You may recall the name Jacob Long as a member of the seminal Dischord band Black Eyes, a group who defined post-hardcore’s in-built non-conformity. Such a starting point inevitably embedded unorthodoxy in his music making and his next excursion with the deep dub rhythmics of Mi Ami only underlined his disinclination to stand in line.
So when in 2014, as Earthen Sea, Long moved away from abrasion and into the calmer stretches of ambient techno there was little chance he would be treading water. After inquisitive explorations in the world of beats released on Lovers Rock and Nicholas Jaar’s Other People label, Earthen Sea’s real adventure began with a signing to the illustrious Kranky.
Three albums along the way has shown Long shifting and re-energising with each statement: kinetic wave-form beats on ‘An Act of Love’ in 2017; the more elusive, fluid dub-scapes of ‘Grass and Trees’ two years later; and in 2022 some subtle, sensitive, soulful electronica on ‘Ghost Poems’. So where will his incoming release ‘Recollection’, his fourth for Kranky due 15th November, find the music of Earthen Sea travelling?
Long has said his initial inspiration came from dedicated listening to the jazz expanses of the peerless ECM catalogue, with a curious notion to re-conceive Earthen Sea as a piano trio. So maybe ‘Recollection’ will take an electro-acoustic turn to somewhere less dense and more spacious. The twin preview tracks for the album add detail and intrigue. ‘Another Space’ glides mistily from the grooves, Garbarek toned synth notes gently soaring over luxuriant trip-hop beats. ‘White Sky’ is softer, more Wobble-liquid- bass bubbling and the delicate glitches of Long’s light drum clicks conjuring a dreamy cloud from planet Orb. Tranquil, meditative but enticingly funky, Earthen Sea’s ‘Recollection’ looks set to be remembered as a definitive down-tempo moment.
Pre-order your copy of ‘Recollection‘ by Earthen Sea from your local record store or direct from Kranky HERE
