Single Reviews: 2 July 2023: Curse Of Lono, Rex Kalibur, Eat My Butterfly, Flora Cash, Robert Anton Strobel & Teemu Rämö
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| Photo by Stefan Velea |
Curse Of Lono - Krieger
alternative
Felix Bechtolsheimer is the London-based artist responsible for Curse Of Lono, an emotionally deep and sonically comforting project whose new standalone single "Krieger" is a peculiarly alluring mix of adult contemporary songwriting, softly-delivered vocals, and bass-heavy production. Based on the story of the artist's great-great-uncle's past altercations with the Nazis, Bechtolsheimer investigates his lineage with precision on this likable and substantial single that has plenty of soaring melodies around its deep and persistent thuds.
Rex Kalibur - Ruminous
downtempo
Joshua Tree resident David M. Young uses the name Rex Kalibur to release his highly rhythmic explorations into desert-inspired downtempo and ambient music. His recent single, "Ruminous," builds from soothing and gentle ruminations of soft beats towards a more epic, somewhat grandiloquent explosion of passionate drums and the merging of several musical ideas and textures. While the more minimal intro may be more effective, the song unfolds with story-like focus, Young injecting a narrative arc into his roaming and wild jams.
Eat My Butterfly - Cuando Llegas
folktronica
Réunionese composer and producer Dilo, AKA Eat My Butterfly, delicately weaves downtempo rhythms, wordless vocals, earthy wind instruments, and futuristic electronic phrases into a transcendent listening experience on the recent single "Cuando Llegas." The Indian Ocean waves seem to have imbued the artist's work with rich imagery. This imagery is delivered through its evolving and devolving structures, yet it's the persistent push of the luminous atmosphere that makes this a truly transportative listen.
Flora Cash - The Builder (För J. Blom)
modern classical
The epic, string-heavy surge of "The Builder (För J. Blom)," the recent single from Swedish duo Flora Cash, possesses a cinematic flair that never tips over into the mawkish. Instead, its experimental core is driven by high-concept arrangements that center on the act of remembrance. The duo tragically lost a friend who was a builder by trade. By using percussive strikes of building materials such as hammers, saws, and bricks, the duo builds a system of communication upon which the violin and viola of contributors Djordje Milanovic and Yoed Nir. The result is a stirring foray into the investigation of emotion through sonic worldbuilding, tinged with a sense of loss to which most can relate.
Robert Anton Strobel & Teemu Rämö - Knight: Dungeon Labyrinth
grunge
The collaborative efforts of US-based electronic composer Robert Anton Strobel and Finnish guitarist Teemu Rämö, "Knight: Dungeon Labyrinth" is a hard-hitting, lead-guitar-heavy, and atmospheric take on fantasy video games and movie scores. Centered around the interplay between the guitar and drums, various textures appear, disappear, and reappear like figures in the night, undiscernible but capable of arousing interest, and in some cases, suspicion. Indeed, there's a hint of sadness to the composition as it laments a story of a proverbial knight slaying a ghost. Quite an interesting work, even if a heavy dose of imagination is required.