A mesmeric, experimental, otherworldly, hypnotic fusion of trip-hop, dub, electronica of nocturnal ambience, haunting, intimate vocals and sensual grooves by the south London/Atlanta multi-instrumentalist and producer Jacob Allen, centred around the existential theme of strangely knowing when and how were going to die. This philosophical question, he explains, comes with the title itself: “A Croak Dream is a prophetic dream where you see a vision of how you die. Half the songs on this record allude to how you might decide to live, act, if you somehow knew your awaiting fate. Being daring, romantic… saying what you really mean.” Allen’s sound is very distinctive, recorded straight to tape at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios, a sonic world created with co-producer and mixer Sam Petts-Davies (Thom Yorke, Warpaint). Central to the album is the title track, with a six-minute arc, beginning with steady clicks, elements of dub, eerie electronica and a bassline building up textures and intensity with Allen’s falsetto and some echoes of Radiohead. It’s “about someone I have dreamt of for years. Nightmares really, I just have not been able to shake them yet. I thought maybe what I needed was a sort of exorcism, so I wrote this song unpacking this strange bond that has haunted me, and then put it to bed, or death, at the end. It is a laying of a ghost to rest, I hope.” A quite remarkable piece of work (and former Song of the Day), with increasing intensity, and flitting between dream and reality (“This is the death! This is the death! I must wake up, I am choking to death!”) it comes with a video that extends the track and album’s dream logic, rendered into a visual multiverse inspired by early PlayStation game design and angular surrealism of titles like Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid and Tomb Raider.
Puma Blue has a very honed, yet fluidly creative sonic palette, set in place here by the dark thrums and beats of opener Desire, but broadened by many other terrific musical textures, such as the jittery, talking consciousness of Mister Lost, the dreamy intimacy of Hold You, the initial ambient ghostliness of Jaded that develops into driving rhythms and intensity, or the the trip-hop Tricky-style deep, gravelly mumblings, and smoky sax of trip-hop closer Yearn Again. A fabulously original release that transports us to the subconscious and that inevitable final question. Out on Play It Again Sam.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new songs and albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: