Badge Époque Ensemble – “Sing A Silent Gospel” (Feat. Meg Remy & Dorothea Paas)
Badge Époque Ensemble is an adventurous outfit out of Toronto led by Maximilian Turnbull, who used to record for DFA under the name Slim Twig. The band — which also features lots of musicians linked with U.S. Girls and Andy Shauf — is preparing to release its second album, Self Help, a set of jazzy, jammy tunes reportedly informed by soul, funk, film music, and the hip-hop production of Madlib and Dilla, .
Opening track and lead single “Sing A Silent Gospel” leans into those U.S. Girls connections with guest vocals from Meg Remy and Dorothea Paas, but the real draw is the way the music spirals from jazzy sax-laden tropicalia into an easy listening guitar jam worthy of Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky without losing its eclectic undercurrent. Per Turnbull, the song “expresses a paradox I have felt while making this album. While the habitability of the world disintegrates, I sense the spiritual realm calmly persists. The world moves through a cycle of apocalypses and it is up to us each to find this movement either meaningful or banal.”
Listen below.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Sing A Silent Gospel”
02 “Unity (It’s Up To You)”
03 “Cloud”
04 “The Sound Where My Head Was”
05 “Just Space For Light”
06 “Birds Fly Through Ancient Ruins”
07 “Extinct Commune”
Self Help is out 11/20 on Telephone Explosion Records. Pre-order it here.
