A good song often has a good hook. Twin Limb won me over by making their chorus into this separate entity, different from the synthesizer soaked verses. The chorus is quiet, slow, and heavy-footed. The lead singer, MaryLiz Bender, drags on the repetitive words, “don’t think about it,” giving weight to each word. She uses the least amount of air as she falls off each note, and then on the last line, it’s almost as if she can’t muster enough energy to sing “About It.” New album is titled “Anything is Possible and Nothing Makes Sense” out on Friday, November 13.
Electronic
OMN – In Quiet Rooms
Ollie McKendrick-Ness (OMN) begins “In Quiet Rooms” with what sounds like someone sitting, strapping on an acoustic guitar, taking a breath, and then singing. He then layers warm and colorful electronic sounds, which encase his guitar and voice in this still quiet space. What I enjoy is that the song is never overwhelmed by an excessive layering of synths. OMN stays in this one comforting place, rather than traveling in a different direction.
Operators – “True”
New initiative from Dan Boeckner (member of Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs/Divine Fits) is called Operators and they have a refreshing and an irresistible earworm of an EP out now. My favorite track is “True.” It’s got the riff that makes you want to dance like you are at a LCD Soundsystem concert. Looking forward to seeing them open for Future Islands January 8th at Terminal 5 in NYC. A review to follow.
And one more:
FUTURISTIC FRIDAY
In light of “Throwback Thursday or #tbt” which involves posting something that has nostalgic value, we at RunTheMill wanted to turn this popular convention on its head. This weekly posting will share a song that is either ahead of its time or attempts to push us out of our comfort sound zone.
Slumberjack-Body Cry (feat. Father Dude)
Trap has obviously been making its way into mainstream Hip-Hop, but not in the way the Australian duo, Slumberjack seamlessly interweaves it into this sultry R&B song. This is the lead track off their self-titled EP, and while I initially hesitated knowing that Trap is not my go-to genre, the tightness of each timely hit and the overlay of jazz chords sold me on this week’s Futuristic Friday.
Treehaus-“Clouds”
Brooklyn Trio mixes the dynamics of James Blake, Nick Hakim and Bon Iver in this soulful, crisp, gospel ballad. Tasteful bass licks and sharp staccato drums compliment but do not overpower the lead singer’s crooning. Enjoy.
Catching Flies-“Quiet Nights”
Warm & fuzzy, mellow, minimalistic and atmospheric. New song from a relatively unknown, 23-year-old London Producer “Catching Flies” sounds like a mix between Broke for Free and Apparat.
Youandewan- “93”
The song is a little old, (circa 2010), but still sounds brand new. With this track from Youandewan, I hear the electronic stability of Bonobo, Chick Corea-like piano trills, and the subtle house of Duke Dumont. I could see this in a scene from Ocean’s Fourteen.
“Disorderly”-Baths
A house favorite of RunTheMill. Baths, a project from electronic magician Will Wiesenfeld, continues to evolve and experiment with new sounds, rhythms and moods. Shout out to WRMC for this one.
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