Saturday 16 January 2016

EP: Chen Firsel - Sugarush



Chen Firsel - 'Sugarush'


Info: Israeli alternative and lo-fi musician Chen Firsel today releases his second solo E.P., Sugarush. A member of Tel Aviv experimental indie six-piece Memory in Plant, Firsel's solo work is decidedly different in both mood and style. About the new E.P.'s background he says; 'All the tracks were written each in just a few sessions, once every week or two with help from the talented Hila Ruach. After a few live solo shows in Israel I took the songs that felt complete on and off stage and recorded them at my apartment in Tel-Aviv.'

The opening title-track has a mesmerizing feel to it, with the rippling guitar plucking and soothing vocals leaving you in a surreal yet calm space. 'Stellar' is a really interesting track, it's bending acoustic guitar strumming and off-tone vocals are disorientating but lead up nicely to a more psychedelic stream of sound, Firsel's vocals across the whole E.P. sound quite unique, an unusual blend of contemporary American indie and tripped out 60's vibes. 

On 'My Last Brain Cells' we go deep under water, pulled down to another subterranean world of shimmering water and fading rays of light, the opening bass and fuzzed distortion making way for another low-toned and tender vocal. Sugarush closes with the laid-back and serene 'Bucket List' which has some nice intermittent acoustic riffs, the vocal harmonies drone before the song reaches an abrupt end. On first listen you are making sense of Firsel's latest release and shortly afterwards you are able to appreciate how he has imposed a certain mood across the E.P.'s five tracks, this is a really interesting collection of songs that fans of lo-fi will enjoy as something quite unlike anything they've heard before. 


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