FEATURE:
My Five Favourite Tracks of 2021
Gabriels - Blame
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WHEREAS it might be a little premature…
to list my favourite five albums of the year by November (I have seen a list of the album arriving before the end of the year and am confident in my selections; in a case a surprise album drops, I will make a change), some might feel deciding upon the best tracks of this year before the end of December is hasty. I am leaving it until December to name the fifth single that makes the list, but my favourite of the year, Gabriels’ Blame, is not going to be shifted! Separate from their E.P. release earlier in the year, Love and Hate in a Different Time, we got this gift of a single (they also released another great single, Bloodline, a few weeks back). Blame is a song that hit me the first time that I heard it. With elements of Gospel and Soul, it seems like some of the vocals could have been taken from a recording in the 1930s or 1940s. It has modern production, yet there is something vintage about Blame. An arresting, spellbinding and utterly engrossing song, it was my introduction to Los Angeles group, Gabriels. I will end with my thoughts. Before then, I want to introduce articles where other sites reacted to the news and arrival of the year-owning track, Blame. This is what CLASH said when they reported about the song in September:
“LA group Gabriels return with new single 'Blame'.
The group seemed to strike a chord in 2020, with their magnificent 'Love And Hate In A Different Time' becoming a cult phenomenon.
Hitting the UK for a London residency, Gabriels will play three long since sold out nights at The Social next month (October 12th, 15th, and 17th).
New single 'Blame' continues their rise, with its soulful appeal touching on the timeless while staring intently at the future.
Gabriels have something to their sound that is impossible to replicate, and it imbues 'Blame' with this gilded charm.
Say the group: “When examining our life’s problems, we hastily assign blame. 'This happened because of this…' Our song ‘Blame’ seeks to examine the construct of not only fault and shame, but take a deep dive into the world of addiction, and indulgence”.
I have been hearing the song a lot on BBC Radio 6 Music. I feel that it is worthy of a wider audience. A peal of a song that many people might miss out on, Gabriels are a band that I am determined to keep an eye on. Blame took me by surprise in a sense! The Line of Best Fit wrote extensively about the song when they heard it:
“There’s something inherently spiritual about Jacob Lusk’s vocals; formerly of American Idol fame, the singer’s upbringing through the church has allowed him to lead congregations across the city and lend vocal arrangements to Diana Ross and Gladys Knight, amongst others.
Naturally, Lusk is a major force amongst the gospel community, and a well-respected artist in the musical infrastructure of California. The celestial talent forefronts Gabriels, a trio backed by two remarkable producers in Ryan Hope (originally from Sunderland) and Ari Balouzian. Across their catalogue, they harness a quality rarely seen in today’s musical landscape, with subtle nods to jazz, R&B, funk, soul and gospel, while innately staying true to their identity. Classically trained, it is no wonder their collective uniqueness as a vintage-filtered soul outfit feels like a genuine continuation of – rather than a cheap homage to – the greats that came before them.
Suitably mysterious, the group only have a handful of material and one live show to their name, yet have created enough fanfare to sell out three consecutive London dates at their upcoming residency at London’s The Social, and to be nabbed by Celeste to support on her upcoming tour.
The trio’s latest offering, “Blame”, accentuates Lusk’s delicate yet irrepressible vocals, and highlights Hope and Balouzian’s cinematic sonics. The result is a piece of music that reverberates through the consciousness as if you were sitting in a smokey 1960s jazz bar; the sparse building percussion bubbling up and away to a frenzied crescendo, before fading away elegantly behind the textured production.
Opening with a haunting looped piano, an experimental string arrangement and a heavy brooding bass, it’s a blend which is soundtrack-esque in nature, and naturally fitting of a film score. It wouldn’t be hard to see this being used as a backdrop to every gripping drama over the coming year.
Brought into the global consciousness with the phenomenal “Love and Hate in a Different Time,” which garnered acclaim from Elton John, Gilles Peterson and Virgil Abloh, Gabriels continue to build on the strength of their foundations with this truly stunning and atmospheric single.
Explaining the meaning behind the track, Lusk says, “When examining our life’s problems, we hastily assign blame – ‘This happened because of this…’ Our song ‘Blame’ seeks to examine the construct of not only fault and shame, but take a deep dive into the world of addiction, and indulgence.”
It isn’t too far-fetched to see the resemblance to the likes of Etta James and Nina Simone, as this gifted trio embody the same core characteristics which cemented those icons into American musical history: distinct voices, subtle production, and mighty power layered with elements of gracefulness.
Much like the Motown greats of yesteryear, Gabriels create songs with meaning, songs which affect changes in people. “Blame” continues to do that with infectious, thought-provoking vigour”.
Even though it is technically not about Blame, there is an interview from NME where we are introduced to Gabriels. The group spoke about the reaction that their debut E.P. has been afforded:
“The past, present and future are in lockstep in the music of Gabriels. The LA-based trio, who released their debut EP ‘Love and Hate in a Different Time’ in June, channel the uncompromising authenticity of gospel and 60’s R&B, but present it in a thrilling, contemporary context with tightly arranged production and sharp electronic flourishes. In a fast, oversaturated musical landscape, Gabriels demand that you drop everything and listen closely.
Comprising Sunderland-born producer Ryan Hope (the band is named after St. Gabriels Avenue, the street on which Hope grew up), Calfiornian producer and classically trained musician Ari Balouzian, and the stunning gospel vocals of Compton’s Jacob Lusk, they have quickly amassed an arsenal of famous fans, including Annie Mac, Gilles Peterson and Elton John, who described the debut EP’s title track as, “one of the most seminal records I’ve heard in the last ten years”. In other words, time is running out to be ahead of the game on this band.
The response for your debut EP was so strong, and people are clearly connecting to the depth of feeling in your music. Could that suggest that those things are in short supply in music elsewhere at the moment?
Ryan: “I think it depends on where you get your music from. In general, it’s out there. But in short supply? I could see why somebody would think that, and I do agree.”
Ari: “It’s harder to get that good stuff out; it’s not fed to the public very much. Unless there’s some tower structure attached to it, it doesn’t seem like it has value. But there are a lot of really interesting musicians who are around that we love and are inspiring, but they are different to what the mainstream language of music is now”.
An absolutely astonishing track that cannot fail to move the senses, it will take something rather special and unexpected to dislodge Blame from the top of my list of the five best tracks of this year. In a very varied and strong year for new music, something with a slightly old-fashioned, vintage and otherworldly sound has made the biggest impact on me! In my mind, we should all hail…
THE angels Gabriels.