Shakespeare & the Blues
e.g., rhapsodic
Nouveau Electric Records
Sometimes, you just need to get away. It’s a crazy world out there with howling winds, waters rising and a virus that just doesn’t know when to leave. There are times when it would really be nice to be able to step out of linear time and take a while to chill and decompress. It would nice if we could hitch a ride on the TARDIS with the Doctor. Since we can’t do that, may I suggest letting Shakespeare & the Blues take you on a sound journey that’s almost as good.
Shakespeare & the Blues are an instrumental trio from New Orleans. The songs are built on hypnotic rhythms supplied by drummer Cam Smith and bassist Bryan Webre. On top of the trap beats and slithering bass lines, they lay on electronic sound manipulations, vocal samples and Cassie Watson Francillion’s concert harp. Cassie is the secret sauce allowing e.g.,rhapsonic to take listeners across the 9th dimension. You just don’t hear harps in popular music that often.
Shakespeare & the Blues play what we used to call “headphone music.” The songs are chill and relaxing, but far from simple. “Emerald Glowing Figure,” for instance, has shimmering harp floating over hip hop inspired beats, a dub inflected bass line and layers of electo-fuzz. They are songs that reward repeated and close listening.
