10 Songs for a Mid-Spring Train Ride.
Written by Benoît Pioulard.
I’ve listened to Autechre since around the time of LP5, & while I generally stick to that or Confield if I’m in the right mindset, this track is a later example of how they still absolutely kill it. From the first millisecond there’s no way you can skip this track…not a bad way to start a playlist.
The main motif with which this piece begins is something that comes to mind for me a lot while walking, or making breakfast, or whatever. Plus, there’s something about the title that makes it that much more cinematically poignant.
Counts as one track, being perhaps the most perfect pairing of proper song + interlude ever. I have little to say here, except that among all the amazing moments of Geogaddi, this is the most consistently transporting for me.
I still have a hard time believing I’m on the same imprint as someone this amazingly good; if it were fair to label it as such in the context of such a thoroughly gorgeous record, I’d call “Charlie” a standout. It’s also my brother’s name.
This would be the requisite jam to undo the lull of ambience, & as far as I’m concerned it’d be hard to do better – Church of the Ghetto PC remains one of the most criminally underrated records of the last decade.
Cake or Death is good, but there’s still nothing like vintage Lee…especially on this one, the ghostly choir seems to exist in the back of his mind while he sing-talks his way through some of my favorite lyrics in that way only he can, and we’re fortunate to be privy to the whole thing.
If they’d given some of the other songs on Head Warlock Double Stare as much room to develop and breathe as they did here, I think Freescha would’ve had a masterpiece on their hands. The album is still good, but I always go back to this track first, and it also happens to work extremely well for some scenery staring on the train, I found.
Thanks to my former work at Ghostly I got a bit of a preview of the new Cepia album Natura Morta, from which this is my favorite track. He’s definitely up to something special with those time-stopping beats and saturated synths, but having found out that every minute element is built from scratch deepened my appreciation of these fractal-songs all the more. Also, while this was playing on my headphones, a rather rotund mother began yelling at her child about something a few rows behind me, and the aggravated voice fit right in, unifying the experience in some weird way.
I love everything of Keith Kenniff’s that I’ve heard; this just happens to be the bit of Eingya that felt right for this list. This track almost forces you to breathe in sync with it.
Again, a heinously underrated record that nobody seems to talk about much. I’ve been slipping on my mix-making over the last couple of years, but I think every one that I made in 2006 had this song on it, even though just about any part of The Way We Do It would have done…lovely, delicate songs and a voice that rivals Trish Keenan for the title of best “sing me to sleep” cadence. If only I were able to sleep on the train.
[Official] Benoit Pioulard
6 comments:
I can honestly say I have not heard of any of those artists, but hey it gives me something to look up now.
Dude, I haven't heard of people that have heard of these bands.
Is this what you call sloppy seconds?
Ha. Ha. Come on guys, have an open mind. If you go to iTunes you can almost create this entire mix (excluding the Team LG and Cepia tracks) and it's pretty fucking incredible.
I've heard the whole thing as Benoit mixed it/intended it and it's one of the best compilations I've ever heard, hands down.
Lush, gorgeous, good stuff!!
wonderful choices Thomas, i was listening to "Indoor Swimming At The Space Station" by Eluvium and decided to check out your homepage and saw a link to this blog. i couldn't agree more aobut Loscil and have to check out Team LG.
Chris, Thanks for the great post
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