Sampha – Process

Being heavily affected by Solange’s Don’t Touch My Hair, I sat down and listened to Sampha’s solo debut album really carefully, without having listened to his past efforts with SBTRKT or having known his songwriting credits for other artists (I did know them, actually, I just didn’t know I actually knew them). I tried to focus on every sound, every word, every reverb and every agony in his vocals, as they desperately try to save themselves from drowning every time a chorus opens. For a second there, I almost had the sense he wants to sound like an American soul crooner, like John Legend, Frank Ocean or even a male version of Macy Gray. But Sampha is everything but that.

He breaks the rules of singing, writing words, building melodies or even composing rhythm sections. He creates from a well-hidden place in his heart, a personal sanctuary, something mystical and mystic at the same time. His songs, though, are not weak, dark or dramatized. On the contrary, they are solid and emotionally bigger than everything he has experienced in the recent past. Process feels more like a personal spiritual catharsis being narrated over pianos and drums and less like a studio album. In terms of music reviewing, that sounds inconsistent, because, as a product, it’s a studio album. But it’s solitary as well. It sounds like he is on a mission, other than selling records.

Process consists of 10 tracks co-produced by Rodaidh McDonald. They all have the same purpose: to communicate the singer’s truth and traumas. Death, health issues and lonesomeness are the main themes, while he uses them as a vehicle to reach his mental well-being and to fully understand his own existence… An angel by her side, all the times I knew we couldn't cope / They said that it's her time, no tears in sight, I kept the feelings close / And you took hold of me and never, never, never let me go / Cause no one knows me like the piano in my mother's home.

This is one of the most sonically adventurous projects during the last few years (I guess). Electronic pads and synths are gradually blending with old school breakbeat drums and piano chords in Blood On Me. Percussions are imperious, delivering an experimental funk performance in Kora Sings. Reversed audio files sound imperfectly perfect in Reverse Faults, which serves as a bridge for the intoxicating Under… I see you manipulate your lover / Take cover, waves come crashing over us. And then, somewhere between the piano ballads and the voice trembling, Timmy’s Prayer comes along, channeling Enya and various ensembles from the Highlands in Scotland. At first, it’s weird. And then, you simply accept the fact that it works.

Process is a soulful album, without ending up being a part of the RnB genre. It’s electronic, reminding us a lot of Jessie Ware’s songs, while it stands on its own as a painful trip to self-discovery. Sampha lost his mother during the recording sessions. He had a lump in his throat, too. The thing is, you don’t have to know these pieces of information to feel his pain. You only have to let the music do the magic. After a couple of hearings, it finally gets you. And you find yourself sketching an image of him in your mind playing the piano in his mother’s home in London. That’s the process.

9/10

Solange - A Seat At The Table

It takes years of hard work in order to become an artist. But it only takes a bunch of days to create a milestone. And if you think about it, it always happens when least expected. Think about Adele's 21, Lauryn's The Miseducation of and Alanis' Jagged Little Pill. Zero anticipation. Nobody really cared, until the day of their release.

A Seat At The Table is Solange's third album. Few people listened to the debut. Some more people noticed the second one. And then, there were none. Four years later, she recorded the addictive True EP and she instantly became a hipster. And now, another four years later, she releases one of the most consistent and remarkable albums of 2016. Is this a Lemonade coincidence or a personal statement?

Solange is a smart girl. While her sister runs the world, she has decided to be something completely different: an anti-star. Solange is a real person. You can find her in New Orleans with her husband, creating music, drinking old-fashioned cocktails, biking and collecting vintage dresses. She doesn't care about attention, world tours, Instagram records or winning a Grammy. Well, we can check this off the list, even if it's too early for next year's nominations.

ASATT is a smooth and mature celebration of being a black woman. Though I can't stop thinking about the obvious similarities with Erykah's Baduizm or even Jill's Words and Sounds, Solange takes her version of feminism a step further. She derives her inspiration from her family, her hometown, her own marriage, her sister, her personal experience. But don't ever think this collection of songs is about girl power. It's about black women being devalued, black women being great artists, black women being future American Presidents. Her vision is moving and emotional, but never arrogant or cocky.

Her first two videos, Don't Touch My Hair and Cranes In The Sky, made an instant impact the day they were released. With flawless, minimal production (God bless Raphael Saadiq), solid songwriting, vital brass sections, velvet vocals and impressive whistle notes, Solange certainly redefines the soul/r'n'b genre with a unique sound. She also did it with True, but this time is stronger, more efficient and sophisticated.

Her Lil Wayne collaboration, Mad, is one of the album's highlights. Don't Wish Me Well creates an aggressive, but also sexy momentum. Weary delivers urban wisdom: "Be leery 'bout your place in the world/You're feeling like you're chasing the world/You're leaving not a trace in the world/But you're facing the world". And so on.

You cannot skip tracks or interludes, while listening to ASATT. This album demonstrates such an ethereal beauty that makes it so difficult not to be part of its magic. Even though Solange controls every minute of the hearing, A Seat At The Table is somehow self-existent. It feels like it had already been recorded somewhere in the universe and it patiently waited for the right woman to sing it away.

AnArtCalled... 9.5/10

Albums 2015

Sometimes, you just have to listen to what you listen to, in order to write a music countdown. There have been times in the past I tried to be a music editor and not a music lover. This particular time, I'm counting down my 20 favorite albums of the year 2015, along with some beloved lyrics. Enjoy, bitchez.




20. Miley Cyrus – Мiley Cyrus And Her Dead Petz
"I feel protected by things I don't understand. And that's more than you could say."

19. Jamie XX - In Colour
"I go to loud places to search for someone to be quiet with."

18. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
"My knees gettin' weak and my gun might blow. But we gon' be alright."

17. The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness
"I'm just tryna live life for the moment. And all these motherfuckers want a real love."

16. Lianne La Havas - Blood
"The closer we get, the less we need to show."

15. Janet Jackson - Unbreakable
"I had this great epiphany and rhythm nation was the dream. I guess next time I'll know better."

14. Foals - What Went Down
"I buried my heart in a hole in the ground with the lights and the roses and the cowards downtown."

13. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
"I’m light as a feather, I’m bright as the Oregon breeze. My black shroud frightened by my feelings. I only wanna be a relief."

12. Erykah Badu - But You Cain't Use My Phone
"Every time you get a message, act like you don't see it. I could make you put your phone down. Tell me, do you copy?"

11. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
"Give me all your money and I 'll make some origami, honey."

10. Róisín Murphy - Hairless Toys
"Never underestimate creative people and the depths that they will go."

9. Grimes - Art Angels
"If you can’t scream it out, then swallow it down."

8. Miguel - Wildheart
"I 'm your pimp, I'm your pope, I'm your pastor, babe. Confess your sins to me, while you masturbate."

7. Leon Bridges - Coming Home
"I like the way you sail your ship down. Let me be your cargo."

6. Marina and the Diamonds - FROOT
"I 've been saving all my summers for you."

5. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
"I don't know whose problem it is. I don't know whose fuck to give. I'm losing it."

4. Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now
"We all make a living by what we get, but we make life by what we give."

3. Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon
"You're so Art Deco out on the floor, shining like gun metal, cold and unsure."

2. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
"We were titans eternally engraved. We were lovers born against the grade."

1. Bjork - Vulnicura
"I am a glowing shiny rocket, returning home. As I enter the atmosphere, I burn off layer by layer. Jettison."

Erykah Badu - But You Cain't Use My Phone [Mixtape]

The Queen is back. I'm not writing this stuff as her true fan, but as a music fan. She has always been a pioneer, an art lover, a wise creator. She started her career back in 1997 with the best neo-soul album of all time, "Baduizm", while she has only recorded another 4 studio albums since then. But the thing is, you cannot be impatient if you want to enjoy a Badu project. Cause a Badu project is a grower. Like the perfect penis.

"But You Cain't Use My Phone" describes her urgent need to enjoy life in the absolute digital era. She samples favorite songs by Usher, Egyptian Lover, Isley Brothers, New Edition and Drake, she produces fresh and futuristic rhythm sections with Zach Witness in just 12 days and she delivers a modern hip-pop classic. But with a fun twist - shaken, not stirred.

Personally, I agree. She can make me put my phone down so that we can cruise through the city all day and all night, but her vocals are so sick 'n' tired, that she actually believes it's not possible for a human being to be totally disconnected and happy at the same time. Even when she playfully sings "U don't have to call" accompanied by old-school production, she knows that she does not mean this. Well, what kind of person calls her boyfriend "squirrel" and yet she wants to be alone tonight?

Anyone can expect that an Erykah Badu mixtape should be something about wise words, heavy basslines, jazzy vocals and provocative videos like "Window Seat", "On & On" or even "Honey". Let's just say that you cannot put a label on a true artist, cause her body will reject it like a fake transplant. You can easily spot the fun factor here, but you can also spot her struggle to survive as a 44-year-old musician in a touch screen world.

Erykah Badu runs this Mixtape with swagger and wittiness, along with her friends Andre 3000 and Drake. She has been the jazz-soul new artist during the late 90's, the New AmErykah creator in the 00's, the sweet-Love-Of-My-Life sugababe now and then, while she currently redefines herself as a devoted hip-hop performer. It's really weird that Adele and Erykah Badu share the same passion these days about their smartphones, but it's actually cute that pop culture has a common sense of humour, even though it's musically expressed through different paths.

AnArtCalled... 9/10

Bjork - Vulnicura

When "Homogenic" was released, Bjork became an icon and a pioneer in electronic music, combining epic melodies, killer string arrangements, trip-hop beats and spooky vocals. It was the first time that it became actually obvious she is an elf from Iceland or something, leaving behind her dance and MTV era. "Vespertine" and "Medúlla" made clear that Bjork was not about to return to something mainstream anytime soon, thus revealing her constant desire to experiment with her productions. It took her three years to produce something you can call "almost mainstream" with "Volta" (Timbaland was involved), using percussions and horns all through the album, while her next effort, "Biophilia", was her first multimedia project with an extensive use of tablets, musical instruments especially designed for her and unusual time signatures. So what's next?

"Vulnicura" is next. Her brand new album has just leaked/been released, so it's available anywhere. With nine tracks written and produced by herself and Arca (Kanye West, FKA Twigs), this project could easily be the sequel of "Homogenic", using the same technology and the same instruments as "Biophilia". It's the most fragile and sensitive Bjork in years, for sure.

"Lionsong" is almost a pop song with an experimental arrangement, proving that when she wants it, she can write an actual chorus in a song (she did it in "Crystalline", too). "Black lake", the best track in here, creates a fragile utopia of her and her ex-lover ("Did I love you too much? Devotion and me broken. So I repent, destroyed."), but with a sense of an apology letter, not an actual situation. In "Family", The Haxan Cloak has helped in the production process, while in "Atom Dance", Antony Hegarty is singing along with her in full baritone mode and some heavy drum programming. "Notget" could and should be used in a brothers Nolan film about an uninhabitable planet. "Mouth mantra" works as a drug - you want to inhale every vocal, every violin and every sci-fi synth in it. It goes back, when Bjork used to sing electronic music produced by Nellee Hooper, so this is probably her most "Post" moment as far as "Vulnicura" is concerned.

Everyone is trying (once again) to figure out what Bjork and "Vulnicura" stand for. But the interesting thing is that Bjork stands for music, nothing else in particular. And that's all. She can write dance and pop music, but she does not give a fuck about doing so, she is beyond that. She uses technology, she arranges strings and horns the way no one has done in the past, she is constantly breaking time signature rules. She is the one and only musician today who has created something no one has not even dared to dream of creating. Bjork is a musical phenomenon. In 30 years, she will be a course in music schools and a legend in our laptops and our cd collections. That's what Bjork and "Vulnicura" stand for - music history, once again.

AnArtCalled... 9,5/10

Hozier - Hozier

From recording his first full-length album to performing live on SNL two weeks ago, Hozier has made a flying leap across the ocean, thus convincing the US audience to buy his songs. With soulful/bluesy vocals and lyrics inspired by the singer's some kind of pagan poetry, "Hozier" is a weird case of a crossover irish album you just don't expect it to work. But it works. And it works just fine.

His first single, "Take me to church", received much hype around the internet and Kiesza covered the song with her beautiful voice, but it wasn't until the singer appeared on the american television that changed everything. The album debuted at No 2 on Billboard 200 and Hozier became a star in half an hour.

Although he is an exceptional songwriter, some songs here are actually boring. But then again, that's not the case, because, as I wrote before, the album works just fine. Dark lyrics accompanied by guitars and gospel choirs, love stories and dramas, Hozier's countryside hometown, Wicklow Hills - all these are the materials of an album that could possibly give birth to a new music genre, the "Irish blues" or something (Kudos must also go to the producer, Rob Kirwan).

The best songs in here are loaded in the first half of the album ("Angel Of Small Death And The Codeine Scene", "From Eden", "Jackie And Wilson", "Sedated"), leaving the second half being responsible for the boredom factor. But the thing with Hozier is that even when you are bored, you can appreciate his musicianship and his ability to create his own vintage sound. That actually reminds me of Bon Iver, so applied mathematics (?) leads me to the conclusion that Hozier will win the Grammy Award in the Best New Artist category. Just guessing...

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10

El Buho - The First Heartbeat (Single)

El Buho (a musician and scriptwriter based in Athens) has listened to a lot of pop music as well as film scores in the past. So it's almost obvious that he is trying to combine his two favorite music genres into an ethereal piece of music - his single "The First Heartbeat". That could seem and sound weird as far as the continuity of the production is concerned, but on the other hand it feels like he knows what he is doing.

Many songwriters, producers and arrangers in the past have combined different styles of music in their work, from Air and Daft Punk to Craig Armstrong and Trent Reznor. Electronic pads and drums, concrete music, strings and orchestra ensembles, vocals and guitars - the tools can be countless. El Buho has wisely used here his mentors' flexibility in music creation and has produced an ambient track that showcases his ability to flirt with a good melody and his age of innocence, thus creating a landscape full of childhood memories in a shiny day. Well, that's my visual utopia listening to "The first heartbeat" and that's the actual thing here - listening to it, you can create your own images.

Minus: Too much reverb, which he actually likes and always uses. So, maybe, it is somekind of signature.

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10

Links:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elbuho
http://open.spotify.com/track/3xjK31GMrnmlTYQhmDJKkD
https://itunes.apple.com/gr/album/the-first-heartbeat-single/id926016164
https://soundcloud.com/buhomusic 

You+Me - rose ave.

Well, many times I have thought in the recent past that Alecia Moore (aka P!nk) is a capable blues singer. There's something special deep in her throat that reminds me of the great female rock vocalists of the past decades, like her all-time favorite Janis Joplin. Ok, she's not Janis, clearly, but she never intended to be either. She has released some of the biggest pop, pop-rock and pop-r'n'b singles of the past 15 years, she has made some kickass collaborations with A-list producers and vocalists (William Orbit, Dallas Austin, Babyface, Missy Elliott, Tim Armstrong, Herbie Hancock, Butch Walker, Linda Perry, Greg Kurstin) and she has sung blues, hard rock and even punk-pop tracks, like "Trouble" and "The one that got away". So, if someone is a fan of her music, as well as her persona, he/she can understand that it has been somehow a matter of time for her to release something like the "rose ave." album. Because she obviously needs a break from pop stardom.

The other half of You+ME is Dallas Green, a Canadian artist. Together, they sound as one and that's the best you can have, when you have created a folk music duo. Their harmonies are smooth and aggressive at the same time and Alecia gives enough space to Dallas' voice to showcase its power, although she is the powerhouse here.

The songwriting is simple and essential. Acoustic guitar chords, some pianos, lyrics about love and a great Sade cover, "Ordinary love". "You and me" serves as the first single, while tracks like "Capsized", "Unbeliever" and "Open door" sound like Mumford And Sons/Laura Marling collaborations or duets you could listen in the "Inside Llewyn Davis OST". The country/blues genre fits perfectly here, that's why "Love gone wrong" is without a second thought the best song in the album.

It's interesting that P!nk did not choose to release "rose ave." as a solo artist. She knows the games of this business and she's smart enough not to put her pop image in danger. This effort is flawless, as far as the artistry is concerned. The only thing I'm not sure of is how the folk lovers will respond to a pop diva singing folk music. Oh well, who gives a crap!

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10

Lara Eidi Band - "Tell it like it is " EP

When I first checked Lara Eidi a few months ago, I fell in love with her cover on Nina Simone's "Be my husband". Her soft, jazzy, yet powerhouse vocals were the reason I decided to listen to her music and the covers she had made with her guest musicians and friends. I've been waiting for this EP since then and, actually, I think that this is only a small taste of what's to come out in the near future.

Although I strongly believed that these three tracks would have a folk/blues touch, as some other songs and covers she has recorded in the past, I realised that the bluesy guitars and some urban rhythm sections have given their part to piano-based melodies, strings and acoustic guitar chords. That's a nice and tasty turn as far as the production is concerned, while the songwriting remains strong and confident.

As I play the songs on repeat, it's obvious that Lara (the songwriter, not the singer) gets more and more experienced and the chorus parts of the songs are tight. From one to three, it's also obvious that when Lara (the vocalist, not the songwriter) lets herself improvise on the vocal parts, she sounds more secure than ever ("Tiny people").

"Tell it like it is" is a promising sample of the band's music and style, even though the big asset here, her voice, is not fully showcasing its power. Maybe it's because of the songs' more adult/acoustic pop and less jazz /blues orientation, which is a risk to be taken, of course, when it comes to music creation. I like that and I respect that; artistically, you need to support the songs. But when you have a strong band and a strong musical instrument in it -like this voice is-, you have to let it play the high notes like there's no tomorrow. Cause in these moments, when she hits those high notes, that's where the magic happens!

AnArtCalled... 7/10

Links:
www.facebook.com/TheLaraCollective 
www.soundcloud.com/laraeidi 
www.reverbnation.com/laraeidi
http://open.spotify.com/album/6qyxDIsjmvvCsmfusTWhF4

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tell-it-like-it-is-single/id898834706

Lara Eidi Band - "Tell it like it is " EP:
1. Forever Young
2. Tiny People
3. Lose my Mind

Credits:
All music and lyrics by Lara Eidi 
Mixed and Mastered by Giotis Paraskevaidis and Michalis Skarakis @On a Jam Studios 
Final Mastering Iraklis Vlachakis
Arranged and Orchestrated by Lara Eidi, Giotis Paraskevaidis 
Piano, Voice, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar: Lara Eidi 
Guitars, Beatbox Loops: Giotis Paraskevaidis 
Cello, Loops: Stavros Parginos