Blogarhythms

Circumstances beyond my control — but which have much to do with my bank account — have been filling my days with a lot of stress lately. Relaxation and enjoyment of personal time have been at an all-time minimum. Even the fire alarms in my apartment building, which went off last night well after midnight, seem to be in on the conspiracy to keep me on edge.

Of course “at the end of my rope” is not my ideal way to feel. So it was with a desire to chill out and ease both my mind and my soul that I reached for Out My Window, the sophomore full-length from Canadian DJ, beatmaker and singer Koushik, this morning. The artist’s 2005 debut, a collection of his previous EP releases titled Be With, was one of the records to signal the Stones Throw label’s stylistic expansion which would culminate in the release of a record like James Pants‘ Welcome earlier this Summer. Out My Window is both a big step for the artist as an individual and another milestone in the label’s growth as well.

Be With was a big record for me. As a fan of the moody sample-based soundscapes and cut-n-n-paste influenced musicianship of DJ Shadow, RJD2, Four Tet and Caribou I liked that it seemed to merge all of those acts’ styles and I showed it much love in my radio sets. Koushik was utilizing sample-craft as a medium for the fabrication of entirely new compositions and demonstrating an inventive songwriting discipline which payed homage to the music of yesteryear most beatsmiths are wont to sample from by creating original works in their spirit, not just looping them up over drums. On Out My Window Koushik develops this signature sound even further.

The result is a laid back album — dreamy almost to the point of being hallucinatory — which owes as much of its sonic texture to the Chamber-Pop, Folk, psychadelic music and Space-Age Pop of the ’60s as it does the eclectic entries his labelmates have added to the crate-digging tradition. While the record is adorned all about with swooning chant-like vocals there are also vocal samples interwoven into the mix which can make it difficult to discern between the original vocals recorded for this project and those sampled from vintage vinyl. Be sure, Out My Window is a wonderland of samples, loops and breakbeats, even though it’s also a collection of freshly-minted selections from the mind and mouth of Koushik Gosh. Well, for the most part freshly…

Be With’s title track, a Blue Note/CTI-ish Jazz-Funk space-out fluttering atop a stiff break culled from a record by The Beatles‘ former engineer, inexplicably appears. But it’s the only holdover from his previous disc that my ears detect. He plumbs the sweet gooey depths of jazzy Funk again on “In a Green Space,” where he croons like a Hippie Bobby Caldwell over a serpentine bass groove, electric piano tinkles and layered breakbeats. Breaks figure prominently in “Bright and Shining,” a speedy dose of horn-and-cowbell-fueled flower-power Folk for b-boys that would make Timothy Leary bust out in a fierce uprock. While “Nothing’s the Same,” which is almost drumless until a break comes crashing in at the end is a stripped-down Country-tronic tune reminiscent of Beck’s Sea Change. And “Coolin’,” with it’s twinkling vibes, tolling bells, wah-wah guitars and carefree lyrics sounds like The Free Design (who are actually sampled on the track at one point) if they enjoyed dusty-fingered afternoons spent digging for records in dreary flea-markets more than kite-flying.

Koushik “Coolin’”

That song’s chorus, which encourages “coolin’ out,” is music to my ears, medicine for my mind and salve for my soul on this weary morning. And though it’s only a short respite in what’s sure to be another hectic day, sitting here listening to Out My Window and “coolin’ out” while staring out my actual window are a perfect recipe for replenishing myself so I can stay “bright and shining” through another day.