Perhaps it's nostalgia for that wonderful time when making music was more challenging, at times laborious, and the more tiring was the process that led to the creation the more the final product acquired value, but this album brings you back to those times, without sounding outdated.
The process of writing, recording, mixing and mastering, nonetheless, can be long and well designed, with quality and respect for the music at the center of the project, even in an age when technology makes everything easier and quicker for musicians. This album is a clear example of that. The Degrees (Charlie Bierman and singer-songwriter Isha Campbell) -at the legendary Rockfield Studios- and with the support of Fallen Tree 1Hundred (the label behind the project), have designed and created a small masterpiece with a vintage taste but perfectly actual and -indeed- it serves as a lesson to all those who think that little time and little effort is enough to concoct special things. The record, composed of twelve tracks, is called 'The Day Out Of Time' and has been composed three years ago, in 2020, for this reason we can consider it a photograph, a portrait of that specific moment of art and creativity that the two were able to freeze in time and which they now present to us in the form of such an ambitious album. We know how much work goes into a record of this kind and, even if today's music world runs fast, presenting hundreds of thousands of releases a day, it is important to remember that records can still be timeless. Well, this is the first thing I thought while listening to this LP for the first time: it is timeless. It sounding ageless is perhaps ascribable to the fact that it recalls that famous sound coming from South-West England in the late 90s/early 00 but, having that musical wave had such an impact and therefore created a sonic standard, it can easily be revived and revisited in a current key without sounding obsolete. In addition, this album is full of different influences coming from R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop which, over the years, have grown and developed to become the daily bread of many listeners who have refined their taste with time, and can now perfectly incorporate the multiple sound stimuli coming from it, as ‘The Day Out Of Time' satisfies every type of taste. Isha Campbell's voice can be equally deep and clean and more scratchy and penetrating, giving each track a great impact, while Bierman's musical talent gives a magical twist to each production. Every song is functional to the creation of the big picture, as in a painting each brushstroke is complementary and essential to the final result, starting from the opening track 'Nothing Else' and its disruptive energy, up to the sensual vibe of 'Blinded' and 'Need You' and the melancholic sweetness of 'Between The Rain'. The LP contains a vast spectrum of emotions that are impeccably translated in music by the duo, who adopts lyrics composed and designed to match the masterly written arrangements, so as to make it indistinguishable which one was created first, being both perfectly connected. Our advice is to approach the listening of this record with an open mind, without preconceptions, trying to grasp its many nuances and enjoying its details. Thanks to The Degrees and Fallen Tree 1Hundred for putting together such a fine work.
Perhaps it's nostalgia for that wonderful time when making music was more challenging, at times laborious, and the more tiring was the process that led to the creation the more the final product acquired value, but this album brings you back to those times, without sounding outdated.
The process of writing, recording, mixing and mastering, nonetheless, can be long and well designed, with quality and respect for the music at the center of the project, even in an age when technology makes everything easier and quicker for musicians. This album is a clear example of that. The Degrees (Charlie Bierman and singer-songwriter Isha Campbell) -at the legendary Rockfield Studios- and with the support of Fallen Tree 1Hundred (the label behind the project), have designed and created a small masterpiece with a vintage taste but perfectly actual and -indeed- it serves as a lesson to all those who think that little time and little effort is enough to concoct special things. The record, composed of twelve tracks, is called 'The Day Out Of Time' and has been composed three years ago, in 2020, for this reason we can consider it a photograph, a portrait of that specific moment of art and creativity that the two were able to freeze in time and which they now present to us in the form of such an ambitious album. We know how much work goes into a record of this kind and, even if today's music world runs fast, presenting hundreds of thousands of releases a day, it is important to remember that records can still be timeless. Well, this is the first thing I thought while listening to this LP for the first time: it is timeless. It sounding ageless is perhaps ascribable to the fact that it recalls that famous sound coming from South-West England in the late 90s/early 00 but, having that musical wave had such an impact and therefore created a sonic standard, it can easily be revived and revisited in a current key without sounding obsolete. In addition, this album is full of different influences coming from R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop which, over the years, have grown and developed to become the daily bread of many listeners who have refined their taste with time, and can now perfectly incorporate the multiple sound stimuli coming from it, as ‘The Day Out Of Time' satisfies every type of taste. Isha Campbell's voice can be equally deep and clean and more scratchy and penetrating, giving each track a great impact, while Bierman's musical talent gives a magical twist to each production. Every song is functional to the creation of the big picture, as in a painting each brushstroke is complementary and essential to the final result, starting from the opening track 'Nothing Else' and its disruptive energy, up to the sensual vibe of 'Blinded' and 'Need You' and the melancholic sweetness of 'Between The Rain'. The LP contains a vast spectrum of emotions that are impeccably translated in music by the duo, who adopts lyrics composed and designed to match the masterly written arrangements, so as to make it indistinguishable which one was created first, being both perfectly connected. Our advice is to approach the listening of this record with an open mind, without preconceptions, trying to grasp its many nuances and enjoying its details. Thanks to The Degrees and Fallen Tree 1Hundred for putting together such a fine work.
