Review: Betterwithmusic 2013

These are the sounds and rythms that came to betterwithmusic’s library in 2013…

 

SKETCHES

Sketches is basically an album of soul, of instrumental hiphop, of R’n’B. Sensual and reflective, in gereral. Delicate, but also pick up some rythm explosions. Passionate could be the adjective. But a controlled passion, elegant, somewhat distant. It’s a ritual of seduction.
Synthetic sounds close to the 80’s or 90’s to create songs based on chord progressions and basic arrangements of soul and funk. It looks like “Raw Dub”, but more soul and less “dub”.

SCENES FROM THE ZOO

Pop melodies with distorted guitars. Powerpop. Some grunge and shoegaze tunes too. Nerve riffs and powerful rhythms. Music that seeks immediate happiness boldly. No worries, no perfectionism. Noise. Positive songs, cheerful melodies, passional and “excessive”.
Referring to other projects of the library, I could say that “Scenes” it’s more optimistic and positive than “The Crowd”, more rogue than “Traveller’s Guide”.

GALAXY

Rhodes and Wurlitzer, pianos, acoustic drums and programming beats, strong synth-bass lines, slap bass, playful guitars, guitars with vocoder, tens of clavinets, classic synths (Moog, ARP, Davosynth, Jupiter-8, M1 etc), string arrangements … All tools available to create a dance compilation with old-fashion sounds, while still sounding modern. To vindicate these old grooves with a contemporary album. A funky Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

VIIKINSAARI

Viikinsaari are small pieces for piano. And it’s water. It is the piano that calls the shots through melodies and rhythms inspired by the sounds of water, in their ways, their reflections … With string and wind arrangements that sound like whispers at times and other times explode in the ears leaving the piano in the background, like waves. A space for melancholy and contemplation.

SELE

Christmas songs that are not actually Christmas songs. The same happened with Año Nuevo and Postcard. They are songs inspired by this holiday season, by the winter, the family gatherings & reunions, the decorated houses … but at the same time, songs that can be heard all the year. Compositions about optimism and joy, with a touch of melancholy, couldn’t do it any other way. I wanted to add and highlight a homemade and imperfect character, direct, without excessive tweaking and production. Something accessible to young and old people.

New projects will come next year (I’m already working on it)
Keep in touch!

… and Happy 2014!!

X-mas Carol

 

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Sele: (adjective) 1. Peaceful [the day, people]. 2. Calm, without waves [the sea]. 3. Quiet, who doesn’t talk much, who doesn’t make noise.   (Translate from Llingua asturiana/asturian language)

 

Sele is a collection of Christmas songs that are not actually Christmas songs. The same happened with Año Nuevo and Postcard. They are songs inspired by this holiday season, by the winter, the family gatherings & reunions, the decorated houses … but at the same time, songs that can be heard all the year.

I searched a homey, warm, innocent, close to nursery rhymes and lullabies sound. Children are really the kings of the parties, or at least as I see it. Compositions about optimism and joy, with a touch of melancholy, couldn’t do it any other way. I wanted to add and highlight a homemade and imperfect character, direct, without excessive tweaking and production. Something accessible to young and old people. The “Edward” touch.

 

 

Influences …

Christmas trees, wake up in a cold day, Laura Marling and Laura Veirs, children songs, The tallest man on Earth, carols, fireplaces, Cass McCombs, family photos, añaes, New Year’s Eve, colored lights, DADGAD, school notebooks, “the day after”…

 

 

Top 2013

This year I got encouraged to publish my list with the Top albums of the year.

I do not know if these have been the best, but certainly these are the 30 albums I enjoyed, learnt and recommended the most throughout 2013.

Needless to say that this is an open list. There are albums that age better than others. My tastes also change (even within the year). There is a lot of music that I didn’t get a chance to listen to. And then those albums I probably didn’t pay too much attention to because I was busy with other stuff. Maybe they were better than what I thought.

And of course, there are treasures waiting to be discovered…

 

Anyway, today (December 2013), here’s the list:

 

1. James Blake “Overgrown” (Spotify)

2. Daft Punk “Random Access Memories” (Spotify)

3. Speedy Ortiz “Major Arcana” (Spotify)

4. Kanye West “Yeezus” (Spotify)

5. CHVRCHES “The Bones Of What You Believe” (Spotify)

6. Vampire Weekend “Modern Vampires Of  The City” (Spotify)

7. Artic Monkeys “AM” (Spotify)

8. James Holden “The Inheritors” (Spotify)

9. Kurt Vile “Wakin On A Pretty Daze” (Spotify)

10. M.I.A “Matangi” (Spotify)

11. Joanna Gruesome “Weird Sister” (Spotify)

12. Mikal Cronin “MCII” (Spotify)

13. Jon Hopkins “Immunity” (Spotify)

14. Janelle Monáe “The Electric Lady” (Spotify)

15. Cass McCombs “Big Wheel And Others” (Spotify)

16. Oneohtrix Point Never “R Plus Seven” (Spotify)

17. Yuck “Glow & Behold” (Spotify)

18. A$AP Rocky “Long Live A$AP” (Spotify)

19. Triángulo de Amor Bizarro “Victoria Mística” (Spotify)

20. Disclosure “Settle” (Spotify)

21. Grouper “The Man Who Died In His Boat” (Spotify)

22. Sigur Ros “Kveikur” (Spotify)

23. Arcade Fire “Reflektor” (Spotify)

24. Phosphorescent “Muchacho” (Spotify)

25. Deerhunter “Monomania” (Spotify)

26. Bill Callahan “Dream River”

27. David Bowie ” The Next Day” (Spotify)

28. Darkside “Psychic” (Spotify)

29. Tim Hecker “Virgins” (Spotify)

30. Julia Holter “Loud City Song” (Spotify)