Tone Trove: 018
featuring music from L'Rain, exael, Electric Jalaba, + more
Sorry folks, no music for today…. just kidding as I am a True Jokester celebrating Aprils Fool ha ha! Gotcha.
“Two Face” by L’Rain
Wish everyone could have heard the audible “YESSSS!” that I let out when I saw the Bandcamp notification pop up that Taja Cheek aka L’Rain announced a new album yesterday. I felt like her self-titled debut that was dropped in 2017 went pretty under the radar despite the fact that she exceled at combining a variety of genres into one heartfelt, emotionally complicated love letter to her late mother. L’Rain proves on the lead single for Fatigue that her songwriting chops have only gotten better these past 4 years as the arrangement on this track is so so good. Right out the gate you can tell she’s bringing the heat as it starts with a hypnotic ascending + descending piano line accompanied by a funky bassline and head-bobbing drum pattern to give it a little jazzy feel. Then we get Cheek’s vocals and the remaining shades of this beautiful watercolor start to fill in, like a psychedelic paint-by-the-numbers where things seem to naturally wiggle into place. The chorus brings to mind the beloved glossolalia stylings of Liz Fraser, another singer I love dearly so needless to say, L’Rain has got me highly anticipating the whole album which should be landing in June.
“The Goldbeater’s Skin” by Anne Guthrie
Ok while this doesn’t get quite as unhinged as that song that plays at the end of Hereditary, it definitely had me thinking that maybe hailing King Paemon wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Think it has to do with the babbling brook, the light + airy drones, and the uneasy brass sputterings working in accordance here to give it a sort of otherworldly, pagan ritual feel. With Anne Guthrie’s background in architectural acoustics, I guess the transformative quality of this piece should come as no surprise but still gotta give credit where credit is due!
“Anc” by exael
The elusive and mysterious exael has returned with a new album! While I wasn’t a huge fan of their last album collex, I’ve found myself digging Flowered Knife Shadows quite a bit. Big fan of the chameleonic drum pattern on this track in particular as it seems to constantly morph around and flow with the ethereal pads throughout the duration. If you’re familiar with any of their West Mineral Ltd. affiliates such as Huerco S, Pontiac Streator, or Ulla, then I definitely recommend giving this one a listen.
“Ex-American Blues” by Speaker Music
Continuing in the mode of the last track, Speaker Music’s “Ex-American Blues” from his new EP Soul-Making Theodicy utilizes the rhythmic elements as the main point of focus. Taking influence from a wide range of drummers including Rashied Ali, Max Roach, and Metro Boomin, DeForrest Brown Jr. (aka Speaker Music) composed these songs with “haptic rhythm synthesizers via iPad and Push alongside a 49-Key MIDI Controller” which is pretty dang cool to me as Brown works to bring the playing styles of some of his favorites into the new age. The bass drum kicks dart around this cut like the eyes of a thief before their next big heist while ghostly saxophone wails rise up from the murky depths of the mix.
“Agia Hausa” by Electric Jalaba
I’ve never had an apricot soda before but if I ever do find one, you bet this song will be playing in the background as I pop the cap off (assuming they come in bottles for the authentic experience I’ve concocted in my head). This is the music of the six piece UK-based group Electric Jalaba, which takes influence from a host of genres including Gnawa, funk, and mbalax which this cut in particular draws heavily from for its rhythmic base. Hard not to feel like celebrating with lead singer Simo Lagnawi’s vocals scaling up and over the fast paced percussion. Love how they incorporate the synth into this as well, truly a highly infectious lil ditty we’ve got here!
Ye Oldie Goldies
“Lobster” by The Word
Two Austrian guys (Karl Ratzer + Peter Ponger) and Linda Sharrock walked into a recording studio in 1984 and out came a “Lobster”. While this does sound like a great setup for a joke, it’s also exactly what had to happen for this slinking funky tune to come about. While Linda may not be quite as well known as her jazz guitarist husband Sonny, she still puts on a stellar performance here as her seductive vocals bring the track together. Never thought I would be describing a song about an undersea crustacean as anything close to sexy but I also didn’t expect some Austrian dudes to be as funky as Ratzer + Ponger so sometimes you just need to overcome those doubts and get down with a lobster.
“Sakh Yi” by Thione Seck
Using this last spot to pay tribute to Thione Seck, an mbalax superstar who recently passed away at the age of 66 after battling Covid-19. He was not as internationally known as the Senegalese powerhouse Youssu N’Dour but his music touched just as many lives. Seck got his start in the Orchestra Baobab, which serves as a multi-ethnic and multi-national group that popularized the hybrid form of West African Afro-Cuban pop music. He released Yow, the album that this song is featured on soon after leaving Orchestra Baobab and later went on to form his own group called Raam Daan. I encourage you to celebrate Seck’s life and check out more of his work and other Senegalese music as doing anything but dancing to his music feels like it would be criminally wrong.