“All I knew is what I wanted to hold on to”
Songwriter Angelina Luzi knows how complicated being trapped in an unhealthy addictive relationship can get. On her new single Beast, she poetically delivers an intoxicating tale of want and regret, the kind most modern souls know to be too familiar. The track grooves like a trip hop lullaby meant for the chillest part of the night. Angelina is seductive and soothing, caressing us with her vocal blessings and impressive control. The melody spins with wonderful variation, as Angelina navigates around the scale with masterful moderation, before giving in to a higher emotive range, matching the tender issues of the moment.
Soul, R&B, and Jazz are all invited to sit at her table. She refers to all of them equally, but remains in essence a sister to the groove of hip hop, with indie pop vocal sensibility. The arrangement has wonderful progressive variation, echoing melodic and lyrical clues with dreamy moving contributions. Strings, chimes, well placed synths, and haunting background vocals follow Angelina throughout the track. The music chases her like the ghost of her unwanted lover. All to her last breath, she can’t shake them. “Won’t see you playing your guitar in pub.”
A beautiful lament as closure.
Hear Beast now on our Women Of Trip Hop playlist
Sydney based Trip Hop project Timothy and the Apocalypse is rich with catchy melodies. In the vein of Thievery Corporation and Massive attack, producer Timothy Poulton teams up fantastic female vocal features when his songs calls for an exotic texture. The new album Ethereal Event is ripe with catchy grooves and downtempo aesthetic. There is an abundance of eclectic surprise throughout, as Poulton flexes his production skills repeatedly on the release. Hip hop grooves, electronic music, and pop collide with world music. Poulton remains true to the spirit of the genre. He dresses it all up with cinematic appeal. The album plays like a sonic soundtrack to your daydreams, or a preview for a sexy night out at the club. It’s no wonder this project has been included on Spotify’s coveted Just Chill playlist. It’s hard not to get lost in these grooves, repeatedly losing yourself to all of the wonderful musical moments that intersect throughout the release.
On their song Start Again, an epic groove and summery guitar collide into a perfectly placed female vocal feature, as Poulton channels the charm of Sneaker Pimps with a more modern electronic intellect. Hints of ethereal ambient soundscapes break through as the voice trails and echoes offscreen before pulling back into the picture, and then pushed away again by a bluesy soulful guitar break. Poulton brings it all back for a groovy outro.
Truly a feel good number with a wonderful message. The singer asks, “Tell me a reason to start again?” The musical answer is clear, because this groove feels so damn good. Hear Start Again now on our Women of Trip Hop playlist.
Dream States are Eternal as you enter the world of Earth to Abigail.
Three tracks that together span over 30 minutes make up the album called The Forest. Long theatrical trips into this dreamy world feature rich progressive compositions that evolve like chameleons who inhabit this musical landscape. Earth to Abigail has conceptualized their own world, where nature intersects with modern science. The lyrics reveal a cultural visionary, enlightened beyond the restraints of modern convention, celebrated here in song with existential bliss. The music and the message blend in Socratic relief, as truths are revealed within your own questioning. Matching their taste for breaking the mold, Earth To Abigail is not afraid to present a pensive composition, and like classic visionaries Pink Floyd, the long scale of the song goes unnoticed.
The exotic temperament reveals music to reflect and heal to, as the temptation of the voice draws you deeper into your dream state, helping you shed some burden of modernity, providing solace from toxicity.
Where is this place and how do we get there? Give in to its natural abundance, let it absorb you. Hear The Forest now on our Women of Trip Hop playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 