– THE QUIET RIOT –

If this song were a human being, I would expect it to pull up next to me in a Rolls Royce, wind the window down and enquire as to whether I had any Grey Poupon. It simply radiates class from every note, every beat, every movement.

And it’s no coincidence, given pianist, Noé Zagroun’s backgrounds – both relatively distant (a cosmopolitan mix of Mediterranean familial influences) and very much near at hand (graduating from the esteemed Berkley College of Music as recently as last year.)

Move On is a track that is brilliant in so many ways; but quietly brilliant. Understatedly brilliant. The type of brilliant that probably wouldn’t drive a Rolls Royce for fear of being too flashy… let alone eat any of that pretentious grainy French shit.

From the casually lackadaisical time signature to the subtle chord shifts in the chorus which add urgency and agency to MARO’s desperate calls.

Indeed, the enlisting of MARO itself was a work of genius. The prolific and prodigious Portuguese songstress’ 2018 album “It’s OK” is one of the most heartwrenching you will hear and she brings the same sweetly subtle lyrical themes and vocal tones to this track. My god, I just want to give her a massive cuddle.

The result is a track that feels like some of the best pop sensibilities of the Submotion Orchestra combined with the technical chops of Marcin Wasilewski      on, for example, Manu Katché’s 2005 album, Neighbourhood.Move On is set to feature on a forthcoming album which is due out in later this year.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

LANEOUS: HOLD MY HAND
SARATHY KORWAR FEAT. MC MAWALI: MUMBAY
LAZARUS & THE VERY BEST: NDIFE ALENDO
EZRA COLLECTIVE: SÃO PAULO

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –