Ahhhhhh, it’s finally raining here in Southern California. In light of this news (get it? because it’s so gloomy?) I thought it would be nice to let you guys in on some rainy day tracks that you might put away for a time just like this one.
First up is Draper – Sonder EP. Released just before the end of 2013, it’s a wonderfully mellow and relaxing work. Beautifully crafted with plucky guitar riffs, some 808 drum snares, and catchy piano melodies, Sonder EP is a wonderfully executed concept. With track titles such as New Year, Aftermath, and Aspire, the EP is meant to encourage future-thinking. While being innovative and inventive, the EP serves to put a smile on your face while you’re sitting in front of the fire on a cold, rainy day drinking some cocoa.
Next up is a favorite producer of mine, Clyde Machine. His Je Peux. EP is a conceptual masterstroke. The whole concept behind it is available through the Clyde Machine Facebook page, but I’ll try to summarize it here –
In the rain, a man faces his own emotions – doubt, emptiness, sorrow – and in the process is swept up by the environment around him. Rain is pattering down, and it seems like it will never let up. The only thing keeping him from complete desolation is his own rationality – he looks toward the future. As he does, he thinks less of the past and is able to see past the clouds toward a horizon that looks just a little less bleak. He was alone. He is now just an individual. He was desolate. He is now hopeful. He does not forget the past; he yearns for the future.
Reading the concept and listening to the EP, it’s wonderful how accurately they portray each other. I can’t even really begin to describe the feelings that I get when I listen to it – Clyde Machine has translated emotion into music so acutely that it astounds me. For one, his production has soared in quality. The depth of the bass and the timbre of the drums, how real they sound, makes everything about this EP sparkle. These are tracks that you would listen to when you want to make something beautiful. Second, there is real life embedded in the very heart of this release. It is the direct result of an event in the producer’s life – not a run-of-the-mill “club banger.” And there you have it – some wonderful tracks to keep you warm and calm in this, or any, rainy season. Perhaps if the rain in LA continues, I’ll dig out more rainy day tracks.
Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images
