OXFORD YOU AND ME

"Warm" is such a great state to be. It contains within it all the pleasant feelings associated with being warm - in the literal sense, as a temperature, being warm is not generally an uncomfortable thing; a warm cup of tea (or coffee whatever) is still drinkable; a warm bath is positively delectable; a warm bed is inviting. Then you have warm friendships - why would we use the word "warm" for such a delightful concept as a "warm friendship"? Same goes for a warm welcome, or a warm reception. Can you be "warmly" invited somewhere, too? Probably.

You can also have warm music. Warm tones, warm sounds. And that is exactly the word I'd use to describe the cooling-on-the-windowsill-but-still-not-long-taken-from-the-oven sounds of Oxford and his song 'You And Me'. You know, this is the third song I've written about this year with that title - one by Disclosure (which is actually 'You ampersand Me') and one by Real (which is actually 'You plus Me'). So it's a popular epithet.

Anyway, back to Oxford. He is actually a man, not a place in England, called Antoine Rigail and he is from Toulouse, a place in France, which as we all know is the opposite of England. I'm only joking. Or am I? Not to worry because the focus here is actually on this lovely song, this lovely WARM song. Get warm.

Don't you feel much warmer? Everything about this song just oozes a comfortable fits-all flavour, kind of like a really nice pair of shorts that you'd wear to the beach. I'm not a girl so I don't have any knowledge of the equivalent. Sorry. But what a sound. As chilled as it is funky, in an entirely minimalist way - the single warm and soft sustain synth chords begin each bar, accompanied by the wonderfully simple muted two-note guitar melody. The deeply groovesome bassline steps on a light-up piano as bridge, all the way to your ears to dance away next to your ear drums, egged on by the tireless beat.

Towards the end, everything starts to get a bit more synthy, more bouncy, all the time - from start to finish - overseen by this cooling female vocal sample from the upper air, on a cloud perhaps. Solo synths too. But what you need to remember is the utter funk and utter chill that this man can create. Excellent, excellent stuff.

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DISCLOSURE FT. ELIZA DOOLITTLE YOU & ME [VIDEO]

I quite like Disclosure. I've heard a few of their songs, not from online or anything, but on the radio as I've been just living my normal life. A deeper look tells me that it's a band made up of two brothers, Guy and Howard Lawrence, who come from Surrey in the UK - that's the area I come from. Huzzah! Anyway I really enjoy their music so I was pleased to find that a new song, or rather a new video for that song: 'You & Me'. It features vocals from English singer-songwriter, Eliza Doolittle.

And my my is her voice suited to the luscious garage sound lovingly provided by the fraternal team of Disclosure. Yes, in amongst the tangle and complexities of the garage rhythm, delicate hi-hats offset against punchy kick supporting that gorgeous snap of a snare, there is Doolittle's voice, clear and dynamic, jumping all the time from high to low. Lovely, really. Who would've known she would do something like this? It's pretty much a perfect fit.

Watch and listen just below.

Video reflects the song. I'm not sure why. Obviously that's why it's the video for the song and not something else, duh. However, as with many garage songs - even those of the future garage variety - it is the beat that is supposed to shine through more than anything else. Or is it? I dunno. Maybe it just seems that way, like it's the norm for the vocals in this style to be of a certain type. In any case, they are effective, and whilst not extremely ear-catching or definitively characteristic of Doolittle, they do WORK. And that's the point. The song is a whole thing. Start breaking it down into who's done what bit the best and which brother made the hi-hat sound the way it did blah blah blah... know what I mean?

It's a catchy tune, one that certainly injects more than a little rhythm into the veins. The minimalistic complexity of Disclosure is something that really excites me, and the wom-wom deep synth of the chorus (as with their other recent songs I know of, 'Latch' - whose vocals, I think, are much more stand-out - and more similarly, 'White Noise' - same story with the vocals, actually) is just perfect. This song is more of a 'typical' garage vibe than their other two, but one that demonstrates their skill with beats and sounds nonetheless - I still really enjoy it.

Their debut album, called Settle, is out June 3rd on PMR Records.

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Learn about Eliza Doolittle on Wikipedia