Today’s curation celebrates the beauty of experimentation, the elegance of complexity, as well as the appeal of simplicity and the powerful force of beats. I don’t want to give too much away at this point. Just this: good headphones are a must for Austra’s Math Equation.
Guedra Guedra – The Arc of Three Colours
On his newly released album MUTANT, Moroccan producer Guedra Guedra creates unconventional polyrhythms that span an entire continent. The Arc of Three Colours bounces along with equal parts freshness and mysticism, uniting a wistful past with a colourful and exciting future. Meticulously detailed and constantly transforming, it is a complex yet wonderfully elegant track.
Austra – Math Equation
The initially thin bassline pays homage to Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, but then Canadian artist Austra turns the saturation control beyond the stop, and the bass makes the earth vibrate. Her voice meanders dreamily above it, briefly finding support in the rhythm, then letting go again and continuing its search in the foggy atmosphere. An excellent piece, lost between danceability and bittersweet thoughtfulness.
Automatic – Lazy
The sound of the trio Automatic from the City of Angels is like a Trojan horse. With its minimalist approach and innocent melodies, it captures the listener’s ear and plants social criticism. Lazy sounds wonderfully noncommittal, performed almost dispassionately, and thus perfectly accompanies the lyrics. Here, detached coolness, sophisticated details and catchy pop tricks collide.
Elijah Berlow – impatient by the continental divide
Despite its brevity, Elijah Berlow’s single impatient by the continental divide has maximum impact. Cicadas chirp constantly in the background, creating a natural backdrop over which the Chicago singer-songwriter performs delicate guitar dances and captivates listeners with a story told in a gentle voice.
Patrick Watson & Martha Wainwright – House on Fire
After enriching us with Gordon in the Willows, a collaboration with Charlotte Cardin, Patrick Watson now presents the world with the indescribable House on Fire featuring Martha Wainwright. This duet swells, glows with ornate sparks, blazes with epochal grandeur and is a melting pot of classical, folk and pop in equal measure. It is overwhelming, yet with a precise gracefulness.
