review: selffish - he she them us

I can tell that my aural experience is going to be an amazing one when I find myself peering about the room searching for that sound that I just heard, without a conscious awareness that it's the music that is creating this backdrop within my mind. This extremely artistically imagined release from SELFFISH (Andrejs Eigus) creates that space. By introducing colorful images of sound through, Selffish meticulously constructs some of the best and most ambitious music to ever grace my ears in a long time. It might sound juvenile to even say it, but trying to explain the beauty, intensity, and perfectly executed intention of this music is cheapening the actual experience of taking in HE SHE THEM US. This is a rare case of the book (that you are now reading) being a fraction as good as the movie.

The second song, 'Willing Suspension Of Belief', sends a vibe to me that is complex, hypnotic, and hauntingly dark. It's evident that it's not just notes that matter here, but the softly plucked bass strings that provide a rhythmic scene, soon unfolding into an adventurous encountered with very well thought out slightly dissonant chord voicings. This song, in particular, gives me a backwards glimpse of when I first heard the album Heavy Weather by Weather Report and the song Brown Paper Bag by Roni Size. Daring, and unafraid. This mixture of organic instrumentation and electronica always seems to draw me in a bit deeper, and with He She Them Us, that well is deep. Realizing the need to bring this human element into his music, Selffish effectively creates a genuine rapport with his listeners. With this open communication in place, this experience becomes 2-sided, thus allowing our emotions to give way to this creative tour de force. It's as if a tiny mental door is willingly opened to allow the floodgates of creativity to come gushing in. As I was delicately being transported through through this release and reached the achingly beautiful 'I Came To Leave', I realized that my journey is about to come to an end far too soon. Another listen is mandatory to find the pieces that I might have missed along the way.

 It's absolutely inspiring to discover artists that harness the perfect balance of such immense potential and the sensibility of knowing how much is appropriately sufficient for the listener to take in without feeling overwhelmed. This is a release that will reward me with the challenge of hearing and experiencing something new every time I spin it. Selffish effectively used every avenue available to make this release accessible and interesting. Thankfully, we are blessed with a genius restrained by his integrity, a capable soul that proportionately distributes every artistic element in which to create a musical statement. 

This release is available HERE on the 21st of April, 2017, from SEREIN RECORDS. Do yourself a favor and reward your ears and mind with brilliant compositions from a truly gifted soul. You will not be disappointed, I promise.