Andrew Tyrone Rodgers: "Let's Open"

By Jonti Davies | Tuesday, Jun 2, 2009

andrew tyrone rodgers: "let's open" (download mp3 here)

The day after I first listened to "Let's Open" I found myself humming its subtle melody on no less than six occasions. In one day. That's how finely crafted this gem of an acoustic creation is. It finds the immensely talented Mr. Rodgers in reflective mood, mellowly guiding us through a slightly off-kilter soundscape of recurring, hypnotic verses and carefully restrained choruses - plus, two-thirds of the way through we're treated to an excellent, unexpected piano interlude, which reappears in modified form to bring the song to a delicately poised close.

The success of "Let's Open" is largely built on impeccable guitar, maracas, buttery vocals (almost reaching a falsetto in places), and curiously phrased yet highly effective piano work - all of which are played by multi-instrumentalist maverick and one-man band Andrew Tyrone Rodgers. But it's not merely a matter of musical ability: this track also shows how important production is, the spacious treatment of vocals, guitar and percussion reminding me of Nigel Godrich's defining work on Beck's Sea Change LP - a very good thing indeed. Rodgers recently relocated from Chiba to the capital and is at the heart of the Tokyo pub/bar scene already; if he continues to produce work of this caliber, he'll become a national treasure in no time. 

myspace.com/andrewtyronerodgers
Upcoming live date in Tokyo: June 27th at Doobies (Ueno)

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