Jon Hopkins – Get In Her Ears

Formed of twin sisters Georgina and Una McGeough, Song Sung grew up in Ireland, before moving over to New York a decade ago. Since then, the pair have been dabbling in music software, creating their own atmospheric electronics, and are set to release their debut album later this year. The duo recently worked with David Holmes (Unloved), who co-wrote and produced their EP, I Surrender, along with his bandmate Keefus Ciancia. The pair have previously worked on scores with Holmes too, including The Fall and Killing Eve (for which they won a BAFTA).

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Song Sung to ask about their “Five Favourites” – five albums that influenced their song writing techniques. Check out Song Sung’s choices below, and scroll down to watch the video for their single ‘Come To The Water’ at the end of this post.

1. Plaid – Reachy Prints
I was at friends exhibition opening one night in Berlin, and Barry Burns from Mogwai was DJing at the after party. He played a mixture of electronic beats, with some IDM. I remember he played ‘Hawkmoth’ and all of a sudden I could no longer hear the person I was talking to. I proceeded to dance my way over to Barry to ask “who is that?”. The entire album is incredible. We had a chance to see Plaid in December at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, which was fantastic.

2. Casino Versus Japan – Whole Numbers Play the Basics
This album was introduced to us a few years ago. It was on heavy rotation during the writing and recording of our album. The dronescapes and lush melodies are exquisite. It’s one of our favourite records.

3. Jon Hopkins – Immunity
Our album was made between NYC, Berlin and Belfast and in each of those cities, Jon Hopkins walked with us. It’s a miraculous listen. There is so much emotion and space in this album and there is a real feeling of warmth to it.

4. Boards of Canada – The Campfire Headphase
It’s difficult to choose which BoC album to feature, because we listen to them non-stop. I think The Campfire Headphase album was the one that got the most spins during the making of our album. It was an escape from our dream into another dream. Trans Canada Highway is another escape. The albums are quite different, but there is something unique about siblings making music together.

5. Aphex Twin – I Care Because You Do
I feel like this album was always playing somewhere when we were at art school in Belfast, quite possibly ingrained in the walls of every art school on the planet. It’s haunting, meditative and really emotional. The opening track, ‘Acrid Avid Jam Shred’ gently transports you and captures your attention right until the end of the record. It’s mesmerizing, melancholic and masterful from beginning to end. An absolute favourite.

Listen to Song Song’s EP, I Surrender, here. Follow the band on Spotify & Facebook for more updates.

Sparse, searching, and sincere; Scottish-Portuguese artist and producer Su Shaw – aka SHHE – creates captivating electronic sounds based around the concepts of identity, empathy, and intense personal change. She recently released her debut self-titled album via One Little Indian Records, and it’s an understated, yet dramatic gem that lingers in the memory long after the first listen.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Su to ask her about her “Five Favourites” – five tracks that have influenced her song writing techniques. Check out her choices below, and scroll down to listen to her debut album at the end of this post.

1. Jenny Hval – ‘Conceptual Romance’
Jenny Hval is not just one thing, she is many things. If you are not already familiar with some of those things, take a five minute intermission and read her recent ‘Hi I’m Jenny Hval and you can ask me anything’ interview on Reddit. ‘Conceptual Romance’ from Blood Bitch was the first track I heard, but all of her projects are worthy of your eyes/ears/time. My girlfriend and I went to see her a few years ago, and it was one of my favourite gigs. Half-way through she admitted that most of the set had been improvised because the airline had lost their instruments the day before.

When I listened to ‘Lions’ for the first time [from her recent album The Practice Of Love] it made me want to cry and go for a very fast run. Those are strange things to feel simultaneously. She is open and honest and writes about the things that other people don’t write about, and I have a dream that one day we will be great friends.

2. Land of Talk – ‘Some Are Lakes’
I was 20 when I heard Land of Talk for the first time. I can’t tell you where or how I made the discovery, but I listened to this album [of the same name] on repeat that whole year. I was in a bunch of bands at school, I was always the only girl. At a school with more than 100 other people in my year, that always made me kind of sad. I didn’t pick up an electric guitar until I was 17, even then I never had confidence to play it on stage. I was the singer. Liz Powell did both. I wish we’d gone to school together.

3. Boards of Canada – ‘Music is Math’
‘Music is Math’ is taken from the Boards of Canada album, Geogaddi. It was released in 2002. I did not find Boards of Canada until they released Tomorrow’s Harvest in 2013. No one has found them since. In fact, no one knows much about them. It’s a useful reminder, at a time when everyone is obsessed with knowing everything, that the music is the only thing we need. If you’re not satisfied by that, there’s patterns and messages and codes that they’ve hidden throughout their albums to keep you busy. I like listening to Boards of Canada when I’m feeling confused and I need a break.

4. Jon Hopkins – ‘Luminous Beings’
The first time I saw Jon perform was in a village hall at a festival called Homegame in Fife. It was the most relaxed I’ve ever felt in a room packed full of people. There’s a great Song Exploder interview with Jon where he talks about some of the influences behind ‘Luminous Beings’ – meditation and altered states and psychedelics and ice baths. His Asleep Versions album is also a special record and has been the soundtrack to many late night/early morning drives.

5. Caterina Barbieri – ‘SOTRS’
Patterns of Consciousness is one of my favourite albums from the last few years. ‘SOTRS’ is perfect for riding a bike with no hands, if you’re able to do that somewhere safely.

Thank you to Su for sharing her favourites with us. Follow SHHE on Facebook for more updates.

Tag: Jon Hopkins

FIVE FAVOURITES: Song Sung

FIVE FAVOURITES: SHHE