Ben McElroy & A Spot On The Hill - Everything Was Different Yesterday (The Slow Music Movement)

The Slow Music Movement Blog

Mostly we put our daily recommendations here for the blog readers among you, although occasionally we go longform.
Reading about music is a bit like looking at pictures of food - not nearly half as much fun as getting involved, so we scribble a brief intro to hopefully whet your appetite but you're better off just hitting play. Not very "slow" I know but there's a lot of music to check these days & hopefully you'll find the recommendations a handy filter.
Trust your ears, not opinions.

8/3/2023 0 Comments

Ben McElroy & A Spot On The Hill - Everything Was Different Yesterday (The Slow Music Movement)

What Your Ears Say & The Cover Looks Like

What We Say

I'm very proud to present the new LP from Ben McElroy & A Spot On The Hill today. After teasing you with 4 singles it's now time to fall into the LPs warm, minimal, neoclassical embrace. It's a place for contemplation & perhaps even introspection, with Dan's succinct piano accentuating Ben's strings & soundscaping to new sonic heights. Nothing happens quickly, but everything happens for a reason - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Note to future self, check diary more & try not to release male duets on International Women's Day! Rest assured I did have strong words with the marketing department in the bathroom mirror this morning, although big thanks must as always go to Harriet Clare for the lovely artwork.

What The Release Notes Say

From their respective home studios separated by the Atlantic Ocean, Ben McElroy (U.K.) and A Spot on the Hill (U.S.) have created an enchanting album that blends folk, ambient, neoclassical minimalism and drone.

It started in December 2021 with a message from A Spot on the Hill’s Dan Cook to Ben McElroy proposing a collaboration. By the start of 2022, the two were trading recordings of drones, strings and piano. Ben would take a simple piano part from Dan and improvise multiple layers of cello, violin, viola and clarinet parts to accompany it, as well as adding mysterious drones and found sounds. Dan would sift through the accreted layers of sound, chiseling away at some so as to reveal the beauty of others. Then, back to Ben, who masterfully sculpted the evolving pieces into cohesive artistic statements.

Other times, Ben would send Dan a starting point — an ambient drone mix or a collection of layered string parts. Dan would listen for the key and the pulse, then sit down at the piano. Again, back to Ben, who further refined the mix.

Everything was Different Yesterday is born out of the mutual admiration of two artists, and it reflects both their similarities and their differences. McElroy brings endless melodic motifs, versatility on multiple instruments and a special gift for texture, while Cook brings a penchant for intimate, sparingly constructed musical architecture. Everything was Different Yesterday sounds like both of the artists who made it — and like something else entirely.

CREDITS
Ben McElroy - cello, violin, viola, clarinet, found sounds, drone (benjaminmcelroy.com)
Dan Cook - piano, violin (aspotonthehill.com)
Mastering: Ian Hawgood (www.homenormal.com)
Artwork: Harriet Clare (www.harrietclare.com)

If you need more keys, strings & things you can find the LP singles currently residing in the Slow Neoclassical playlist:

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