We’ve been having some pretty warm weather recently, and on top of sweating and feeling generally uncomfortable, its also been perfect for keeping the laid back chill out tunes on repeat. Few things are better than a soft, ambient jam, an ice cold beverage and the sun’s rays to remind you that it all ain’t so bad after all. Or it is and you’re actually just delaying your own inevitable failure or worse, you’re putting something off until the very dying seconds until it needs to be done (like me, ALL THE TIME.) Anyway, here’s some of my favorite chill out tunes for you to listen to if the weather holds up, which it probably won’t now I’m writing this. Typical.
Tycho – See
Kickin’ it off with some real downtempo ambiance, this is Tycho from California. Full Tycho records always have a way of seeping into the background for me, such is the nature of the music, but a few songs, such as this always work to grab me. Maybe its the slightly more pronounced beat, maybe its the neat over-arching melody, maybe its the use of more picked bass, I’m not quite sure, but every time this is on, I’m bobbing my head and that’s always a good sign, right?
Telefon Tel Aviv – Sound In A Dark Room
Something decidedly more electronic sounding now with Telefon Tel Aviv, hailing from New Orleans. These two are just the epitome of sweet melodies over crisp, nuanced electronic beats without anything feel abrasive or clawing for your attention. Often with electronic music it wants you to hear every beat, to feel every second and make you dance, this has the opposite idea in mind; just let the music come to you. The mix is staggering, so many layers, so many aspects, but all very neatly packaged together so that you can explore if you want, or just let it play and chill.
Maybeshewill – In Amber
Something a little heavier and a little closer to home as we have British band Maybeshewill with their latest single, In Amber (from upcoming album Fair Youth.) Not the most technical by any means, but these guys know how to construct and execute a catchy melody for sure. Being a full band, as a contrast to the electronic artists I’ve mentioned thus far, there’s a more organic sound at play with each instrument having its space in the mix. That said, the keyboard and complimentary instrumentation really steal the show on this track, soaring high and maintaining memorability through-out.
God Is An Astronaut – Dark Rift
Really, this is just an advertisement for our own homegrown God Is An Astronaut. Post-rock at its finest, these lads, and they’ve been at it for a while now. Huge walls of sound that can be broken down into the sweetest of separate parts, with production that makes each guitar line sound sweeping, every bass note hovering just long enough and percussion that drives the point home. One of the few bands where every record is a journey, and a journey well worth traveling.
Cloudkicker – It’s inside me, and I’m inside it
Where to begin with the mighty Cloudkicker; never the same, always identifiable from a distance. Few artists manage the kind of spread that Ben Sharp manages so effortlessly, and even fewer do it with as many facets that remain intact across genre and sound. On Let Yourself Be Huge, there’s a real sense of letting go a little bit, and just seeing where the music would take him as he wrote. The end result is staggeringly well-layered and emotional, and a great testament to letting the melody decide. Really any track works, but this is the one I’ve had in my head recently so we’ll go for that. The last track is also one of the best endings to a record I’ve ever heard. so give Let Yourself Be Huge a whirl from start to finish.
Deftones – Sextape
Technically, Deftones are a bit heavier than this the vast majority of the time, but in a playlist based around ambiance, I cannot ignore what should be a mainstay track. Sextape is something really special; not only showcasing just how melodic and spacey the Deftones can be, but Chino’s vocals are on another level. Just pure beautiful emotion and melody with a wide range really showing what he can do. Couple it with a suitably trippy video and you an audio-visual experience, man.
Sigur Rós – Milanó
If ever a band encapsulated what it is to be beyond that of a band and to become something else musically, it’s Sigur Rós. I won’t talk about this one too much, just listen and let them take you a million miles away….
That’s some of my chill-out playlist, whats on yours?
