Ex-Azari & III lead vocalist Starving Yet Full & August Jakobsen collaborate to deliver their excellent eight-track debut album ‘Cemetery Gospel’ on 4NC¥ (Foreign Currency).
Moscow-based singer, songwriter Cedric Gasaïda, aka Starving Yet Full, was the lead vocalist of the Canadian quartet, Azari & III who achieved crossover success in 2011 with hits including ‘Hungry For The Power’ and ‘Reckless (With Your Love)’. Now pursuing a solo career, collaborating with suiting production outfits from all corners of the globe, releasing under collaborative projects such as BLENT, and touring his latest material, Gasaïda has fostered an admirable presence in the modern-day electronic music landscape. After being introduced by Pavan Mukhi of Foreign Beggars, Gasaïda teams up with DJ, producer, multi-instrumentalist and one half of APP alongside Peter Pixzel, August Jakobsen, for their irresistible ‘Cemetery Gospel’ album on 4NC¥ (Foreign Currency), an Indian label split between Mumbai, Dubai & London. With an extensive background in jazz composition, August holds a unique, euphonic style that runs through his music on various labels such as Diynamic, Kindisch, Global Underground, and WetYourSelf! Records. The eight-track project explores both the melodic sensibility of August’s production and the bittersweet emotion behind Gasaïda’s vocals, with the result being a mesmerising body of work with shifting musical styles and spirit.
‘Purge’ is something of a heartbreak song that came about after parting ways with Azari & III and unveiling the Starving Yet Full alias from the emotional fallout that stemmed from the tumultuous relationship. The track kicks off the album with enticing energy as the pulsating melodies wrap gracefully around August’s enchanting vocals and shimmering synth waves, before ‘Money’ offers up sizzling arpeggios, elastic chords and contemporary grooves. Up next, ‘Cemetery Gospel’ delightfully fuses bouncy bass stabs with floating pads, with the track exploring a vision of a goddess, all dressed in black, heading to a church to confess, which ends up in an ascension rave within the church’s cemetery. Springy compositions, euphoric flutters, and glistening vocals take the focus in ‘Lost in Heaven’, a metaphor for a source of light that represents serenity, consciousness, and finding oneself. ‘Journey Of Ours’ is a lively cut combining warm low frequencies, sparkling tones and sharp drums whilst ‘Left it Behind’ reveals hazy, late-night atmospheres, ethereal fx and funk-fuelled synth licks. ‘Revisions’ follows with hooky percussion, spiralling bass leads which ebb and flow around soaring vocals and an infectious groove. ‘On My Mind’, a track in response to equal rights, gay rights and police brutality, rounds of proceedings with low-slung, celestial guitar waves, soulful keys and hypnotic builds. This debut album offers up a milestone for the duo whilst showcasing their songwriting prowess and artistic finesse glossed with elements of passion, self-discovery and enlightenment.