I've been a music fan since my parents gave me a record player for Christmas when I was still in grade school. The first record I remember owning was "Sesame Street Disco." I've been a professional writer since 2004, but writing long before that. My first published work was in a middle school literary magazine and was a story about a zoo in which the animals could talk.
Do you need to chill out? Are you looking for music for meditation, yoga, sleeping, or romance? Does your reality need a shift? Then give Cicada Wavesby Ben Seretan a spin.
The idea behind Cicada Waves is beautifully simple: Hit record, play some piano in an Appalachian Mountains dance studio, and record whatever happens with no second takes, edits, or polishes. It captures moments in time in Seretan’s life and gives them to us to experience. Ambient piano criss-crosses with sounds of rainfall, thunder, wind, cats, birds, and the titular cicadas. It was recorded in isolation yet sounds expansive. It is hypnotic yet enthralling.
“Cicada Waves 1” has the critters’ buzzing as soft drone undertone while Seretan muses away on his antique Steinway without hurry. “3pm Rainstorm” is perfect for slowing down the rush of whatever is overwhelming you. “Cicada Waves 2” seems a little melancholy compared to “Cicada Waves 1,” but it’s no less lovely. The cicadas blend into more white noise on “Rain and Cicadas” while Seretan’s piano backs them.
I meditated through most of “11pm Sudden Thunderstorm” and can tell you it was a nice experience. Seretan’s piano riffs off the rain and thunder quite well. His piano work on “8pm Crickets” is a bit more playful and active, surely inspired by the insect chorus outside the studio. “Fog Rolls out Rabun Gap” moves as easily out of your speakers or earbuds as its namesake.
It’s a lovely record that you’ll want for many moods, travels, and situations. I wouldn’t listen to it while driving, however. It might lull you into a dreamland across the centerline or into a ditch. Play it at the rest stop while you take a power nap during a long trip. Open the window while you play it and you won’t be sure where the album ends and nature begins.
Keep your mind open.
[Drift over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
Never ones to rest on their laurels, or seemingly to rest at all, Osees put together another live-streamed show, Levitation SessionsII, and wowed everyone again with a great set of deep cuts and obscure cover tunes.
The show, recorded in an empty factory that front man John Dwyer describes as like “a fight scene set from Point Blank or the John Wick trilogy,” starts with the rockin’, swingin’ fan-favorite “Tidal Wave.” It’s hard to choose which part you like best. Dwyer’s fun guitar riffs? Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone‘s double-drumming? Tim Hellman‘s rock solid bass line? Tom Dolas‘ sneaky synths? Dolas’ synths take the forefront on the weird, wonky “Grown in a Graveyard” – a tune that keeps you guessing for its entire length. Then, once you kind of, sort of figure it out, they unleash a raucous version of “The Dream” – which might cause you to trash whatever room you’re in when you hear it, or stomp the gas pedal if you’re driving at the time…until it drifts into psychedelic bliss around the five-minute mark and give you a chance to breathe (but only for a moment). Dwyer absolutely shreds for the last two minutes of it.
“Stinking Cloud” is a jolly tune about death and heavy on synths from Dolas and Dwyer. The garage rock swing of “Enemy Destruct” is outstanding. “Poisoned Stones” sounds as gritty and grungy as you hope it will. “Spider Cider” is silly and fun (with Dolas putting his big synth rig aside to play rhythm guitar, no less). Hellman’s bass seems to hit extra heavy (without overwhelming his bandmates) on “It Killed Mom.”
Another deep cut treat is “Meat Step Lively,” which could almost fit onto an episode of Shindig with its groovy swing. “Snickersnee” is trippy bliss, which Rincon and Quattrone in perfect step as Dwyer stabs at ghosts with his guitar. “Destroyed Fortress Reappears” drifts into heavy synth psychedelia by Dolas and Dwyer and the entire rhythm section produces a hypnotizing beat.
“Web” is another great cut that builds up to a wicked beat and doesn’t let go of you. Hellman’s bass groove is outstanding on it. “Encrypted Bounce” is the longest song on the album, coming in at almost nine minutes, and it’s full of wild garage rock guitar from Dwyer and great fills from both drummers. “Beat Quest” adds heavy 1980s, and then 1970s, synths to the mix.
The encore was a set of Chrome covers: “Chromosome Damage > T.V. As Eyes,” “ST37,” “Looking for Your Door,” and “SS CYGNI.” The first is a fun, upbeat splash of driving beats and warping synths that melts into a lava lamp haze. “ST37” could almost be a Devo track with it’s goofy guitar and weird lyrics. Hellman’s bass takes on a sexy panther tone in “Looking for Your Door.” The final track is a hypnotic repetition of beats and riffs that slowly backs out of the room and drifts away.
Levitation Sessions II does a great job of making you want to see Osees live again as soon as possible. They’re starting to announce tour dates for the fall, so don’t miss out if they’re near you.
Bordeaux, France post-metal sextet Year of No Light announce their forthcoming fifth studio album Consolamentum today, sharing the first single “Réalgar” via all DSPs. Hear and share “Réalgar” via Bandcamp, Spotify and YouTube.
Consolamentum is the band’s first album on Pelagic Records. To celebrate joining the label and Year of No Lights‘s 20th anniversary, they will release a limited edition deluxe wooden box set of the band’s entire discography, titled Mnemophobia on July 2nd. The handmade, hand-silkscreened wooden box features 12 vinyl LPs in 6 gatefold sleeves, exclusive colored vinyl variants, a slipmat, metal pin, patch and poster. For more information, see HERE.
Year of No Light’s lengthy, sprawling compositions of towering walls of guitars and sombre synths irradiate a sense of dire solemnity and spiritual gravity, and couldn’t be a more fitting soundtrack for such grim medieval scenarios. But there is also the element of absolution, regeneration, elevation, transcendence in the face of death. Consolamentum is dense, rich and lush and yet somehow feels starved and deprived. It comes as no surprise that ever since the beginning of their career, the band have had an obsession for the fall of man and salvation through darkness. The term “consolamentum” describes the sacrament, the initiation ritual of the Catharic Church, which thrived in Southern Europe in the 12th – 14th Century – a ritual that brought eternal austereness and immersion in the Holy Spirit.
“There’s a thread running through all of our albums”, says the band, collectively “an exploration of the sensitive world that obeys a certain telos, first fantasized (“Nord”) and reverberated (“Ausserwelt”), then declaimed as a warning (“Tocsin”). The deeper we dig, the more the motifs we have to unveil appear to us. Yes, it’s a bit gnostic. This album is invoked after the Tocsin, it’s the epiphany of the Fall.”
With debut album Nord (2006) and sophomore release Ausserwelt (2010), the band madethemselves a name in the European avant-metal scene. Extensive tours of Europe, North America and Russia in 2013 and 2014, including two appearances at Roadburn festival, Hellfest and a spectacular performance in a 17th Century fortress in the Carpathian mountains introduced them to a broader and quickly growing international audience.
With their seminal 3rd album Tocsin, released in 2013, Year Of No Light reached the peak of their career thus far – a logical decision that Consolamentum was made with the same team again: recorded and mixed by Cyrille Gachet at Cryogene in Begles / Bordeaux, mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side.
“We wanted this album to sound as organic and analog as possible”, comments the band. “All tracks were recorded live. The goal was to have the most natural, warm and clean takes possible, to give volume to the dynamics of the songs. We aimed to have a production with a singular personality.”
For the adept listener, Consolamentum seems to be venturing deeper into the dark and claustrophobic spheres explored on Tocsin – but the band doesn’t conceive of the evolution of their music in a linear way, as it would be apparent from looking at their discography.
“It’s more a matter of sonic devotion. Music against modern times. Year Of No Light” is above all a praxis. We wanted intensity, trance, climax and threat, all of them embedded in a bipolar and mournful ethos.”
Consolamentum is huge, poignant, frightening, sublime, smothering and cathartic – and, much like Decibel Magazine says of its predecessor, it’s “audacious, memorable and supremely confident.”
Consolamentum will be available on 2xLP, CD and digital on July 2nd, 2021 via Pelagic Records. Preorders are available HERE.
Japanese quartet CHAI present a new single/video, “PING PONG!,” from their forthcoming album, WINK, out May 21st on Sub Pop. The track is a laser beam ode to a social activity that CHAI love but cannot currently partake in. In Japan, CHAI would often play ping pong after visits to the public hot springs, called onsen. “PING PONG!” also features YMCK, who brought a gaming feel to the production, which CHAI wanted to match.“
CHAI elaborate: “We’re channeling our inner playful selves, challenging ourselves to fun, and bringing you that nostalgic-feel with this song! There’s just something about old video games that’s super cute, a little tacky, yet at the same time fancy. Something that you think is “old-school” but at the same time super refreshing. YMCK collaborated with us on this and created the ultimate 8bit World of CHAI!”
“The theme for PING PONG is exactly as is, ‘ping pong.’ In Japanese culture, there’s this routine where Hot Springs or ‘onsen’ and playing PING PONG go hand in hand. When the four of us hit the hot springs, we always wear a Yukata (unlined Summer kimono), drink a cup of milk, and go right into some PING PONG! It’s very Japanese, something we don’t think exists overseas and that’s exactly what we want to share! You can hear it in the lyrics and you can feel it in the music video!”
YMCK adds: “It was our first time creating something from start to finish remotely but everything turned out amazing with each member’s character shining through! Don’t miss this ever-so free and forever dancing world of CHAI! “ WATCH CHAI’S VIDEO FOR “PING PONG!”
CHAI is MANA (lead vocals and keys) and KANA (guitar), drummer YUNA, and bassist-lyricist YUUKI. Following the release of 2019’s PUNK, CHAI’s adventures took them around the world, playing their high-energy and buoyant shows. They took quarantine as an opportunity to shake up their process and bring their music somewhere thrillingly new. Rather than having maximalist recordings like in the past, CHAI instead focused on crafting the slightly-subtler and more introspective kinds of songs they enjoy listening to at home—where, for the first time, they recorded all of the music. WINK is also the first CHAI album to feature contributions from outside producers (Mndsgn, YMCK) as well as Ric Wilson. They draw R&B and hip-hop into their mix (Mac Miller, the Internet, and Brockhampton were on their minds) of dance-punk and pop-rock, all while remaining undeniably CHAI. WATCH THE “NOBODY KNOWS WE’RE FUN” VIDEO
Today, black midi present a new single/video, “Slow,” from their forthcoming album, Cavalcade, out May 28th on Rough Trade. In conjunction, they announce a fall North American tour, plus a new KEXP interview and performance. A full circle moment for black midi, their first KEXP performance (live from Iceland Airwaves in 2019) is how many first experienced the band. Following lead single “John L,” “a zoomed-out optical illusion, making you question what you’re witnessing at every turn,” (Pitchfork, “Best New Track”) “Slow” is one of two Cavalcade songs fronted by bassist Cameron Picton. The music for “Slow” was written just before black midi’s February 2020 UK tour with the lyrics finalised when demos were recorded in June 2020. They tell the story of a young and idealistic revolutionary dreaming of a better world who ends up being shot in the national stadium after a coup d’état.
“The ‘Slow’ video was made to fit the oscillating dynamics of the song. Going from calm to chaos over and over again,” says director and animator Gustaf Holtenäs. “The video tells the story of a character who creates AI-generated worlds. To emphasize this, I let real AI’s generate a lot of the backgrounds in these worlds. So they are partly AI-generated, but It isn’t long before an AI could create the whole deal and create endless iterations of fantasy worlds. It can already create a random beautiful landscape painting in 1 second.”
Cavalcade is a dynamic, hellacious, and inventive follow-up to black midi’s debut, Schlagenheim, one of 2019’s most widely-praised albums. Cavalcade scales beautiful new heights, pulling widely from a plethora of genres and influences, reaching ever upwards from an already lofty base of early achievements. black midi — Geordie Greep (guitar, primary vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals), and Morgan Simpson (drums) — picture Cavalcade as a line of larger than life figures, from a cult leader fallen on hard times and an ancient corpse found in a diamond mine to legendary cabaret singer Marlene Dietrich, strolling seductively past them. Watch New KEXP Session
black midi Tour Dates: Mon. Oct. 4 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall Thu. Oct. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre Fri. Oct. 8 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah Sat. Oct. 9 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s Mon. Oct. 11 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe Tue. Oct. 12 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Thu. Oct. 14 – Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s Fri. Oct. 15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Sat. Oct. 15 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s Mon. Oct. 18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Tue. Oct. 19 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Thu. Oct. 21 – Baltimore, MD @ Union Brewery Sat. Oct. 23 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern Tue. Oct. 26 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn Wed. Oct. 27 – New Orleans, LA @ Republic Fri. Oct. 29 – Austin, TX @ ?????????? Sat. Oct. 30 – Houston, TX @ The Secret Group
Keep your mind open.
[Take a stroll over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
Today, Los Angeles-based musician Jess Cornelius presents “Body Memory” (Peach Fuzz Version), with an accompanying video. It’s an alternative version of the original that appeared on Distance, her album released last year on Loantaka Records (which will see its UK release on May 14, 2021), and follows her recent cover of the Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why.” While the original track is driven by a catchy electro-rhythm, the Peach Fuzz version is gorgeously stripped down. Cornelius’ voice is poignant over reverberating electric guitar, as she sings of the lasting emotions that stem from a miscarriage. Peels of guitar and muted percussion gently filter in as the song continues.
“I’d started playing the song for myself in a totally different way – on echoey guitar instead of keys, with a dreamy, melancholic mood, and wanted to record it as a sort of ‘part two’. It’s like a new cover of my own song, I guess. When I started recording the demo I ended up capturing all these distant sounds that got all distorted in the process: a nail gun, a baby, police sirens, which I kept in for the final recording. I added harpsichord, synth and drums, and Jarvis Taveniere added bass during the mixing. The rolling toms and shaker in the outro added this new little groove and moved the mood again. To me this almost feels like a new song; ‘I was my own woman once’ is now less defiant and more reflective, maybe even yearning.”
Cornelius and her partner filmed the video in the Sequoia National Forest in Northern California. “I had the idea for the visual for a while – this hyper-artificial neon outfit against a lush forest backdrop. I made the dress the night before the shoot, using some high-visibility fabric I’d been given years ago. But when we got out to the forest, about half of the trees were dead – killed off by drought and bark beetles exacerbated by rising temperatures. The video inadvertently became a sort of environmental lament – about a different kind of loss and love.” Watch Jess Cornelius’ Video for “Body Memory” (Peach Fuzz Version)
Earlier this year Oakland-based duo Brijean released Feelings, “an album that’s as soothing as it is grand” (Bandcamp). Today, Brijean announces the Feelings Remixes EP coming out August 13th on Ghostly International, and presents the “Moody (Buscabulla Remix).” In addition to the Buscabella remix, the EP extends the relaxed reverie of Feelings with contributions from Sam Gendel, DRAMA, and Rick Wade. Brijean Murphy and Doug Stuart’s deep roots in jazz, pop, electronic and Latin spheres inform the music they make as Brijean, and these influences are reflected in the diverse group of remixers they tapped for this project.
Puerto Rican synth-pop duo Buscabulla accentuate the percussive downtempo flair of “Moody.” Keeping Murphy’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics at the forefront, the polyrhythmic percussion is sparing and, well, moody. Sprinkles of subtle yelps, harp flutters, gauzy synths, and sinuous synth grooves give this rework a unique neo-tropicalia vibe. Murphy elaborates, “I first heard of Buscabulla from a club poster at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn. I was playing at that venue with a band I was touring with around the same time and fell in love with their music. They play with time signatures, levels and expression in an enveloping and inspiring way. They are insanely talented artists and I’m so so stoked to have their lush, experimental and moving touch on our song ‘Moody.’“
Buscabella adds, “We had plans to meet Brijean the next time we swung by San Francisco on tour before the pandemic hit. We love their vibe and doing this remix is as close as we can get to jamming together in the same place. We aimed to deconstruct the original and to explore the point where our separate influences converge. Fusing together the futuristic synthesized drums and bass with organic syncopated Caribbean percussion. Here’s to a jam in real life.”
Buscabilla photo by Quique Cabanillas
Rhythm is the driving force of Feelings; each featured remix plays with that force, adding, subtracting, and altering percussive elements to build a range of sonic environments — true to Brijean’s mission of encouraging uninhibited imagination and new possibilities. Stream “Moody (Buscabulla Remix)”
Chicago-based nonprofit Quiet Pterodactyl announces Situation Chicago 2, a compilation out digitally on May 21st (physical copies will be available in July) benefiting Chicagoland musicians through the CIVL (Chicago Independent Venue League) SAVE Emergency Relief Fund, which provides need-based grants to furloughed staff, local artists and venues in the Chicagoland area. Situation 2 features Chicago bands and artists including Jeff Parker, Umphrey’s McGee feat. Béla Fleck, The Goddamn Gallows, V.V. Lightbody, Neptune’s Core, and more. Today, Quiet Pterodactyl shares two of its tracks, Jeff Parker’s “Slippin’ Into Darkness” (War Cover), and Robust’s “I Don’t Know Why,” with an accompanying video.
Annah Garrett of CIVL expands on the relief fund’s goal:
“The CIVL SAVE Emergency Relief Fund was designed specifically for staff and artists to bridge the gap between the closures that have wreaked havoc on Chicago’s live music ecosystem and its eventual resurgence. Local artists are in a unique situation because their touring calendars take months to plan and then travel. They will not bounce back at the same rate as venues. CIVL SAVE strives to support these folks during this precarious time. Situation Chicago 2 shines a spotlight on an array of talented local artists and their work, while raising funds for a large pool of their colleagues, who are still very much at the mercy of this virus.”
This is the second installation of the Situation Series, following last year’s Situation Chicago, which raised $35,000 for 25 local, independent music venues that have been shut down due to the COVID pandemic. With support from Dark Matter Coffee, Jeppson’s Malört, Nature’s Grace & Wellness, Red Bull, and Smashed Plastic, who have also locally pressed the Situation albums.
Situation Chicago 2 Tracklist Side 1 1. MIIRRORS – “Sinistry” (Live From Definitive Version) 2. Robust – “Don’t Know Why” 3. Fess Grandiose – “Keep The Rhythm Goin” 4. Umphrey’s McGee feat. Béla Fleck – “Great American” 5. The Imperial Boxmen – “Reduxion” 6. Jeff Parker – “Slippin’ Into Darkness”
Side 2 7. Neptune’s Core – “Drowning” 8. The Goddamn Gallows – “The Maker” 9. V.V. Lightbody – “Really Do Care” 10. Erin McDougald – “The Parting Glass”
Digital Bonus Tracks 1.Gramps the Vamp – “A Doomed Star” 2. HON3YBUN – “If And When It Ends” 3. The Avondale Ramblers – “One For The Ditch” 4. Adem Dalipi – “Through Another’s Eyes”
Following their recent JUNO Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year, Dizzy are excited to release their new single “Sunflower, Are You There?” featuring Kevin Garrett. The new track is the second offering from a forthcoming collaborations EP titled Separate Places. The EP will be released by Royal Mountain Records and Communion Records on 11th June, and features recent single “The Bird Behind The Drapes” featuring Luna Li.
LISTEN: to Dizzy’s “Sunflower, Are You There?” feat. Kevin Garrett on YouTube
The Separate Places EP sees the Oshawa four-piece reimagine some of the standout tracks from their second album, 2020’s The Sun and Her Scorch. Each track features a different guest artist: “Sunflower, Are You There?” is a reworking of the album’s lead single “Sunflower”, now featuring Grammy-nominated musician Kevin Garrett, known for his work on Beyoncé’s Lemonade.
On the collaboration, vocalist Katie Munshaw explains, “We opened up for Kevin back before we had released any music as a band. I remember looking up to him as someone our age touring, writing perfect songs and just doing the damn thing so well. Having his seal of approval on “Sunflower”, a song about self-doubt, felt very full circle.“
Upon its release, The Sun and Her Scorch album was praised for its “lyricism paired with their dreamy indie-pop sound” (MTV) and its candid exploration of the messiest, most raw emotions young people experience in the modern age. “I wanted to be completely honest about the things nobody ever wants to admit, like being jealous of your friends or pushing away the people who love you,” frontwoman Katie Munshaw says. “So instead of being about romantic heartbreak, it’s really about self-heartbreak.” The Sun and Her Scorch has been nominated for Best Alternative Album at the Juno Awards, a feat previously achieved by the likes of Arcade Fire – and Dizzy themselves, for their 2018 debut Baby Teeth.
Unable to tour the record due to the pandemic, Dizzy returned to the studio, bubbling with a fervent creative energy and drive to make the most of a bad situation. “The Separate Places EP has allowed songs from The Sun and Her Scorch to go on tour without us,” Katie explains. “Following some of our favourite artists around the globe from Birmingham, London, New York and back to Toronto, each song has been reimagined. “Primrose Hill’” is now fiery and tough. “The Magician” and “Ten” returned to a state of naive, solemn bliss. “Beatrice” gains solace with felt piano and harmony and “Sunflower” sounds like something out of a Super Mario Brothers video game. It’s kind of a ride.”
Each track draws inspiration from Dizzy’s chosen collaborators, breathing new life into an already stellar collection of music, enriched by the excitement of artistic synergy in a time when collaboration hasn’t always seemed possible. It’s a celebration of the new ways we have found to be together, even though we’re all in separate places.
The Separate Places EP will be released on 11th June on Royal Mountain Records and Communion Records, including the below tracks. The featured artist for each track will be announced by Dizzy in the build up to EP release. You can pre-save it here.
Rodrigo Amarante is thrilled to announce his new album, Drama, out July 16th on Polyvinyl. Drama is the long-awaited follow-up to Amarante’s acclaimed 2014 debut, Cavalo – also being reissued by Polyvinyl, a stunning and intimate collection of songs where “every instrument breathes and every sound blends, yet every moment is distinct” (NPR Music). In conjunction with today’s announcement, Amarante unveils Drama’s lead single, “Maré,” and it’s accompanying self-directed video. An upbeat, seemingly happy song with less jolly aspects hidden beneath the surface, “Maré” is based on Spanish proverb: the tide will fetch what the ebb brings. “Things that arrive in your hand by destiny, they are just as easily swept away,” explains Amarante.
About the video, Amarante explains: “This song is about how we shape our destiny and character by what we crave, wish, dream about, despite the outcome. The video is not. That is deliberate. The video is about writing the song, or any song, not about the song itself. It is a representation of writing it, a look on the work that is to produce the magic that is writing, this way looping back to what shapes my own destiny, my wishes and cravings, what the song talks about. I say magic because there is an unpredictable element in writing, yet it is a mental activity: there lies drama.”
You may have heard “Tuyo,” Amarante’s theme tune to the Netflix drama Narcos, or the LittleJoy album. You might have noted Amarante’s name among the credits on songs by GalCosta, NorahJones and GilbertoGil; or perhaps you saw him play live with Brazilian samba big band OrquestraImperial, or with Rio rockers LosHermanos. You may think you know Rodrigo Amarante already, but Drama, his second solo album, is going to introduce a whole new level of confusion to the mix.
Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1976, Amarante points to two incidents in his past that fed directly into the recordings: a childhood illness that makes him appreciate the beauty of the second chance; and the moment when his father (with Amarante’s begrudging consent) cut off his long hair, an attempt to unburden all the drama and sensitivity from the young man’s head. “Dressing up as means to reveal, rather than dressing down, to conceal, that is Drama” says Amarante. “A tool. Tickling memory into confession, seeing through the eye holes of a mask. Peeking into the mirror that is playing a part. This is not something I followed but a posthumous realization, something that followed me, as it often happens. These songs were the instruments to realize it, not the other way around.”
Drama began life at the end of 2018 with a session involving Rodrigo’s regular band – “Lucky” Paul Taylor on drums, bassist Todd Dahlhoff, Andres Renteria on congas, and Amarante on guitar. With writing and recording continuing through 2019, some songs were pulled out from the back of drawers, and more ideas came anew. In early 2020, with the album not quite ready, lockdown hit Los Angeles and Amarante found himself alone, adding overdubs and mixing the completed tracks with Noah Georgeson, though the two were never in the same room. Unsurprisingly, isolation dictated the sound of the album. “Lockdown and limitation have produced some great ideas. I started the album wanting to focus on rhythm and melody, to abandon those rich chord progressions and modulations I’ve inherited from Brazil and be more straight for a bit. As I wrote I realized that there was a trigger to me in that attempt, a shadow of the shaved-head boy I had to be, sucking it up. Instead, I embraced the complications I’ve inherited.”
Drama closes with piano and Amarante’s voice on the closing track: “To live is to fall.” After all the emotional upheavals the singer has put his cast through, is this some kind of farewell to this mortal coil? “Everything furthers,” says Amarante. “Whispering. You get louder like that, people respond better to an invitation,” and adds: “Staring at the absurd while remaining kind, being open to the gifts of confusion; that’s why we create these tools that are stories and songs, to help us see each other.”
