As a
singular singer-songwriter, Sachal has pivoted into an appealing new direction
on his sublime OKeh debut, the aptly titled Slow Motion Miracles. It's a remarkable
10-track album of top-flight songs teeming with close-to-the-heart personal
stories of love and loss, vignettes of fleeting moments and dreamy
fantasies-all fluid with the ebb and flow of heartbreak and discovery.
On Slow
Motion Miracles, Sachal delivers a full set of multilayered gems steeped in a
variety of styles, including indie pop, hip-hop, electronica, Brazilian,
Afro-beat, old-school jazz and new-styled jazz. "I'm not limiting,"
he says. "I weave my voice through a lot of the music I listen to. It's
still me and just a part of my journey."
Sachal
cites a number of key influences - from Paul Simon, Seu Jorge, Frank Ocean and
popular hip-hop, to Fleetwood Mac, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and 19th century German
art songs-but says that what it all comes down to is serving his songs in a
fresh and resonating way.
"The
inspiration for the new album starts with experiences I've lived through that
evolve into fantasy," says Sachal. "The songs were germinated from
personal moments, then mingled with daydreams to become something new. It was
transcendent. The feelings and ideas would float up and soar and would become
greater than the original moments."
Sachal
enlisted multi-instrumentalist Michael Leonhart to produce Slow Motion Miracles
as well as collaborate compositionally on two songs. Sachal was introduced to Leonhart
through a mutual friend and passed on to him demos of soundscapes,
orchestration and lyrics he had crafted on a computer.
"As
a writer and composer, you're often in isolation, but sharing these private
moments with Michael made him a great partner, a real colleague," Sachal
says. "He has a great ear, plays a ton of instruments, is a wizard with
technology and made the sounds sparkle. Plus, with all of what he offered, he
retained a human touch. Michael took my initial ideas and brought them to the
next level."
Sachal
invited seven other musicians to play on selected
tunes-including Taylor Eigsti on keyboards and synthesizers, Gerald Clayton on
piano, Ryan Scott on guitars, Buster Hemphill on electric bass, David Wong on
acoustic bass, Nate Smith on drums, and Mark Guiliana on drums and drum
machines-to contribute short accents, subtle colors and understated grooves
within the multilayered songs.
"All
these guys are great musicians," says Sachal, who also contributes
keyboard parts, programming and electronics. "It was a challenge to edit,
but that was a fun part of the process of making this album. It was about the
storytelling and getting an organic feeling from the layers, so that the songs
have a place in today's sound as well as a link to history. Our ultimate goal
for mixing all of these great contributions in was to serve the songs and make
them come alive"
On Slow
Motion Miracles, Sachal swings through the themes of escape, journey and
romance. The title track, with an ebullient vocal open and an almost whimsical
sensibility, is short in length but potent in meaning. "It's about wanting
to escape, but also be caught by an overpowering, sensual force" Sachal says. Likewise, the catchy melody
"No More Tears," starting off with a stark, reflective vocal followed
by organ shading, is a dreamlike search for a fresh feeling. "It's a
clearing of the air to go beyond."
The
sweet, loving "Marie" is a compositional collaboration with David
Brophy, a Boston songwriter friend who helped Sachal finesse the song. It is
celebratory in nature as well as a trip into reverie. "Sometimes I need an
escape," Sachal says. "The same idea kept popping in my head when I
was writing this one - I was out on the open road on a bright day, just
cruising and laughing with friends- a great, sunny moment."
Leonhart
co-wrote with Sachal the beauty, "Cover the Water," which shines as a
bright, hopeful number. It's based on an image that Sachal envisioned on the
beach at night and a feeling of youthful affection. "Taking off, and
trusting that the universe will take care of you."
From the
beach to home, "Waiting on the Roof" is a daydream based on being
able to fall asleep under the stars on a rooftop. "This is a love song
with a childlike sense of wonder," Sachal says. "I'm waiting for
romance, but I'm also struck by the grandeur of the stars."
Amid the
Sachal originals on Slow Motion Miracles, he covers two tunes that fit the
overall vibe of the album. He supplies his own longing lyrics to Brazilian
songwriter Flavio Venturini's "Afternoon Sun" about gazing at a
distant horizon and dreaming, and he closes the album with a lush, moving,
soulful rendition of the Jim Weatherly composition: "Neither One of Us
(Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," a tune that Gladys Knight made
into a hit with the Pips in 1973. "I came back to the ground to sing this
- it's very visceral to me" Sachal says.
Slow
Motion Miracles is Sachal's most accomplished recording as an artist. This is
his fourth album overall (previously he recorded three jazz-infused CDs for
Mack Avenue as Sachal Vasandani) and the best showing of his unique voice and
his compelling storytelling. He's looking forward to touring with a simpatico
band comprised of some of the studio members. "We had a lot of joy
recording this album," he says. "We're sharing our creativity. Now,
when I go on tour, I get to bring these songs to a new life."
Slow
Motion Miracles Track Listing:
1. No
More Tears
2. Denim
Lights
3. Marie
4. Slow
Motion Miracles
5.
Haystacks
6. Can't
Talk
7. Cover
the Water
8.
Afternoon Sun
9.
Waiting on the Roof
10.
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)
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