A music blog dedicated to my ever-expanding tastes. A musical journey with endless pitstops along the way. Bringing you the best of what I see and hear.
Now is a pretty excellent time to be a Waterstrider fan it seems. After the release of their debut full length Nowhere Now earlier this week, the band recently revealed a non-album track written and recorded by the band's frontman and chief singer/songwriter Nate Salman. "Arrive And Leave" features on a installment of Bandcamp City Guides focusing on Oakland based artists. Unlike the bulk of Waterstrider's tunes that act as more of a collective effort, "Arrive and Leave" is solely the work of Salman who plays everything from the scarcely deployed twinkling synths to the shaker. Where Waterstrider as a whole largely relies on references to their world pop inspiration, "Arrive and Leave" functions as a much more atmospheric folk tune that's aided by the lack of complex percussion.
"Arrive and Leave" is a simpler, younger Waterstrider or more aptly put hearkens back to the days where Waterstrider was solely defined by whatever Salman wanted to do with the moniker but even if this earlier recorded track doesn't reflect the band in its currently incarnation - it's a snapshot of Salman's songwriting chops and musicianship at an earlier point in his career and notably his ability to invoke emotion with solely the power of his voice
You can grab both the digital and a physical 12" versions of the Oakland Bandcamp City Guide as well as stream and discover the other Oakland artists feature on the guide here.
For all their declarations of being a world pop/afrobeat band, Oakland CA outfit Waterstrider have been surprisingly subtle with overt references on the singles they've released thus far. On "Nowhere Now", the fourth single from debut full length of the same name, Waterstrider let the floodgate open and deviate from the more conventional pop stylings in favor of an outright jam. It's a percussion-smorgasboard so much so that the fivesome enlist some outside help for added cacophony and yet, even achieving max-percussiveness Nate Salman's vocals as a laser focused as ever - shifting and contorting as the see fit just above the clamor.
It's the most immediate of the tracks we've heard thus far - sure to galvanize and incited a dance party in all lucky enough to hear the title track. It's no wonder they quintet saved "Nowhere Now" until right before the release of their album, it's a definite standout and sure to be a strong contender for any listener's favorite album track. Luckily for Waterstrider, it's no fluke. "Nowhere Now" comes after a full album of world music referencing but not reliant tracks and the full on frenetic energy feels well and truly earned. Apart from album context, "Nowhere Now" exists as an infectious dance-y number that continues to display just what's so great about the Oakland band: namely their familiarity-bred cohesiveness.
Waterstrider's debut full length album Nowhere Now is out now and available to purchase digitally directly from the band via Bandcamp.
If there was any hint that Oakland world pop quintet Waterstrider were not playing around, it's now. After years of playing it slow and steady in terms of their recorded output, they're finally rushing full speed ahead with their debut full length record Nowhere Now. With the exception of the Little Dragon cover they put out last year and the odd single or two, its the band's first major release since 2012's 3 song suppressed-but-not-forgotten Wind-Fed Fire EP and we're already, surprisingly, three singles in.
"Calliope", named for the muse of epic poetry, builds quite naturally from the nature of celebrity addressed in its double A side companion "White Light". In a similar vein as "White Light", "Calliope" embraces the darker aspects of its source on inspiration - in this case inspiration itself. As "Calliope" addresses the hard won battle of stirring up inspiration and following it through to its artistically satisfying conclusion. While making full use of the whole band there's no denying "Calliope" functions as an impressive showcase for Nate Salman. From the androgynously silvery falsetto at the song's introduction, its sumptuous craning choruses, and his ferocious wail at its climax; "Calliope" demonstrates in full force the sheer strength of Salman's vocal performance. It's not a one man show of course - the foundation for those stratospheric leaps being laid by a band with five years of familiar comfort under its belt but its a notable turn - the rare instance where Salman rushes forth with an unbridled sense of purpose.
In the dizzying time-skipping narrative of director Joe Nankin, the muse is once again granted a physical form as the video's protagonist (played by Paul Collins) finds himself thrown to and fro through time; from the Crusades to modern day California while looking for her. The question becomes not whether or not she'll continue to elude him but if he wants to keep pursuing her as each time he closes in on her, he's shaken vigorous off of her trail. It's a centuries-spanning game of cat and mouse where the mouse is both the captivating seductress and wily fugitive.
Waterstrider's debut full length album Nowhere Now is out April 6th. You can pre-order it now as well as listen to the previously released singles "Redwood" and "White Light" via Bandcamp.
It's hard to believe that California quintet Waterstrider's last release (aside from a Little Dragon cover) was almost a two years ago but here we are. Gearing up for their first big jaunt across the continental US, the fivesome released new single "Redwood" to ring in the occasional.
One of my favorite things about Waterstrider is how they wear their African influences so proudly on their sleeves without just churning out reductive copies of what they love. "Redwood" is no different - the percussion elements essentially imbue all of it's tropical flavor without relying solely on them to make it work. Waterstrider play both with the precision of a band that know each other inside and out and a certain rhythmic looseless that lends itself well to the sun-kissed reveries they're often conjuring. Waterstrider's greatest strength is their ability to make it's various moving parts interlock in just the right ways.
There's no rigidity in Waterstrider's playing which lends itself rather successfully toward the hang out vibe of their music. The lack of intensity; of immediacy; of tension, grants Waterstrider's tracks a definitive sense of freedom - of open plains, spent in frolic with some of your best pals.
Remember Waterstrider? The Berkeley, California sextet certainly managed to charm me when I was introduced to them last year and it's a shame to admit I almost forgot about them. They've been hard at work recording their debut full length but they popped up out of seemingly nowhere to release a short 3 song EP to prepare everyone for the eventual album release.
If there was ever any doubt in my mind about how I felt about Waterstrider, their Wind-Fed Fire EP certainly erased all of it in a wave of passionate flames of want. "Water & Stone", from which lyrics the EP gets its name, starts right where the Constellation EP left off, with more of Waterstrider's homespun afropop if not being far more blatant about it. There really is no second guessing what you're hearing on Wind-Fed Fire - it's balmy, pep-in-your-step indie-pop with a very very noticeable world influence. Bookended by two world-influenced jams, "Feathertips" is far more subtle built upon a swaggering groove with skipping, frolicsome melodic lines.
The real star of the EP however is the closer: A live version of "Edge of Light". It's a taste for the unlucky souls who don't live in California to enjoy what proves to be an exceptionally energetic live performance. Not only is it an absolutely fun track but its complex interweaving parts are an absolute marvel. Intensely intricate rhythms and riffs that come at you at a pretty daring speed played with total fearlessness and obvious talent. If Waterstrider had just released this track alone, it would've been enough to tide me over til the full length's release but we're lucky enough to get two more stellar tracks.
Waterstrider's Wind-Fed Fire EP is the perfect place-holder for what's sure to be a pretty incredible debut. It proves that the sextet are definitely heading in the right direction, creatively and I can't wait to see where they go next. Until then, I intend to wear out my copy of the EP with total and absolute gusto.
Like the majority of my great finds in 2011, my introduction to Berkeley California sextet Waterstrider happened during a late night Turntable.fm session. The sparse intro of "Midnight Moon" similar to Bibio's "Lovers' Carvings" made me immediately pay attention. Waterstrider's music is composed of an intricately layered foundation and swooping melodies with just the right amount of variation in the form of congas, flutes, and other unexpected instrumentation choices. Waterstrider spice up their standard indie rock with occasional forays into balmy tropical pop stylings and complex, attention-grabbing rhythms that are just the right kind of flashy.
Get a taste of Waterstrider with this live acoustic video of newer track "Tile Mountains":
Also you can listen to more Waterstrider with their recently released 4 song Constellation EP
