Single Review: #XI feat. Sundays – Lovecraft

Apart from their self-affirmation that they are a normcore duo from VIOV – CHINATOWN,  not much is known about the enigmatic twosome that is #XI. #XI ( hashtag X I? Number 11?) have released their latest single Lovecraft, with collaboration from musician Sundays, a gem which has been floating across the wide expanse that is the internet.

To get straight to the point, this single is an ethereal, otherworldly pleasure which can be described as nothing other than resolutely chill. The atmosphere that #XI create with their almost down-tempo inspired electronic beats makes for a wistfulness that wouldn’t be out of place on a sunny sunday afternoon at the close of a busy week.  For me, the feeling that #XI create with this single is highly intriguing. Initially the cooing wordless vocals of Sundays combined with the haunting beat reminded me  of a fuller, more textured version of a chillout deep house track.  As a result of this, I was then subsequently surprised at the almost old-school guitar solo towards the end of the song that acted as a wordless response to the vocalist, which seemed to marry the electronic side of the track to a more traditional idea of guitar based indie music.  An interesting single from the mysterious #XI, with a promise of more to come.

ONES TO WATCH: Spooky Black

With a low-key online presence, including nothing more than a few youtube videos and some pixellated shots in a snowy forest, not much is known about the enigmatic Spooky Black. However, this sense of mystery only serves to heighten the otherworldly, transcendental quality of Spooky‘s fluid, narcotic R&B.

Rarely do I get so excited for the advent of a new artist, as in this day most music seems to be painted with the same passionless veneer of commerciality, which inspires the same level of creativity and individuality as the magnolia paint in your mum’s living room. In contrast to this, Spooky Black paints his music with a sprawling, rich palette of dark crimsons and arterial purples, creating an almost oceanic depth to his magnetic dusky grooves, so that each song becomes a completely immersive experience. The pure emotion that radiates from Spooky‘s songs makes for a uniquely hypnotic listening experience.  Spooky‘s expertly produced tracks  (particularly ‘Without U’) almost take on the quality of a sonic high, darkly addictive, but with each song lifting the listener to a state of delirious, enraptured delight and leaving them continuously wanting more.

The swirling beat coupled with Spooky‘s soaring velveteen vocals also creates another layer of depth to the song as it provides a subtle human urgency and sensuality to the track. This creates a sense of purgation, as though the song itself is a cleansing experience, purifying you, yet at the same time entrenching you deeply into the strongest, most manifest essence of what each song is trying to convey, be it love, loss or lust.

Continue to ignore Spooky Black to your complete and utter detriment – he is on the fringes of bursting into the spotlight.

 

ONES TO WATCH: Hester

On hearing the name ‘Hester’ one evokes a vague feeling of glowing warmth,  and fittingly this eponymous band bring a sense of this tenderness and spark to their unique sound.  The South London six-piece consist of Luke Bower on vocals and guitar, Ella Rimmer on vocals, Arthur Bentley on guitar, Ellis Dupuy on drums and electronics, Rico Komolafe on bass, and Poppy Daniels on trumpet.  Their tracks currently available online have a rich sense of wistfulness to them, as each seem to express  the complexity of love and loss, through a  touchingly sparse and carefully composed instrumental. The lyricism of Hester’s songs also shine throughout, particularly with the simplicity of their refrains, and the silken smoothness of their unlaboured rhymes.

As well as their more subdued tracks, Hester are definitely a band to experience  live. Their performance at Brainchild Festival’s relaunch party at the eve of 2014 showed off their funkier, groovier tracks provoking the crowd to flail their limbs joyously to their uplifting sounds.  During their set an audience member described the band’s sound as “Space jazz” – which although I don’t find completely accurate, definitely embodies the sense of otherworldliness and wonder that comes through their music.

So If you haven’t checked out Hester, continue to ignore them at your own detriment – For more chill noises check Hester’s Soundcloud, or alternatively their Facebook for updates.