VIDEO PREMIERE: Valeska Rautenberg – ‘Berliner Morgen’

Berlin based musician Valeska Rautenberg has shared visuals for her new track ‘Berliner Morgen’ and they’re as cinematic as the soundscape that accompanies it. Taken from her most recent EP Veins: Songs for Piano, Wind & Water, the single is one of four songs that form a collection of “memories, favorite places, and forgotten tales” for the artist.

Valeska’s ambient soundscapes and minimal piano music takes listeners on a journey through her hometown, experiencing and concentrating on thoughts and feelings both she and the listener may not have noticed before. Speaking about her new music, she explains: “Sometimes there’s no need for words. You can let the wind whisper, the water roar, the birds talk, and the streets of Berlin tell their stories”.

‘Berliner Morgen’ in particular captures the beauty and solitude of a walk through Berlin at 5.30 in the morning. Valeska extrapolates: “Imagine coming out of a club (possibly slightly drunk) into the peaceful Berlin drenched in blue. With your blurry night-tainted vision you hardly see the dirt, only the serenity and sweet melancholy of the big B”.

Watch the video for Valeska’s new track below and listen to the Veins EP in its entirety here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Tusks – ‘Dissolve’

If you’re a fan of delicately produced music, Tusks’ debut album Dissolve is an essential listen. Released today via One Little Indian, the ten track record is an impressive offering from newcomer Emily Underhill.

Created alongside longtime co-producer Brett Cox, Dissolve explores territories both internal and external: insecurity, the breaking down of relationships with ourselves and our lovers, and most importantly – hope. ‘For You’ opens the record with lonely keys, clicking beats and Tusks’ delicate vocals, all blended seamlessly to create a moving, ethereal soundscape. On ‘False’ she laments about the lover who “broke down my walls,” the wasted energy and lost faith is explored via piercing guitar riffs and tumultuous percussion.

‘Last’ is laced with reverb and aching vocals and a chorus that rings out in a style similar to that of ethereal indie band Daughter. The eponymous ‘Dissolve’ is a highlight of the record. Slow-building and sensitive, it’s an aural trip through bad memories that have seeped below the skin. It leads in to mysteriously named ‘1807’, which is a masterclass in Brian Cox’s production skills. Each click of percussion and tap of the keys sounds as crisp and pure as Tusks’ measured vocals.

‘Paris’ hosts precious whisperings of love and insecurity – “I’m not safe when I’m alone” –  and could soundtrack a sad night in the city it’s named after, whilst following track ‘Ivy’ is a metaphor for the suffocating doubt that lingers in toxic relationships. ‘Toronto’ contrasts nicely with predecessor ‘Paris’, and while the soundscape here is larger and lonelier, there’s still an essence of hope present in both the vocals and ambient guitar.

Penultimate track ‘My Love’ is a gentle ode to the discovery of true romance, bathed in twinkling synths and more of Tusks’ trademark echoing vocals. The record closes with an eerie cover of Foals‘ ‘London Thunder’ – which Tusks delivers in her own pensive, mesmerising way. Buy your copy of Dissolve today, and let its sensitive sounds erode your fears away.

You can order your copy of Dissolve here, and RSVP here to the album launch show at Kamio on November 15th. Follow Tusks on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Harvey Pearson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBocCut

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