Thursday, January 20, 2011

Halls - Halls EP


Pretty much blown away by this self-titled debut EP from UK-based, bedroom/beat producer Halls.   It took only thirty seconds of "Chakra Drums" streaming on No Modest Bear and I was at Halls' bandcamp, hoping the rest of the EP held up.  I was ecstatic to find it definitely did.  As Halls, artist Samuel Howard manufactures ambient soundscapes buttressed by skitter-step beats.  This is hardly the first time we've heard a solo artist produce hazy, reverb-heavy tracks, but Halls' music is more ambient than the anthemic, dance-oriented songs of, say, Washed Out.  Perhaps a better reference, then, is Foxes In Fiction.  Halls' songs are also a tad drab and dreary.  The resulting sound demands an intensely personal connection to the music, one that invades your headspace and clouds out the extraneous details of the day.  Perfect for a lazy, lonely listen.  I mean that as the highest compliment to the artist and as a recommendation for you to listen. 

Halls - Cave Days
Halls - Kaleidoscope

Buy the Halls EP for ₤1 (less than $2) here.

Follow Halls on bandcamp and SoundCloud.

(via No Modest Bear)

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