"clouds are high / sharp like knives / heaven is an ultraviolet light..."
Someone once told me, that if you want someone to listen, whisper. Against, the intuitive to speak louder, the whisper will invariably make the person you are hoping to communicate to lean in to hear you. While all advise can be wrong, or fail on occasion, for the most part this has been good advise, especially in noisy spaces or in the moan of a busy bustling city. I thought of this a few times while getting lost, almost hypnotized, by the intimacy of "All I Saw Was Blue" by Portland, Oregon based folk artist Brandon De La Cruz and from his new album "Two Kilos Of Blue".
The breathy song is short, under 2 minutes but the brevity doesn't lessen the impact. The vocal countenance that seems to have it own short bursting echo that, at times like an alien emotion, feels more that melancholy, but instead lost. While there are sensations surrounding the truly evocative voice, and poetically swallowed lyrics, there are the background sonics that are equally compelling if not more so. Those sounds like vintage and fractured musical tones, or memories of such, feel like the kinds of haunts after a hard restless sleep when you feel both awake but numb. A screaming chromatic sensation.
Of the track De La Cruz says, "I wrote this song very quickly, probably in one sitting. I remember at the time I was reading Woody Guthrie’s book, Bound For Glory which inspired me to write very simple, improvised songs. Originally I sang it over a fast-picked guitar part. I recorded it on piano with bass drum then took those away and dreamed up a new arrangement in the studio. It features several samples I discovered on Mississippi Records comps, in particular, ‘One Way Gal’ by William Moore and ‘How Long?’ by Rev. Charles White."
The following (from liner notes) I find so fascinating because every artist pulls from those inspirational opportunities that surround them put their by fate mostly but not all the time.
[All tracks on "Two Kilos Of Blue" may be considered a reflection of De La Cruz' tenure as a staffer at Mississippi Records while living in Portland, OR. Samples of folk and country blues recordings issued from the early 20th century by Mississippi are used by the artist to subtly layer and build his arrangements.
Having released albums inspired by the works of Rainer Maria Rilke, Joan Didion and Ovid, Two Kilos Of Blue sees De La Cruz draw on images and experiences from a spectrum of chapters from his own life.
The record brings together songs written over a 10-year period, linked thematically by love, loss, spirits, seasons, shades of blue and the moon. Painstakingly recorded and arranged over two years at the artist’s studio in Kirikiriroa, each track is a balancing act of consideration and spontaneity.
Simultaneous, unfolding layers of voices, samples and guitars reveal a narrative steeped in longing and mystery. Many of the songs directly invoke emotional and cultural associations with Blue, while others imply it through their atmosphere.
The title of the album refers to a saying of Cezanne’s: “Two kilos of blue is a lot bluer than one,” which in reference to these songs could speak to the layering of shades and moods in each voice, in each song – compounding to create a dark, plumbless opus.]
Having released albums inspired by the works of Rainer Maria Rilke, Joan Didion and Ovid, Two Kilos Of Blue sees De La Cruz draw on images and experiences from a spectrum of chapters from his own life.
The record brings together songs written over a 10-year period, linked thematically by love, loss, spirits, seasons, shades of blue and the moon. Painstakingly recorded and arranged over two years at the artist’s studio in Kirikiriroa, each track is a balancing act of consideration and spontaneity.
Simultaneous, unfolding layers of voices, samples and guitars reveal a narrative steeped in longing and mystery. Many of the songs directly invoke emotional and cultural associations with Blue, while others imply it through their atmosphere.
The title of the album refers to a saying of Cezanne’s: “Two kilos of blue is a lot bluer than one,” which in reference to these songs could speak to the layering of shades and moods in each voice, in each song – compounding to create a dark, plumbless opus.]
I have not dove headfirst into "Two Kilos Of Blue" just dipped a toe in. I hope to check it out all in one sitting.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4MMkUXghxRThYdY7PWYjga
https://brandonthomasdelacruz.bandcamp.com/album/two-kilos-of-blue
Brandon De La Cruz is a folk artist whose lyricism is uniquely shaped by his interest in mythology, ceremony and RH Blyth’s translations of Japanese haiku. He grew up in the suburbs of Southern California's Inland Empire and has lived and performed regularly in Berkeley, CA, Portland, OR and New Zealand
Brandon De La Cruz, singer songwriter, composer, folk indie, folktronica, chamber pop, experimental pop, alt pop, dream pop, "All I Saw was Blue", new album "Two Kilos Of Blue",
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