Ta-ku 'Songs To Break Up To' Review: First Listen Thoughts

One of the most respected beatmakers out there, Ta-ku drops his eagerly awaited (*cough* understatement *cough*) project 'Songs To Break Up To' on The New Beatmaker fave huhwhatandwhere.

As to be expected given the title, 'STBUT' is a sombre, delicate and atmospheric outing. As you would hope of an artist of Ta-ku's caliber, this concept album is very cohesive and well thought out.

Some parts sound like a drunken Art of Noise burning photographs of a now ex-love (especially openers 'Beginning to End' and 'Heartbreak (Sinking)'; 'I Miss You' makes great use of skittish drums and taught strings, all held together by a simple, haunting piano. 'I Miss You More' carries on the haunting piano and vocal samples and is a clever response to 'I Miss You', as well as being a beautiful track in it's own right.

'Healing (Hope You're Well)' makes use of a crackling noise which, repeated through the album, sounds equal parts like old vinyl or the embers of a log fire which still burns (metaphor, anyone?) whilst 'Moving On' is a bit more 'upbeat', but still poignant, with some nice hand claps and plenty of bittersweet strings to get lost in.

Beautifully executed, skillfully orchestrated and highly addictive, 'Songs To Break Up To' is a project to fall in love with.

huhwhatwhere.bandcamp.com/album/songs-to-break-up-to#

The Theory For Our Revenge 'OBORO'

REVIEW: Japanese multimedia art duo make a great first impression with their mix of industrial, trap and operatic pop

The following is a paid for review and post, via humanhuman (see below).

It is always an honour and a pleasure to receive new music to check out and review; especially when it's as enjoyable a listening experience as this first offering from The Theory For Our Revenge is.

The Theory For Our Revenge are COLD FAITH and Jhas; a Japanese music production, fashion stylist and visual art duo.

Their debut single ,'OBORO', is a slice of experimental electro-trap / operatic-art-pop.

Starting with an industrial sounding chugging and churning, the track moves into frosty, haunting melodies.

It's in these opening bars that the only potential hiccup occurs.

Around the 0:38 and 1:12 marks there's a jagged synth whistle which is potentially painful to an earbud wearing listener.

Admittedly I am very sensitive to certain high pitch frequencies.

However, to remedy this I wo…

About The New Beatmaker

Hi! I'm Lee. Welcome to my blog. Here we talk music: news, reviews, interviews, tips, tutorials and more. I'm also working on the upcoming podcast Influenced as a guest, writer and researcher alongside music aficionado Mark Williams and friends. Watch this space!

I have been a lover of music for as long as I can remember, an amateur lyricist for 25 years, a music writer for 15 years and a hobbyist musician and blogger for almost 10 years.

My tastes range from jazz to house to hip hop and I love helping artists from all genres develop their sound.

My music, videos, reviews and interviews have been featured in a variety of magazines and websites, including:

B-Boy Tech Report
Gimme That Beat
Humanhuman
Audio Skills
Dream House Beats
Where Did the Road Go
Beat Tape Co-Op
Push Power Promo
Drum Magazine

You can find my music on Bandcamp:
Monkey Mind Sounds AKA LeeTNB

And you can find me on Facebook:
The New Beatmaker page
Lee's personal page

Georgel ‘Colibrí’

REVIEW: 'Colibrí' highlights Georgel’s potential as a superstar in the making

It is always an honour and a pleasure to receive new music to check out and review; especially when it's as enjoyable a listening experience as Georgel’s ‘Colibri’.

A slice of swaggering, sensual, big band pop, ‘Colibri’ is a superb offering from the singer songwriter.
‘Colibrí’ immediately demands listener attention thanks to punchy horn stabs, satisfying drum fills and Georgel’s strong vocals. Listener attention is maintained throughout due to the athletic and theatrical flair of both vocals and instrumentation. These theatrics never descend into ham or kitsch.

The hook is slinky and sensual, adding an extra layer to an already super-enjoyable cut. The memorable arrangement and vocals, together with professional mixing and mastering mean the song would be as much at home in a big-budget Hollywood musical or Broadway show as it would be on your favourite music streaming service.

A slice of swag…

The New Beatmaker

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