TUSKS - Gold In Synths And Strings

Isn't it neat when the review almost writes itself?

TUSKS - Gold In Synths And Strings (Download) (2024)

The title of this digital EP Electronic Alternative Pop artist Tusks released back in November couldn't be more self-explanatory:
"Gold" was her previous release, hands-down one of the best - at least one of my personal favorite albums - of 2024. The songs and sounds on it will mercilessly stick in your ears; just deep but catchy amazing stuff.

And now - just as the title says - four of its tracks got the stripping down treatment without beats and bass, just reduced to her vocals on top of beautiful floating synths and strings.

No, it's not a new idea. Countless artist from B (as in Björk) to Z (Zola Jesus) have done it. Just as people have slimmed down their songs to only acoustic guitar or piano or transferred their material into other genres... The idea is not the point here, but the quality. Because if the songs are great and the artist lives up to them, these concepts will always work.

So that's what this is: Just four achingly beautiful songs which should work with or without prior knowledge of "Gold". If you love the album, there's no way you won't appreciate this EP.  And if this is the first thing you hear from Tusks, it will surely be a powerful invitation to also experience her in her "full form". (And I can assure you it will be worth it!)

TUSKS - Gold

Such a little thing, this CD in its slim cardboard gatefold cover with its tiny credits made for ants. While the text size is an imposition I won't deny that at least the artwork is somehow intriguing. Yet on its own still I don't feel it would have prepared me for how huge these forty minutes of music actually are.

TUSKS - Gold (CD) (2024)

I could easily compile a long list of labels I should have a much closer eye on. Often labels without distribution in Germany or even from outside the EU, labels which - despite their proven hand for greatness - I only check on occasionally, because I just love to have a physical copy of my music and with shipping, taxes and stuff shit too often just gets terribly expensive. So the less you know the more you save, right?
And no, you cannot make me feel bad about that. because I'm still supporting enough artists from all around the world even if I ignore 99% percent of all promos, ads, posts, newsletters etc. which could potentially be up my alley, don't worry.

One Little Independent Records, home of everything Björk, keepers of the Crass catalogue, yet also connoisseurs of Contemporary Classical Music like composer Henrik Lindstrand, are surely among those. And I'm grateful that back in 2021 Tusks' "Change EP" sparked my interest enough to actually take a listen. Because since then I already expected that Emily Underhill's next full album would probably be very worthwhile.

Back then I categorized her music as Electronic Ambient with Dream Pop appeal. And while that still applies for a good part on "Gold", it's hardly all, because the singer / songwriter / instrumentalist / producer has expanded her framework on this album a lot without sacrificing her identity.

But before elaborating on this I'll just start with my first overall impression, which is that regardless of how to categorize them in detail at least nine of these ten tracks are just incredibly memorable addictive Pop hits from a parallel universe where that word actually means something. Yes, sometimes the songs are heavy on the choruses and bridges, but why not if those hooks are so good and the instrumentals so tasty?

Looking through the recent additions to my collection the feeling this album gives me is a melancholy satisfaction quite similar to Louise Lemón's "Lifetime Of Tears", yet achieved through different sound aesthetics.
Sometimes those are dominated by layers of synths and strings accompanied by hard Electronic drums, following the Art Pop blueprint of Björk's "Homogenic", but in other instances a more band-orientated mix of bass, guitar, piano and real percussion takes it into a here intimate and quiet, there wide-opening Shoegaze and even Post Rock direction. And most of the time you're just floating on indefinable tides inbetween.
That doesn't mean that potential influences and stylistic references for each track would actually be very hard to find. It just seems so pointless when you can put every note on this album so neatly under the umbrella of Pop as it should be or even shorter just pure gold. (Yeah sorry, that one was super cheap.)

While listening to "Gold" three names in particular are coming to my mind repeatedly. Almost all songs here could have been written by either Angel Olsen or A.A. Williams. Even the ethereal yet determined vocal presence often sits between those two.
The third name points more to brighter stage lights and Soul vibes and surely comes a bit unexpected. But sometimes we hear those delicate, a little adventurous and popstar-ish vocalizations, where I cannot help but for a moment picture an "ArchAndroid" / "Electric Lady" era Janelle Monáe ballad.
And if the combination of these three namedrops alone isn't already intriguing enough to give Tusks a listen, then you probably just hate it when great songs stick in your head?

So that's it from me about this a little short, but as I said in the beginning still huge work. I intentionally didn't point out any specific tracks, because once you go down that road you're still writing the review the next morning...

I already put "Gold" into my MIDYEAR TOP 15 last week, but in hindsight I'm actually not sure if I even ranked it high enough. Good that music's not a competition. Phew.

MIDYEAR TOP 15: my favorite albums of 2024 (so far)

Same procedure as every July: Here's a spontanous selection of my fifteen favorite albums of the year so far. No distinction between studio and live releases - and only stuff which I have on vinyl, CD or cassette. Expect some of these to appear again in my more elaborated list at the end of the year - but don't be surprised if they're in a different order or some have disappeared!

The order ultimately doesn't matter anyway, because even if this list was twice as long, I would still highly recommend every single album on it! 

1. FULL EARTH
   Cloud Sculptors
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. KAMASI WASHINGTON
   Fearless Movement
   
   
   
   
   
3. SLIFT
   Ilion
   
   
   
   
4. SEAN ONO LENNON

   Asterisms
   
   
   
   
5. AGUSA

   Noir
   
   
   
   
6. LOUSIE LEMÓN
   Lifetime Of Tears
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. DOOL
   The Shape Of Fluidity
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. SOLAR TEMPLE & DEAD NEANDERTHALS
   Embers Beget the Divine
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. NICK HUDSON
   Kanda Teenage Honey
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. CARPET
    Collision
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. CHELSEA WOLFE

    She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
    
    
    
    
12. IVAN THE TOLERABLE TRIO
    Infinite Peace
    
    
    
    
    
    
13. MONOVOTH
    Pleroma Mortem Est
    
    
    
    
    
    
14. ZAÄAR
    Musique Cryptique (Live In Liège)
    
    
    
    
    
    
15. TUSKS
    Gold
    
    
    
    
    

2021 digital latecomers (feat. SPINIFEX, THISTLE and TUSKS)

Since we don't know yet, if there will even be Bandcamp Fridays this year, I guess I'm just going to highlight some stuff I downloaded without a specific occasion from time to time. Today let's take another look back on previous year, with one freebie I got gifted from Stoned To Death and two releases which waited long ebough on my wishlist and now finally found their way into my digital collection:

THISTLE - Teleopsia (2021)

This mini album of the Czech/Finnish electronic duo Thistle draws you into an almost meditative environment of hypnotic ambience, without lingering on any idea so long that it gets torturous.
Even though it drifts into some darker places, it remains a soothing affair. Don't mind the dangers! In this vessel you can close your eyes, lay back and be safe. Have an epiphanic journey! "Teleopsia" is also available as a limited cassette edition.

TUSKS - Change EP (2021)

Last year's EP by singer/songwriter Emily Underhill aka Tusks is also at home in the realm of droning electronic ambient music, but shows you that this categorization in itself is quite loose, because the ethereal vocals and wafting dream pop appeal of these three tracks - which are all reprised in instrumental versions - leads you to a completely different place in your imagination than Thistle. Even though they don't go far beyond the five-minute-barrier, the songs on "Change" use their layered textures to build impressively vast and beautiful landscapes. Apart from the need for more I can find nothing not to love about this little art pop gem.

SPINIFEX - Spinifex Beats The Plague (2021)

And finally here's one longer album, which breaks the one-hour-mark. It's also hands down one of the best jazz releases of all year and crying to be put out there in some physical format. The title already tells you, that this is one of those pandemic times works, but you can be sure that Spinifex don't wallow in self-pity, but meet the viral shit show with a fight! Each and every one of the nine tracks, which range from under one to over thirteen minutes length, is a big energetic fuck you with just the right mixture of powerful positivity and artistically resolved anger. With a line-up of bass (I've mentioned Gonçalo Almeida before in this blog), guitar, drums and a wind/brass section of two saxophones and trumpet, Spinifex alternate between sounding like the most brassy instrumentals of prog/funk/soul/metal/whatever fusionists Thank You Scientist helped out by Turkish avant-garde jazzers Konstrukt, including some nods to their orientalisms. The drive and vibe also points to John Zorn's covers of Ornette Coleman, and in the shortest tracks even to the noisier projects which followed later in his discography. The songwriting of this heavy jazz rock album is quite intricate, at its best even rivaling the mastery of Yazz Ahmed, while being decidedly rougher around the edges. The dirty bass, wild drumming and those jumps into pure jazzcore territory take care of that. This is the shit. Awesome!