Track of the Day: Sol Croft – Son of Sam
If you listen to Sol Croft‘s music, you would say he is a fan of folk-rock and has always been so – you would be wrong! Raised on 90s hip-hop, singer-songwriter Croft was introduced to music via 2Pac and Big L; however, he was soon drawn to the sombre lyrical stylings and sound of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Nick Cave. After playing at local pubs and clubs around North London, Croft has built a reputation for intense and uniquely atmospheric music. The latest addition to his growing discography is the single ‘Son Of Sam’.
A follow-up to his single ‘She’s Falling’, ‘Son of Sam’ is evidence of Croft’s distinctly dramatic sound. Moving from the more “upbeat” ‘She’s Falling’ (if it can be called upbeat), the new track is sombre with the Leonard Cohen melancholic steadiness. The simplicity of the instrumentation and vocals, using only a piano and Croft’s gruff vocals, enhances the impassioned sincerity of the track. It is difficult to imagine that a slightly monotone song would be moving, but ‘Son of Sam’ holds the Cohen-magic emphasising raw honesty and genuineness.
Side note: ‘Son of Sam’ is a single off Croft’s upcoming EP Farewell To The Disciples set for release in November.
“I got a book, a kind of Dictionary of Ballets, that I found out was owned by John Blundall the puppeteer and one-time Moscow Circus clown. Beside some of the ballets he’d marked JMB, going through them, each one seemed to fit with the themes of the record. ‘Son of Sam’ came about by putting one of the ballets into each verse of the song making it a sort of anchor track for all of the themes within the record.” – Sol Croft on ‘Son of Sam’
For more from Sol Croft check out his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
