sister worked. After a while of doing this, a Norwegian Producer named H.P. Gundersen took him in and the dominoes started falling exactly where it needed to. Sondre's imagination for music got more and more vast as he was exposed to all styles of music, old and new. By the time he was 21 years old, he had recorded his debut album Faces Down, which did incredibly well in both Norway and the United States. Just like that, his life changed rather quickly. Suddenly, he found himself sharing the stage with A-ha during a performance in Oslo.
I don't have to tell you how big that is, or how amazing that could feel.
Anyways, Sondre ended up releasing many EPs and albums, consistently searing through genres like my friends chowing on endless IHOP hotcakes. It's beautiful. Gems of songs constantly produced along the way on Two Way Monologue, Duper Sessions, Phantom Punch, Dan in Real Life, Heartbeat Radio, and Sondre Lerche. I don't think there was any album that didn't have a gem in it.
By gems, I mean songs that are so good, you want to hear it again. You want to feel that feel again. Onto the album, Please, and the song Bad Law.
Ultimately, this is a breakup album. It was written sometime after his divorce with Mona Fastvold, whom he named his label Mona records after. As such, even the sweet, loving Sondre Lerche's emotions run extremely hot in this, and his already punchy riffs and beats suddenly become dynamic and compelling with sentiment. But, he's no sentimentalist. The tracks meld so well together. On top of that, many, many gems on the album itself. The foundation of emotion, storytelling, abstract lyrics and wordplay are all there. Great, catchy tunes ripe with tumultuous crescendos or croaking despair. If I had to describe the album, it would be like someone tossing paint at a canvas in a passioned rage, knowing full well that they'll end up lovingly going through that paint with a toothpick trying to make it work.
Damn.
Here we are with Bad Law. This uncongenial yet flirty and fun break-up song breaks a lot of the mold on how these tracks usually go. As we've heard time and time again, it's usually the same sappy stuff. Sondre knows he doesn't have to rely on that formula as a crutch. As a result, we're treated to this eclectic tune. It's filled with surprisingly sharp rhythms and fun percussion, as well as the contrasting lyrics and fits of electric noise. The sound space is lodged in this edge-of-pandemonium continuance.
Lots of great vocal technique coming from Sondre Lerche here once again. Layers of his voice pervade the song, variating from his crestfallen and almost-uncaring prose to the falsettos on his chorus, and the vocal break near the end where he just lets loose. This charismatic fellow just absolutely lays it out. It's honest. It's telling. His emotions are fueled like the jarring sounds that are dropped on many of his other tracks on this release.
Bad Law is an uptempo track with the energies that set the stratified mood. There's so much going for it. It's really damp with sordidity, with the excuse that it's, well, human.
Could it be that bad news really is good news for any artist? I personally don't think so, not if they don't have a proper channel for that to convert it to art. Thankfully, Sondre does have that capability. Despite the range of frustrations, anger, confusion, sadness, regret, and everything inbetween, he manages to turn it into what I would consider -- gems.
To keep a uniform schedule, I'll try to post Tunes and Trouts every Monday (Not counting this upcoming Monday, the 24th). I know a lot of albums get released every Friday, so the weekend will be my time to listen to some things while trying to keep up with my TV shows.
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