New York-based duo food court people mix their classical roots with improvisation to produce some of the most interesting music I’ve heard in ages.
‘we have that at home’ is a 7-track album, where full-length tracks alternate with much shorter interludes. This provides a cool experimental soundscape which makes you feel like you are travelling between strange new sonic worlds.
‘canal years’ is a beautiful opening track that floats and soars. I loved the melodic ideas and the dreamy vocals. The guitar work on this track is amazing too, as is the unusual arrangement. Distant beats come and go; there are odd pauses and breakdowns. A mournful nostalgia is reflected in the lyrics:
Times go
And ever grow
We’re gone
Abundance and treason
But don’t close your eyes
You were mine
‘quixotical’ is the first short interlude – strange noises scratch and burrow into the brain – I thought I heard a heartbeat at one point – but who knows.
‘outdoor seating’ brings a warm, smooth sound which melts from the speakers and seems to fill the room. Hannah’s vocal cuts through the track just enough and has a slightly breathy tone, which really gels well. When the beat comes in – just for a moment or two – there is such a nice groove. Then the cinematic strings kick in and everything changes again. Very cool.
‘free samples’ is another short interlude and has some crazily disjointed and disconcerting sounds. A frantic, distorted beat and dissonance turned up to 11 creates a slightly nightmarish feel.
‘harborwave’ was hard to pin down for me – layer upon layer of sweet strings and guitars swirl and play together – then things coalesce and it’s all brought into sharp focus. Another strong vocal melody, and another track with a really unique arrangement that feels so complex. The song smiles through its sadness:
Sweet confessions
Linger on the tongue
Woke up sick of myself
It’s all wrong
Can it be
A day felt too long
‘we have that at home’ is the final short interlude. Sounds break through then fade away. It’s like echoes or reflections from other places – other dimensions – are reaching out to us.
‘suffolk garden’ feels a bit more traditional and accessible – at first – but it soon becomes the exploration of cryptic arrangements and strong melodies we’ve come to expect here. Not for the first time, this reminded me of a dream – slightly disconcerting, slightly surreal, and impossible to figure out.
‘we have that at home’ is such an inventive and unique record. Impossibly complex arrangements, lush strings, intricate guitar work, strange sounds and pretty melodies all combine with introspective lyrics to create a cinematic universe that is awe-inspiring and beautifully unsettling..
Written by Grubby
