I can't imagine playing an original song with a string quartet supporting me. Simply cannot imagine it. I think it is something musicians, songwriters dream about especially rank amateurs like myself. I thought about that listening to the sadness, the pathos of "Blue Days" by East Coast electro-indie / alt pop duo Foreign Air. Not a tracked studio recording but LIVE Sessions for their latest EP, "Blue Hour Sessions". Recorded at the same place they recorded their 2022 Full length, "Hello Sunshine", the magnificent White Star Sound, a rural farm and recording studio in Virginia, they replaced their electronic production for a string quartet (using the same string musicians they used on the album).
Gone are the trip hop beats, the massive eruptions of sound, the varied soundscape from whimsical to audacious. All that pulled back or stripped away completely for this emotional elegance and nuanced iterations. The strings amp up the melancholia juxtaposed with pop noir guitar lines and even though the cadence is slower, the the vocal patter still has the flow and bounce but also settles more into a cross generational croon too. I dig it. I get lost in it all.
About the LIVE Sessions:
[The band explains, “A song is never really finished. They evolve and change just like we do. Re-imagining songs we’ve already released was a lot of fun because the pressure is gone. It’s not about the small details anymore. The heavy lifting is done already, which are the chords and lyrics. Now, we get to decorate it completely differently. Sometimes, you need to move around the furniture in the room or paint the walls a new color. This keeps us sane.
‘The Blue Hour’ sessions started as song renditions for intimate performances we put together during the pandemic. Some in a more traditional format…drums, bass, guitar, and piano as opposed to our often heavy electronic, synth bedroom production style. We then took it a step further by going back to the studio where we finished our latest album, ‘Hello Sunshine,’ and filmed a live performance with a string quartet, re-imagining the material again. We’ve always been inspired by film scores and movies, so we were excited to interpret some of our music with just a piano and strings.”]
I’m thirsty, I’m dying upon my desert island
Why won’t you come save me?
I’m drowning in your silence
Why won’t you come save me?
I’m drowning in your silence
-Robb Donker Curtius
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Hello: Anyone enjoying this read and American Pancake, end of year is always a more difficult time in terms of finances. If you can help out by contributing to our Go Fund Me below it would be super appreciated. Cheers Robb
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://soundcloud.com/foreignair
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ApQnMT6oR8eLguf24xb9S
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwXuTVHDGgLnMYdIkjZyYg
https://www.foreignair.net/
https://www.instagram.com/foreign_air/
"East coast electro-indie project Foreign Air is an enigmatic duo with an ear for creating soundscapes that embrace the invisible necessities in life."
check out our most recent album, Hello Sunshine <3
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