5.9.13

Sangam - Sour Face & Broken Nights LP (Black Hymn Records)

Here's the low down on Sangam. The guy could put out twenty albums now. Co-owner of Black Hymn Records Retral will back me up on that. We've discussed this guy for hours. Fortunately, they've taken the initiative, and whittled down the Northern producer's catalogue to twelve supreme cuts for a forthcoming cassette and digital release.


Sangam's music is stark, cold, but still touching and relatable. It's often said that Burial's tunes have a "London feel" about them (which I disagree with, but that's by the by). If that's truly so, then Sangam's tunes have an "Every other city feel". These are tunes that simultaneously show the love and hate you can have for the city you call home. Check Consume and The Smoke Quarter. Harsh, unforgiving, lonely, a distinct lack of hope. Juxtapose that with the Autonomic-esque pieces Make Me Feel and Lost Relations. Not joyous, just not so grey, a flash of colour that reminds you every so often that things aren't always as they seem.


Anyone that doesn't live in a big city might see them as places of unlimited opportunities to do something. Live there long enough, and you'll see the sheen come off. This isn't some big time superstar, or sixth form poet trying to wrap his mind around city life, this is some anonymous guy who could be the man next door, the woman down the road expressing true feelings with no filters attached.

If there's one guy I want chronicling these black hymns, it's Sangam.

You can grab the release on cassette and digital from Bandcamp from Saturday 7th September.
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