#britt warner

[dustedmagazine]

Aarktica — Ecstatic Lightsongs (HanaqPacha)

The nature of a long-running project like Jon DeRosa’s Aarktica (in existence for over 25 years) is such that most listeners of the new Ecstatic Lightsongs are likely to be those who’ve been following his work for some time now. It’s the eternal struggle of the long-term working artist, but in this case also offers a lovely silver lining; those same listeners are the ones most likely to both notice and appreciate what makes this record stand out from the many ambient classics released under the Aarktica name (as opposed to his other endeavours). For one thing, here DeRosa’s vocals take center stage on nearly every track as opposed to just a few; but what might be even more striking to long-term fans can be summed up in one word. Drums.

DeRosa has been upfront when discussing Ecstatic Lightsongs about this being an Aarktica record that overtly nods to the post-punk, new wave, and post-rock music he loves, singling out late-period Talk Talk as a rhythmic inspiration. And sure enough, mere seconds into the opening “Trick of the Light” you can hear Mike Pride’s gently rolling fills setting the scene just as much as DeRosa’s ringing guitar. That Laughing Stock influence is most notable on “Laughing in the Rain,” where Pride and bassist Lewis Pesacov (who also produced most of the LP) immediately sketch out a similarly expansive, open space for the song to exist in. But the percussion here takes on more than one form, like the dusty, looping playing that opens “To Love Is to Believe” until it fades out as the track swells into an echoing, faintly dubby cloud.

Pride, Pesacov, and cellist Henrik Meierkord even put a shuffling spin on “Destination Paradise” that comes close to trip hop, not least because that’s also one of three songs here that features Britt Warner’s singing. Her and DeRosa’s interplay on those tracks is immediately compelling in a sandpaper-and-honey kind of way. DeRosa’s vocal tracks are often highlights on Aarktica albums, and their predominance here only confirms that they can carry a song practically on their own instead of just being an occasional ingredient.

Which is not to suggest that Ecstatic Lightsongs is a radical change from the kind of beauty Aarktica normally deals in, nor that DeRosa has abandoned his traditional strengths; although he adds synths here (in a less immediately surprising but equally significant departure from most Aarktica releases) his guitar remains the mainstay of the sound throughout and it’s always gorgeous, whether in the increasingly distorted solo playing on “Why Say Anything?” (the vocal track that most sounds like it could be plucked out of a past Aarktica release) or on the two instrumentals, especially the gorgeous duet with Meierkord that makes up “The Bird That Hides Itself.”

The digital release of the album closes with a bonus track that’s almost a proof of concept of the idea behind the whole LP, a cover of the Chameleons’ 1983 “Second Skin.” The original is great in a very characteristic way, both murky and confrontational with a great whacking beat and increasingly tormented vocals. The Aarktica take doesn’t try and beat the original at its own game; the beat is still central but, diffused a touch and surrounded by cello and DeRosa’s smoother baritone, the result feels more sweeping and darkly romantic. By taking on one of his inspirations directly and offering a fantastic, significantly tonally distinct version of it, DeRosa is showing both how this iteration of Aarktica is fully capable of standing with the works and artists it seeks to join, and that his own originals hold up well in their company. “Second Skin” is a classic, and it fits right in here.

Ian Mathers

[msbrittwarner]

My cover of CCR's "Long As I Can See the Light" for Hulu's new mini-series, "We Were the Lucky Ones." The Crystal Creative enlisted Tal Richards and I to reimagine this one and we're thrilled with how it turned out!

[brittwarner]

My first single of the year is a song I wrote and produced with Flea! Follow the #BandCamp link to buy a digital download and read the lyrics, which has always been my favorite part of deep-diving into a song.

You can also stream and add it to your playlists here:

Britt Warner - Listen on YouTube, Spotify - Linktree

View msbrittwarner’s Linktree. Listen to their music on YouTube, Spotify here.

[infinite-saudade]

IN2U

i know you come with a lot of baggage.

so what?

let me help you carry it.

with everything you’ve created for others

in this lifetime,

couldn’t you write a better story for yourself

than the one that currently ends

with everything going horribly wrong?

i can see that you’re still punishing yourself

for what happened all those years ago.

enough.

let it go.

you deserve happiness.

you deserve love.

i want to give you both.

i want to get close

and grow closer

and be the one who 

gets through to you.

i said i didn’t want anything from you

and that’s not true at all.

i want everything from you.

i want all of it.

the baggage, the love, the mess,

the closeness, the happiness,

the fear of what could go wrong

and the hopefulness that everything

will go right.

please let me in

so that we can let go

together, naked and intimate,

strong and vulnerable.

i will not leave you for another.

i will be faithful and caring

and fall more deeply for you

with each passing day.

could you do the same for me?

and when we feel the distance,

let’s not be silent or avoidant.

i will create a safe space

for us to have an honest dialogue

because i know how hard it is for you

to do that of your own volition.

i will resist the survival instinct to mirror you

and will instead hold my own energy

and be my own person

even at the risk of turning you off.

i am crazy about you

and won’t give up on us

because there’s no one else

for you but me

and me for you.

how soon 

is too soon

to say

i love you?

my april fool,

come what may

through june gloom

and beyond the fourth of july,

pencil me in

with permanent marker

to be your valentine

all year round.

[shadow-warriour]

I love it when i find amazing songs from unknown artists. If you’re impatient, skip to 3:12 lol. AND SHARE! Because this totally deserves to be heard. <3

[msbrittwarner]

“A Hunter” is featured in the trailer for @netflix‘s limited series, #Treason. This version was produced by VAAAL for Pusher. Contact Alex [at] pushermusic [dot] com for more info.

[brittwarner]

It’s been a wavy year.

[msbrittwarner]

"Diminuendo" is in The Tale of Thomas Burberry. It’s also been featured in a promo for XBOX Greatest Games and TV shows such as Guilt and The Originals. I originally wrote this song with composer Dan Heath for his EP under the artist name “Lawless.” I recommend listening to anything and everything touched by his magic.

(As of 2023, the original video has been removed from YouTube by Burberry. It amassed 15 million views! This one is courtesy of Fashion Film Festival.)

Contact jason [at] pushermusic [dot] com to license “Diminuendo” for your projects.