MMBLR - That Breeze

The song name reminds me of JJ Cale, and this one strikes me as a similar expression in that musical space, with some stylistic differences, to be sure. But there is a fair amount of overlap between shoegaze and the original blues, folk, and country roots of rock and roll, in the sense that there is always a sense of melancholy at the center of it; and that the central theme is to cultivate a lead vocal that rises above the mix, and to encapsulate an unwritten emotional truth.

Here, by assembling a cast of ambient samples to support the knife-like lead vocal, and then falling in behind the 8th-note pulse, the mix really flowers into a moment-in-time - we are suspended for a few minutes, swaying in the figurative breeze of a wandering mind.

The creative use of digital effects to assemble a distinctive personality might be considered a hallmark of shoegaze, and we have that here from both the fuzz guitar and the dreamy lead vocal. That Breeze, the latest single from MMBLR, is a perfect match for our Rainy playlist, as a reflection on the strategies we use to connect with others, delivered with a sense of both sadness and relief.

MMBLR is the experimental project of New York drummer Alex Beckmann. This song is featured on our Rainy Day playlist.