First Listen: CFCF ‘Exercises’

While it does seem that a crazy amount of new music making its way onto our radar is coming from Canada right now, this surge is not to be dismissed. Recently the likes of Grimes and (yesterday) Purity Ring have been catching our attention here at KLLKT and now, our (comparatively) old favourite Montreal’s Mike Silver a.k.a CFCF is set to release a new 8-track EP through Dummy

 on June 21st although, if you can’t wait that long, it is available on digital download now from the folks over at Beep .

The EP sees Silver present a new side to his musical palette, with a down-tempo piano and synth driven project that marks a notable shift from his breakthrough release ‘Continent’ which featured elegantly sampled strings and elements of Chicago House. Here, through a set of soft and subtly arranged pieces each themed, Silver borrows melodic ideas from Phillip Glass producing a record wonderful in its tactful simplicity.

This stripped back style will certainly appeal to those who appreciated the elegant arrangements of songs like Raining Patterns

 from Silver’s back catalogue and although less simmeringly dark and foreboding than the excellent Fitzcarraldo -inspired The River

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 this really is an excellent EP. Silver’s trademark fuzzy, sci-fi synth is present as ever and adds wonderful, slow-burning texture to the compositions, with tracks like ‘Spirit’ and ‘Loss’ existing as wonderfully emotive pieces that would slot well into a film score. One of the things about Silver that marks him as such a promising and exciting artist is his seeming refusal to rest on his laurels, a trait that ensures his music doesn’t become repetitive or homogeneous.

Exercises is another great record from a young and talented ‘bedroom producer’ whose ability to construct sound-scapes is akin to modern masters such as Clint Mansell. Now, do yourself a favour and punctuate your day by listening to the EP in its entirety below.