Spectators

Spectators is a development in the solo work of Benjamin Will (also of The Orfanage), a multi-faceted young Canadian artist who sets the standard for bedroom musicians worldwide. Benjamin is persistent in pushing creative boundaries, and yet simultaneously, works gently and intimately with timbre, lyric and tune.

‘It was warmer out’ shows focus and maturity, both as a recorded work and as an example of songwriting. Benjamin uses understated guitar and keyboard parts to lend atmosphere, while half of the work is already complete through his delivery of often sparse, sad lyrics in soft, smokey tones. These recordings emphasise Benjamin’s brilliant understanding of space and timing, both lyrically and melodically, and the gentle wash of sounds will in turn stir you up, and then lull you into a blissful semi-consciousness.

as of August 2010, the Spectators website is offline. Instead, visit bandcamp to stream / download the songs.

HP/MP

As far as I know, all the info in the world about (Stephen Clark’s glitchy electronica solo act) HP/MP can be found on his muxtape page, which is where I originally encountered his music. I emailed asking for mp3s, and he kindly sent me the Absentee EP, which is a weird and wonderful work of genius.

Something about the bold, youthful but melancholy character of Clark’s voice is reminiscent of Beirut’s Zach Condon (specifically Condon’s own electro-infused solo project, Realpeople). His songs, like Beirut’s, build with intricately interwoven melodies and rhythms, laced with a subdued aggression (notable in the more glitchy and dissonant moments) which evokes Thom Yorke’s solo work. The lyrics are obscure but weighty, and sit perfectly against a haunting melodic backdrop. Certain lines are bound to reach out and grab you (‘I will eat everything that moves’). There is a song called Maticore Shmanticore, which makes me smile.

With five songs and not a lot of background knowledge, it’s hard to draw many conclusions about the stories behind HP/MP, or which direction its creator is intending to move, but this is certainly gripping, unique, and some of the cleverest but also the most moving music I have heard recently.

visit the muxtape page of HP/MP.