I read an interview with Nick Cave where he spoke about the music he's been enjoying recently, the grown up pop music of the early 70s, songs like Wichita Lineman, Suspicious Minds, Always On My Mind, Galveston, By The Time I Get To Phoenix and artists like Elvis, Jimmy Webb, Kris Kristofferson and Glen Campbell. Nothign too groundbreaking there maybe but as Nick says 'big, classic, grand themes'. The interviewer, Sean O'Hagen, added, 'those songs still sound so ambitious- the lyrical sophistication, the melodies, the arrangements. They do seem to belong to another time, another world though...'.
It made me think of the songs Hifi Sean and David McAlmont have released this year (and the album that's due next year) which have something of that scale about them- the grand themes and the ambition- coupled with the feel of some of the music of the 90s when house music/ dance music infiltrated the mainstream, dance beats and orchestras were used side by side. Their record label are calling it 'a psychedelic electronic soul soundtrack'. Sean's programmed drums, production and the strings are magical and sumptuous, music to bathe in. David's vocals soar on top.
In April they released The Skin I'm In. I thought I'd posted it previously but apparently not. The sort of song that works its way under your skin, David singing of social injustice and racism.
Maybe came out in June, a soaring, giddy, wide eyed song with the message that 'anyone can fall in love'. Music with grand themes and ambition.
3 comments:
Related to your posting of user18081971 clips, rather than this post, saw this and thought you might be interested: Samplebrain - Electronic experimentalist Aphex Twin has launched a playfully chaotic music-making app with engineer Dave Griffiths. The free-to-use software, Samplebrain, allows users to upload snippets of audio to be reconfigured into new, unpredictable sounds.
Thanks Anon, will have a look. Sounds interesting.
I am so looking forward to the HiFi Sean & David McAlmont album.
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