[Sniffer Favourites #004] Elderbrook - Talking (2017)

In ‘SnifferFavs’ over the next while we will write about 10 albums that have influenced us greatly in the last few years.

You might recognize this fella from the absolute mega grammy winning (2018 best dance) hit he had with CamelPhat a couple of years ago. ‘Cola’ was an absolute success and gave this young British singer the springboard he needed to kick on in his musical quest. The song earned rave reviews and was playing everywhere and anywhere for about six months there. Around the same time in 2017, Elderbrook released his debut seven track album titled ‘Talking’ – it was an absolute peach that got swept right under the rug as the “Cola” craze whisked him into the realms of worldwide attention in the house music scene.

I encountered this album for the first time just over six months ago scrolling through Spotify aimlessly as I sat on a train from London – Manchester. I remember it vividly, it was dark out, I was looking at the street lights outside the carriage scuttle by at pace, eager to hear some nice chill tunes. I clicked next on my music player and ‘It feels like a Sunday’ came on. That was the ice-breaking, curiosity inducing, track that made me delve furthur into it’s origin. I opened up the album and listened intently, that was the first of many eager listens.

The album opens up with the chirpy and synth-y ‘Woman‘ – a downtempo yet bubbly track that oozes class. ‘Brooks vocals are funk central. I loved the distorted vocal snippet that bridges between verses and also the subtle Mark Ronson inspired ‘Oooo Weeee’ in the background. This is a solid opener for any album. ‘Talking‘, the album title track follows and doesn’t disappoint. The production of this one is very similar to that of another one of my favourites- Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – I even had to check if he had any imput in the making of it. Solid stuff. ‘Let Go‘ passes by in the same electronic mould but doesn’t really possess enough punch to stand out – there is just something missing in this one in my opinion – still passable but not as accomplished as the others thus far.

Next on the tracklist is the impressive ‘Put it Down’. If Let go failed to pack a punch, this one definitely makes up for it. The brooding rolling synth, the heavy hitting chorus and the overall dark feel really impressed me here. I used to listen to a brillant experimental electronic artist from the states called Wise Blood. He had a very similar sound to this (Check out Loud Mouths) – Put it down struck a chord with me for sure.

I O U passes by pleasantly with a more upbeat funk vibe found running throughout. Production in the ilk of Ben Khan this time. Elderbrook’s continuity is what impressed me the most in this album. He dapples in various production styles.

Finally the album lands on the song that origially caught my attention – It feels Like A Sunday is a real treat and most definitely my pick from this handy old debut collection. The track starts out in a Seramic-esque gospel pop vein with Elderbrook’s vocal accompanied by subtle harmonies and a simple, yet intense, percussion arrangement. ‘People Say’ by the aforementioned Seramic was a big tune for me a few years ago – this one reminds me of it and therefore is held in the same high regard. What a powerful little gem to close a very enjoyable album.

I have returned to this album many times since I first heard it and today it has made it into my Sniffer Favourites archive. Check it out.