It’s been a miserable day hasn’t it? Not only is the weather pretty drab and wet, my tooth has decided to give me the mightiest ache I’ve ever had. Both things combined make this a forgettable Tuesday evening in. The show must go on however and new music must be plugged regardless of how utterly groggy I feel. Welcome to episode twenty seven of The Sound Sniffer’s Lockdown Mixtape – The series of articles that refuses to be shelved. Prepare your ears for the next batch of tunes.
Joeri Pronk / Olan
Sometimes music has to be digested alongside visuals to really give it a stand out glow. Olan, the latest single from Dutchman Joeri Pronk is one such example. In itself, this is a really impressive and ambient track but when you totally switch off from the real world and gaze into the music video that accompanies it, you are there with Pronk on his journey too. There’s something therapeutic about someone sitting down rolling a cigarette in slow motion – when I used to smoke it took me about fifteen minutes to roll a single cigarette. A distinct lack of hand-to-eye coordination and ‘slippy fingers’ were my lame excuses. Pronk, now based in London, has all the musical hallmarks of, lets say, Four Tet and Mount Kimbie in terms of production quality. He uses all sorts of experimental clinks and clanks he uncovers in day-to-day living to assemble his music, a real skillful operator. Take five and get lost in this one like I did earlier this evening.
The Modern World / Let Me Go
The Modern World have been a band I’ve been following for a while now. Fronted by the talented Oli James, their summer-time friendly sound has been a go-to thing for me whenever the sun comes out in London. Whether gazing out the train window, sitting in the park or working in the garden – a bit of The Modern World never goes amiss in the background. Oli and the gang have just released a new EP titled ‘We Choose to Go to the Moon‘ which, typically, is filled with solid and uplifting melodies. There are a couple of really well crafted tracks featured (If You Don’t Like it & California) but it’s the final track, Let Me Go, that gets my ultimate stamp of approval here. A song with a Glass Animals-like sensual bass-line, a jazzy flavour and smooooth vocals from a guest vocalist. This is top of the range.
Not to be mistaken with ‘Let Her Go‘ by Passenger. Oh god – I have a weird story about that song, I won’t go into it! Yuck.
Wassailer / Song For Elsa
I chatted to Will last year ahead of his debut single dropping and all I can say is, the guy is a class act. That song, titled Son, is still one of my favourite finds of recent times. Since then he has released his debut album (i, the bastard) – an eclectic blend of multiple styles and genres wrapped into one intelligent collection. Whatever mood you find yourself in, there’s a song for it on this album. There’s some R&B, Experimental Electronic, Jazz and House rhythms all to be found inside. Wassailer is a true musician, he doesn’t stick to any one script – this is not safe music that the mainstream will rave about and sing-along to, it’s pure heartfelt songwriting and at times, deeply emotional. Song for Elsa is the deepest it goes and my god, what a beautiful song. So raw, so authentic.
Aboynamedblu / sadnight4rocknroll
A hard stage name to comprehend on first glance. Aboynamedblu is a really interesting proposition. I mean, it’s pretty hard to find his music, his stage name is strange and the song title ‘sadnight4rocknroll‘ doesn’t exactly make things any easier. But if you do happen to stumble upon this guy, he is a bit of a genius actually. His Alone on Most Days debut EP is a mash of quirky sounds and distorts. Yes, it’s a little off-beat and bizarre at times (that sickening iPhone alarm ringing through a couple of songs) but if you listen to the EP from start to finish, you realise just how unique his work was and will more than likely revert to a second listen a short time later. Aboynamedblu is a hidden gem of an artist, I promise you. I can sense a lot of pent up emotion and angst went into the creation of this music, it’s poignant.
Rachel Chinouriri / Plain Jane
To finish out this pretty experimental edition of the Mixtape, we have yet another weirdly wonderful track from Rachel Chinouriri. Plain Jane is so weird. I am just going to leave it here. Am I starting to go a little mad tonight or am I right in thinking these mad off-the-grid tracks are golden? I think it’s the latter.
A-Grade Production!
About ‘The Sound Sniffer’
The Sound Sniffer is a music blog that’s still only a baby – Founded in early 2019 by Kevin Coakley, a music writer and ghostwriter. ‘The Sound Sniffer’ also runs gigs and showcases in London since Oct 2019. The showcases are picked from artists found in the blog’s submission inbox.
Check out my Interviews HERE
Find me on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Rated as a Top Ten Independent Music Blog Globally by Feedspot – VIEW
Leave a Reply