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The Royal ~ Ryan Hawley as Phil Cooper

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Blair French - Patio Pastel (from Pastio Pastels, NuNorthern Soul 2019)

Blair French - Belle Isle Sunsets (from Patio Pastels EP, NuNorthern Soul 2019)

Reviews 247: Blair French

There is so much to the musical world of Blair French, with releases stretching back to the early 2000s and covering subdued modern classical (Through the Blinds); weirdo underwater ambient (Blkshrk); interstellar jazz, cosmic downtempo, and leftfield house (Cosmic Handshakes); film score and soundtrack work (Heidi Ewing’s and Rachel Grady’s Detropia); hazy club thumpers and ecstatic Afro bangers under his own name; and so much else besides…all built on foundations within Detroit’s storied hip-hop scene. But perhaps my favorite style covered by French is a sort of sun-kissed and tropically-tinged balearica, which he explored to great effect across the Sandbar Caviar 10” on Claremont 56 and as a part of Nois Land’s Big Kahanu 12” on his own Fat Finger Cosmic. Now in 2019, French continues building on these solar spells, island vibrations, and seaside incantations with the stunning Patio Pastels EP, released on NuNorthern Soul. Congas and bongos surf on rainbow energy waves while synthesizers evoke steel drums, mermaid breaths, new age flutes, and blue lagoon bubble clouds…all as the heart is carried away by vibrant funkbass movements and smooth fusion glides. Shakers suffuse the air, guitars glow and chime like ocean crystals, sampled orchestrations weave pastoral prog majesties, and best of all, hushed vocals wrap the heart in glowing pop atmospherics, including a radiant performance by Stephanie Leon that would make both Isabella Antena and Nanako Sato proud.

Blair French - Patio Pastels EP (NuNorthern Soul, 2019) “Patio Pastel” is centered on hand percussion tribalisms and marching kicks while sea-spray pads hover beneath Michael Jurczak’s acoustic guitar finger-picking. Ebulliant cymbal and shaker patterns bring the beat to a gallop and crystalline electric guitar arpeggiations join the swooning rhythmic sway…all while claps intermittently cut through layers of ethereal woodwind magic. Sometimes the beats drop out, leaving the mind and body afloat on sliding synth bass fluids and aquamarine drone hazes. And near the middle, we drop into a jungle drum ritual awash in propulsive disco and rainforest shaker humidity. Elsewhere, chittering clouds of static overly the ocean folk groove as echowave guitars and bouncing pop basslines dance towards the sun and there’s an ever increasing sense of energy, with dial tone space leads, massive drum fills, and zany synth runs leading to a sleepy-eyed “na na na” chorus that perfectly encapsulates the vibe of a balearic summer. Next is “La Playa de Terciopelo,” which starts with spring reverb clicks and machine rhythms built from pillow bass drums, subtle woodblocks, and sizzling cymbal shimmer. Warm synth chords flutter side-to-side as a romantic dub-pop dreamscape fades into being, carried by Stephanie Leon’s soul-melting vocals. Her breathy, charismatic, and exotic melodies are tracked by glistening steel drums while Jamiel Dado’s seaside funk guitars scratch out solar riff spells and at some point, writhing synth fluids blow through the air and bring with them a lush instrumental chorus with soaring brass fanfares that recall Broken Social Scene. And as the song comes to a close, ocean waves and intergalactic space ether wash the mix clean.

Waves crash to shore in “Morning Sail” while fog horn drones overlay shakers and maracas. Electric piano meditations from Schuyler Campbell play off searing arcs of guitar fuzz as a twilit rhythm bubbles in, constructed from barely-there kick pulses and splashy hand drums while being backed by soulful electrofunk and boogie fusion bass runs. French colors the air in shades of dark blue, sea green, and glowing orange with an array of hazy pads while tambourines bring the rhythm into another soft gallop. And after piano leads sparkle like seafloor gemstones, the vibe changes dramatically, with delirium waves of distortion breaking the jam down into thumping bassline sexuality and island dance drum fever as sickly synth psychedelia drifts through the air. Then in “Lounsbury Gardens” a beautiful mellotron intro awash in pastoral prog majesty gives way to dreamy ocean exotica…as if the song is traveling across distances and decades, moving from UK in the 70s to Japan in the 80s. Indeed, the track is awash in city pop mesmerism and reminds me especially of Yuji Toriyama as well as the CBS/Sony Sound & Images Series (Pacific and The Aegean Sea most specifically), with Dado’s glistening guitar runs painting the sky in coral colorations over a samba-fusion groove. Loungey basslines run beneath rimshot and woodblock hypnotics while dub echoes float amidst string synth orchestrations and it all works towards an incredible guitar solo wherein waves of burning fuzz wash over the South Pacific glide, before giving way to hazy synth solos that evoke aquatic fantasy kingdoms.

The stuttering groove of “Human Make Human” intermingles Italo future balearica and further Japanese beach fusion magic, as scraping wood textures and shuffling shakers surround slamming synthbass and kick drum circulations. Bell tones cascade through each ear, polychromatic bubble clouds float through the air, equatorial chords bring sundub atmospherics, and flutey percolations swim through heatwave hazes…all while breezy vocals lock into a repeated refrain of “inside of you”. During moments where the rhythms vaporize, clicking guitar riffs, floating steel drums, new age pads, jazz bass scats, and crowd chatter intertwine for spells of dreamwave ambiance. And as the song comes to a close, muscular drum syncopations support delay soaked guitar wonderment and slippery synth-bass magic. Closer “Belle Isle Sunsets” is heavily suffused with the sort of techno starscape feel Detroit is known for, reveling as it does in a heady mixture of intergalactic future jazz and seaside jungle ambient. Everything is smothered in a tropical night haze, with paranoid energies lurking within the skittering cymbal and hand drum patterns, laser noise sequences, and breakbeat kick pulsations. Deep house chords flow like universal breath, guitars from Ryan Spencer hit like beads of light, and neon-hued synth leads flow down from a starry sky while hushed vocals sing out and dust-caked claps crack through the air. Then, as the drums drop away, dramatic chord stabs, effusive shakers, and cerebral sequences join staccato bow strokes emanating from an underwater orchestra before it all moves into a dopamine smothered ambient house heartbeat.

(images from my personal copy)

The opening track from my album "Things I'll Never Say", released in 2016.

The opening track from my album "Things I'll Never Say", released in ...

#musicoin #music #Phil Cooper #Let It Fall

It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or 'How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down.' That doesn't make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are - just to find out, for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it's not a conversation anymore; it's a pitch. And you're not a human being; you're a marketing rep.

Phil Cooper, the Big Kahuna

#quotes #the Big Kahuna #Phil Cooper #I rewatched it today #still great