Fresh from collaborating with Björk on her recent single 'Blissing Me', serpentwithfeet lets his debut album uncoil across an eleven track affair with Secretly Canadian. The result is a bedazzling mixture of experimental gospel and RNB earworms that feature contributions from Clams Casino, Katie Gately, Paul Epworth and mmph.
Continuing the groundwork laid out on his Tri Angle breakthrough blisters, soil is, even by serpentwithfeet's high standards, a masterclass in how to make modern R&B/gospel that is as cutting edge as it is sharply tantalising. soil creates a universe where heartbreak is shielded by a sense of longing and very much a return to the sensibilities and wide-eyed curiosity of a youth lost in music. Fully loaded with intricately layered harmonies of which his voice takes the central role, serpentwithfeet perfectly commands soil as a vast sea of instant classic sounding (and damn catchy) hooks and melodies. Paying tribute to the dance music that permeated his youth in Baltimore, in his own words soil stretches "from the church to the club". This understanding of RNB as music to unwind or chill to is matched nicely by a knowledge of the thrills of experiencing peak time plays in the club or dance.
On one hand it's a crowning achievement in modern pop, yet its underlying experimental edge ensures that soil will be received and viewed as belonging firmly within the vanguard of music omitting from artists such as Bjork, Yves Tumor, Eartheater, and Gaika. soil is sure to capture many in its spell, yet its truly awesome ability lies in the personal expressions rooted through its avant-experimental edge. By tapping into this source of influence soil is sure to win over audiences both above and underground.
