Crate Digging: James Goatman, Music Producer

​“When people say there’s 'something for everyone' on an album, that would usually be a huge red flag. But in this case it’s actually true and in the best way.”

Solar Music by Butcher Brown

I honestly chose Butcher Brown’s 'Solar Music' because I was digging through the collection and the sound of this album was genuinely electrifying. It’s such a burst of energy. Listening through this album feels like being invited into a house with many rooms, each with their own mood and aesthetic, but part of a whole effortlessly curated experience. It’s just so welcoming.

It’s not often that you listen to an album and the music projects something towards you that’s so refreshing and vibrant. For me, this is one of those albums. It has huge sun-bursting ensemble joy but a reflective quality that both uplifts and inspires. It’s bold, meditative soulful jazz with euphoric Hip-Hop energy, but that doesn’t even scratch the sides of what’s happening in this. This album feels like a tasting session that’s packed with more flavour than I could have ever bargained for. But it’s a joy for the palette. Opening up with Espionage - Charlie Hunter’s guitar rips through on that - huge start to the album. Once we get to 'Run It Up' with Pink Siifu’s velvetty vocals we’ve been all round the genre spectrum and we’re only half way in.

When people say there’s ‘something for everyone’ on an album, that would usually be a huge red flag. But in this case it’s actually true and in the best way.

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Fallen by Evanescence

I’ve been going through a pretty obsessive nu/alt-metal revisitation recently. I know I’m not alone. What an era for popular music... I love that it’s coming back. Fallen has to be one of the defining albums of that time. This is one of those albums that everyone knows, but I’d never fully delved in. The songs are insanely good. There’s a huge reason why this album was part of perpetuating a cultural moment, and why it’s resurfacing now.

'Bring Me To Life' is so ubiquitous in culture, it almost holds that moment in time within it for those of us of a certain age. But tracks like 'Taking Over Me' and 'Hello' are the unsung heroes for those of us who never went in on this album first time around. I’ve become so interested in how these big-sounding nu/alt metal albums managed to sound so good and so complete. That huge guitar sound that fills right to the edges of the space, with the vocal breaking straight through and the popping drums holding it all together. I love listening to this music, it’s just so full.

It’s the honesty of Amy Lee’s voice along with the strings and piano that gives this album its heart, in my opinion. There are moments when those elements are soaring together over the guitar and it’s amazing. I feel like it gives their music a sensitive quality that allows it to resonate so well, and it’s still got it.

If you’d like to know more, or you’re keen to discover more of our repertoire, please contact: labelsyncuk@concord.com.