Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesdays is our column where we spotlight the best new instrumental tracks.

We’re still in November, but we’re just about over the holiday music already. The jingles, the sleigh bells, the saccharin sweet melodies designed to do something sinister to the collective brainwaves (we’re assuming). Lucky for us and you we have two new instrumental tracks and one basically instrumental track to cleanse the old ear pallets and regain a sense of non-holiday self. Check out the latest from faintface & Anita Tatlow, Rosa Canina and Irkid.
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Ok, so “Dawn of Awakening” by faintface does have words, but we swear this ain’t no bait and switch. The vocals by Anita Tatlow are etherial, indecipherable and more a part of the soundscape than the traditional “second verse, same as the first” type of thing. Think Cocteau Twins on an astral plane and you start to get the vibe here. The song is also a good reminder that you don’t need a bunch of change ups and different layers coming in and out to make a compelling piece of music. This is one warm, immersive state throughout and that’s one of its strengths.
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Switching gears we have Rosa Canina with “Foxglove.” This Amsterdam based post rock trio leave the synths and soundbaths to other instrumental artists and bring a drum, bass, guitar approach that keeps it tasty without ever drifting into noodling or showboat shredding. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty on chops display here, there are, they’re just a classier cut of meat than notes for notes sake and time changes that change with as little reason as day lights saving. All this is to say, it’s an enjoyable ride and you should hop on board.
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So often what makes an instrumental track really work is the subtleties. Small shifts in tone and arrangement that take your subconscious experience of the song into deeper territories. “Alba Lenta” by Italy’s Irkid has that by the boatload, which we admit is not a very nuanced unit of measure, but still fitting. It is so nuanced you’ll want to listen to it on repeat just to key in on different moments as they happen.
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