Conner Youngblood – “The Birds Of Finland”
If you need a quick catchup on Conner Youngblood, you can read a cursory overview of his career so far on the “Stockholm” post. “Stockholm” is the initial song off his new EP The Generation Of Lift, a percussion-driven, deep groove that centers around a tinkling harp sample. The followup “The Birds Of Finland” is a floater in comparison. After a nearly two-minute instrumental interlude filled with harps and muted, wordless chirrups, the track picks up a whirring sense of purpose when Youngblood begins to sing. Sometimes I think he’s drawn to the harp as an instrument because it possesses the same gilded tranquility as his voice. By the time he’s multiplied and AutoTuned his vocals into a whole host of harmonies, it seems more like a stringed instrument itself than a human singing. But he’s always been good at blurring the lines between the digital and natural. Listen to “The Birds Of Finland” below and check out his SoundCloud for more old songs; they’re all just as gorgeous as this. (Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough, he also drew the above cover art.)
The Generation Of Lift is out 10/9.