Taylor McFerrin – Early Riser

 

 

Been rather a while since we’ve posted so many apologies for the irregularity of our recommendations. We’re back and there’s much to report – firstly, this is something we discovered last week and it has quite a piping through the headphones ever since.

Taylor McFerrin’s Early Riser is a beautiful electronic soul record released through Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label. The 12 tracks are a journey through McFerrin’s abandoned works which he forced himself to complete, feeling certain that there was something ‘there’ to justify his efforts. Many musicians and artists will relate to this – inspiration strikes, work commences, something magical develops…then that brick wall as the inspiration starts to float away. Often after working painstakingly on the slightest elements of your sounds, you grow tired of hearing the same sounds over and over again. The repetition grows tedious and it’s all too easy to stop recording and do something else.

So McFerrin is to be applauded without even listening for finding the energy to complete these works and as listeners, we truly benefit from this… The record opens out with Postpartum; possibly a cryptic title to describe the morning after a party or more likely, a break up. It opens with Ambient sound which will have you gripped. The pleasant warmth of Degrees Of Light follows; a swirling coctail of shimmering tones, chimes and beats. After this is The Antidote which sees the introduction of female vocals – a real strong point on the album and likely the piece that will be selected most for radio shows, mixes etc. Florasia sees more electronic soul with McFerrin opting to provide the vocals himself. Then from here the jazzy 4:00 cleanses the pallette before the woozy instrumental piece Stepps kicks in. Already There is more jazziness-full of colour; a real stand out piece. Decisions reintroduces vocals with a slow and sleepy dubstep work out. Blind Aesthetics follows – more electronica bordering on dubstep influences with the slow, tripped out beats. The chords and droning textures are mesmerising here. Place In My Heart provides a slive of alternative pop featuring female vocals which give something completely different to Early Riser. Invisible/Visible opens with birdsong and haunting vocals which open to jazzy key changes and pitch shifted chords joined by scat vocals. PLS DNT LSTN closes this record as Taylor McFerrin opts to noise out on his final cut, to wake you up from a thoroughly pleasant lazy Sunday morning kind of listen.

You can check Early Riser out by clicking the image above or HERE