I love Kenny Foster‘s ability to wrap up big ideas in the most accessible and infectious sounds. His songs are often gently philosophical, examining important concepts and the nature of modern society without the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth that many artists resort to when they think they are being important. ‘Sideways Apocalypse,’ instead, is happy to just wash over you – a vibe, a feeling, a state of sonic grace as much as music in the usual sense – and there is something wonderfully subversive about that. (And even describing the song as subversive feels like an act of subversion in itself.)
And so, as ‘Sideways Apocalypse’ muses on the unpredictable nature of modern life, it does so via a gorgeously 60s-soaked vibe, albeit one perhaps that has passed through a Paisley Underground revivalist filter. The beats drive confidently, but above that percussive platform, layers of sonics seem gently draped rather than carrying much weight.
It is a combination that works wonders – drive with delicacy – and it is the gossamer nature of these musical layers, paced deftly one on top of the other, catching the light in different combinations to create a thing of musically translucent and slightly psychedelic beauty that is the real charm here.
Poignancy without the pose and posturing, poise over power. Perfect.
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