THE CUTS: EP 06 VOL. 9
THE CUTS is a weekly review of newly released songs and videos. The songs and videos covered are not genre or region-specific. Once we find it dope, we’ll share our thoughts on it here.
Øbed – breathe
Whatever is in the water that the guys at SuperJazzClub are drinking must be very potent. For the past weeks, the content they have been producing are not just top-notch, melodically speaking but the quality on display is an attestation to their superior skills as musicians. One of the members of the Collective, Øbed has released another single, off their “Everything Gorgeous” playlist.
Titled “breathe“, the song sparkles with the aesthetics that is becoming a signature trait in their music. Øbed wears a lot of cap within the Collective – a songwriter, singer, producer. These qualities are on display on “breathe”, the sombre tune enriched with guitar riffs, synths, eerie grooves and sparse lyrics. “breathe”, crafted like a musical interlude is a record about finding your way through a maze. Øbed’s last word: “Stay Alive” is both cautionary and inspirational on the context of the song’s theme and the times we live in.
Amaarae – LEAVE ME ALONE (Video)
Amaarae possesses a beautiful mind. Artistically, she is one of the most daring artists of our generation. Her music, though considered alternative, is usually embellished with pop elements. The sonic pleasure that her music bellows is scintillating, tender, captivating. Even when the subject of her songs are dense, her voice and delivery makes it a soothing listen.
Another avenue where Amaarae freely exhibits her creativity is through her visuals. She, along with her team continue to push beyond the confines of the art form, as far as Ghanaian music videos are concerned- videos like FLUID and LIKE IT are examples. The video for her two-week-old single “LEAVE ME ALONE” is a perfect indicator. As conveyed by the video’s introductory statement, Amaarae and her team shot the video in-doors, in a cartoonish style. The technical detail and amazing creativity that the visuals oozed confirms the depth of her creativity and why she is cruising down her own lane.
Temple – Bars For Days
“Dem say what we dey do, boy e no go work/But that be what I fi do wey I no go sweat/Chale, that be what I go fi do wey I no go stress”. Temple is readying to release his anticipated EP and in line with music release standards, the first single “Bars For Days” is out. On this hip hop track, Temple, who is the leader of the PATA Camp and a member of the Neo- Spirituals, an artistic collective consisting of musicians, videographers, producers and more reminds people of his lyrical gifts.
“Bars For Days” is the perfect introductory single for Temple – he raps about his career path, his role as a son and dad to a daughter, his supportive friends and the support from his team. The only downside to this is how short the track is. But, as a first single, it fuels the anticipation for his EP.
Joeyturks – ALWAYS
“Always on mind yeah I’m falling for you/No need to waste time cos I’m falling for you“, the stripped-down, well pitched vocals blurt out over a lone guitar riff. Joeyturks, a member of the Ghanaian Collective SuperJazzClub makes an entry and in a James Blake-esque vocal style re-echoes the word “falling”. The drums that follow hands the song its colour. “ALWAYS” is a cauldron of influences- hip hop, R&B/Soul and a bit of country. Its mid-tempo groove, soothing melody and chorale embellishment offers the 2 minutes, 14 seconds record an irresistible elegance.
Mr. S – Explosion
Finger snaps, hard piano chords, violin strums and more combine to create the soundscape of “Explosion“, a love ballad that showcases the vocal cadences of Mr. S. “Explosion” has Mr. S tossing out a couple of questions to his lover as deduced by words like ”and, don’t you feel the explosion when we making love/how do you like my body inside you?“. The song could pass as a score for a movie thanks to its texture and theme explored on the record. Though the falsetto delivered by Mr. S is great, it could have been enhanced to make it more crisper and audible.
