Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “Don’t Give Up” by Groove Armada
It’s Friday, so we’re going with something lighter as we head into the weekend. Today’s track is also being done in partnership with
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On to the music:
It took ten years, but in 2020 Tom Findlay and Andy Cato finally went back to the studio to start making Edge of the Horizon. Gone are the concussive beats of their earlier work guaranteed to pack the dance floor. There is no “I See You, Baby” here.
Instead, we’re treated to a record with sultry beats and languid rhythms. It’s a logical follow-up to 2010’s Black Light. If that record was a field trip to 80s synth and poppier sounds, Edge of the Horizon takes that and keeps going almost into yacht rock territory.
Almost.
To be clear, there are plenty of solid beats here, and your feet will feel the urge to move. Much of their earlier work evokes bleary memories of nights out at the club and after parties. Tracks like “Don’t Give Up” are what you might play at sunset or the morning after.
For some people, that lack of a high bpm track might be a letdown, but for their 9th record, the duo would make what they wanted to; expectations be damned. Their earlier work got people moving and agitated. This sound has a much more grounding effect. For a world that found itself unmoored in that first year of the pandemic, tracks like “Don’t Give Up” were exactly what we needed to save us.
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Taking the joy and sadness from the idea that this could potentially be their last record, the artists put in their all to the creation of this album.“During those studio days, the rest of the world shuts down. There’s an intensity, anyone looking in might say madness, that kicks in when we’re totally lost amongst the instruments, synths, and records day and night,” Cato recalled. “But that shared, unspoken feeling that comes when we both know we’ve got it right cuts through as clear as ever.” The intensity from the artists in the studio shines through, as Edge of the Horizon overall represents a modern take on the groovy, fun nostalgia people all miss from the disco age.
Click here to read the rest of the review.
Listen:
“Don’t Give Up” by Groove Armada | Edge of the Horizon, 2020
Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
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Great analysis! Love what you say about the beat. It’s omnipresent in this track. Sometimes it’s all about the beat!
I first discovered Groove Armada with their song “Think Twice” (with vocals sung by Neneh Cherry) off their 2002 album “Lovebox” and I remember feeling immediately in trance. Whether it’s an uptempo or club record or a bluesy melancholic ballas, there’s always something captivating in their music. These guys are true masters of the mood.
Ohhhh, that was a delightful listen. Love Groove Armada 2 decades ago (is it really that long??) and I like the vibe of this one.