Rupert Cox's 'Search Party': A Melodic Adventure Blending Jazz with Ambient Soundscapes
Rupert Cox comes in strong with his album release 'Search Party'. As a pianist with a rich background in jazz, his debut album 'Search Party' offers a kaleidoscopic collection of tracks offering an exploration of downtempo jazz, ambient soundscapes, and uplifting melodics.
Released under Albert’s Favourites label, this merging of influences offers a dynamic musical range showcasing a wide spectrum of sounds. Collaborations are plentiful with featured contributions from the likes of Chris Hyson, Mohan Evans, Soren Bryce, Yusef Ahmed, and Thom Gill.
Delving into the themes of vulnerability and authenticity, with feelings of stillness, joy, belonging, and loss permeating throughout gives this album a sense that the album acts as a sense of soul searching for Cox.
His musical journey comes from early Beginnings, when Cox started playing piano at five Then, leading to studies at the Royal Academy of Music, the artist that we are now faced with has traveled a long road to get where he is now.
Opening with 'The Nowhere Dance' listeners can expect a speedy percussion, to later find progressive layers of keys, bass, and synth. It's messy, like jazz but it's also smooth, it's contemporary and modern. The growth from traditional instruments to electronic soundscapes is interesting.
If the purpose of an album's first piece is to capture an audience then 'The Nowhere Dance' has succeeded.
'Fig Tree' strips back to ballad style alongside the persistence of hi-hats and cymbals. There's a relaxing feel to this production, one where listeners are free to get lost in thought without the distraction of overwhelming instrumentation and the glaring of a heavier arrangement. The mix of jazz keys with the drumming and bass of soft rock makes for a beautiful backdrop for your study or private moments of reflection. Stunning.
'Summer Wake' is a classy piece, reminiscent of Disney Classics. Here you can feel a story unraveling, one of sorrow and reflection. It's lovely to hear a solo piano piece so early on in the album, especially one of this caliber. It doesn't end there! An industrial-sounding mix fades out towards the end. The echo of a train perhaps?
'Hearth' is upbeat and busy, and yet, it still feels relaxing. The art is within the arrangement of a combination of hi-hats and bubbles of keys. Later they find themselves joined by the electronic soundscapes of birds in nature and synth melodies, the slots of speed along with repetition work to make the track super mesmerising.
'Lament' leans towards folk with its soft rock elements. reminiscent of roads walked, moments past and hearts to be mended, Cox will manage to take you around the maze of your own mind without a single word spoken. Skillful are stories told, that are absent of words.
Transporting into the middle of the album the title track 'Search Party' provides the first lyrical appearance. It's a synth-rock piece that shows listeners the exact potential of Cox's commercial appeal.
'Embers' slows right back down taking the audience away from traditional radio-ready productions and into the world of natural soundscapes and jazz making for a fitting addition to your meditation/study/relax playlists before heading into 'Gold', an electronic jazz meets dance compilation. Soulful vocal chops and the sounds of brass will weave in and out of your mind slower than the main body of the production. Bliss!
'Remember This' goes back to the slow rock meets jazz, giving listeners a reminder of all that Cox's skillset has to offer. It's gorgeously smooth due to its stripped-back nature. Of course, there are elements of experimental electronic but there's also a sense of unity within this instrumental that echoes long after you've first listened.
'Sanctuary', the penultimate track works well to combine many of the influences throughout the album, making everything feel a lot more connected. There's a sense of closure within this composition.
'Green Yellow Brown', the colours of nature? The leaves as they cross seasons? The combination of the leaves, the sun, and the branches of trees on a summer's day? Either way, it spells subliminal reflection. A stripped-back piano composition reminds listeners of the artist's Classical beginnings from age five through to his studies at The Royal Academy of Music.
It's as though through 'Search Party', Cox has explored every corner of his mind, looking for answers and healing, by exploring the corners of his journey where exploration leads to closure. Then he concludes by feeling at peace, in the crutch where his artistry was born.
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