Ventura’s cassette lord takes a dark turn down melancholy lane in this gentle, grungy jaunt.
An orange is to a fruit salad what a guitar is to a garage band: without it, the vibrant blend of colours, textures and flavours would be too one sided, too imbalanced. In this manner, the warm, tingly tones of Norman Lake’s recordings are an integral part of his music. This can be said especially for ‘Feel‘; the new brightly boomy buttery-smooth single that portrays the Californian’s musical repertoire in a gooey, grungy package.
Recorded religiously on a 4-track cassette recorder, Lake‘s delicately earnest approach to songwriting is on full display throughout the single. Though a musician since he first picked up the guitar, his career was kickstarted by his experiences surrounding substances, psychiatric wards and the want to help others to digest and understand similarly dark emotions he himself went through:
“My goal with music is to allow people to feel things too difficult to express in a conversation, with others or with themselves” says Lake. “Feelings of confusion, or pain, or heartbreak are not meant to be beaten into submission. We have the privilege to feel these things and recover by understanding they are part of our humanity.”
This heartful approach transcends him above many of the similar acts trying to find a foothold in the industry: beyond his solid compositions is a genuine sonic identity with a story to tell, all told with minimal edits, mixing or tampering.
“Heck yeah! LOVE Alex G!” says Lake when I DM him about ‘Feel‘. It’s not far off either – dismal drums drag their feet along the track’s concrete floor, followed up by an equally tiresome guitar that trips and twangs a restless tune. In the far distance sings a screechy guitar, throwing dirt into the mix and highlighting Lake‘s emotional intention. Something of The Microphones emerges, with a Smashing Pumpkins vocal courtesy of Lake’s hushed, raspy singing. It should be trashy, it should be messy, but it comes together beautifully.
It’s a delightful melting pot, well worth your time, and sure to be the start of a long-lasting love-riddle relationship between yourself and Norman Lake.
Listen to ‘Feel‘ below:
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