You’re in the wilderness, a hundred miles from any civilization. A light breeze blows through your hair, carrying the scent of a nearby fire on its wispy fingers. Embers simmer and spark as the wood burns, the crackling echoing through the otherwise silent trees. You close your eyes, allowing your remaining senses to bask in the utter tranquility of the moment. You open them again…
You’re in your bedroom, or your office, or your backyard. That’s what listening to downtempo virtuoso Emancipator‘s new album ‘Dusk To Dawn’ is like; a 45 minute aural journey, accompanied by lush strings, ethereal vocals, and an ever-present backbeat.
The third studio effort from Emancipator – real name Doug Appling – follows in the footsteps of 2006’s ‘Soon it Will Be Cold Enough’ and 2010’s ‘Safe In the Steep Cliffs’, providing a deft blend of trip-hoppy goodness. This time around, though, it’s clear Appling has it down to a fine art. From the violin solos on ‘Minor Cause’ and ‘Merlion’ – courtesy of frequent accompanist and live companion Ilya Goldberg – to the shades-of-Gramatik jive beat on ‘Dusk to Dawn’, there’s not a purposeless note on the entire album.
That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of pleasant surprises among ‘Dusk To Dawn’s’ ten tracks. ‘Valhalla”s elevator-muzak intro and subtle hints of slow-pulsing bass caught my ear upon first listen. The choir vocals and gentle bounce of the title track, which also features a bluegrass-tinged violin accompaniment, were another standout. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention ‘The Way’, which contains otherworldly vocals and a sax solo from none other than Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic.
Appling’s music has always had a special place in my heart – ‘Soon it Will Be Cold Enough’ has gotten me through a lot of long, late-night drives – but ‘Dusk To Dawn’ is something special. “Labor of love” is the cliché I keep returning to, and it feels like the right one. While this album will probably fly under a whole bunch of radars, it should be smack dab in the middle of yours.
Grab a good pair of headphones and check out the album in its entirety below; click here to purchase it through Loci Records.
Emancipator is currently on a winter tour with support from recent Loci Records signee Tor, with a west coast mini-tour featuring Little People to follow. You can get a full list of dates and purchase tickets here.
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