ACL Singles Chart ~ October 2014

The latest installment of our ACL Singles Chart includes an accordion, a vibraphone, a film score and a surprise EP from a site favorite.  Fall is the biggest season for new music, and we hope you’ll like what we chose!

For those new to our site, this monthly experiment is based solely on personal taste.  We’re imagining a world in which our favorite songs appear on a chart, and these songs have been chosen for their potential crossover appeal.  With the resurgence of records reaching the point that every pressing plant in the U.S. is backed up, we think it’s time to resurrect the 45 as a viable singles format.  We’re not Luddites; we simply think that the format was given an improper burial.  And of course October is the right month to rise from the dead.  The coffin bell is ringing!

1) Olafur Arnalds ~ Kadzionis (Erased Tapes)
Not content to let A Winged Victory for the Sullen have all the fun, Arnalds dropped this free download only a week ago ~ a three-track work scored for the documentary film The Invisible Front.

2) Tess Said So ~ The Snap Beans Aren’t Salty (Preserved Sound)
The catchiest tune on the duo’s new album, I Did That Tomorrow, “The Snap Beans Aren’t Salty” will make listeners do a double take.  Can this be just piano and percussion?  Yes, it is!

3) Kakurenbo ~ Itsuka (Unperceived Records)
The song starts simply, but develops swiftly like a late season shower: brisk enough for fall but with a leftover hint of summertime warmth.  The track is found on Take, Run, Lookback, which is the label’s first release.

4) Father Howl ~ it is the light that separates us
Taken from the San Francisco band’s self-titled album, this track demonstrates the trio’s unique approach to composition: it begins with keys reminiscent of “Halloween”, but leads to a horn-drenched, military march.

5) Sleevenotes ~ Sunset Rust
Solo artist Brad Couture sounds like a full band on his latest album, The Pain of Nostalgia.  Despite the title, there’s no pain in this post-rock piece, which bursts into full flower at the halfway mark.

6) A Troop of Echoes ~ Kerosene
If it were longer, we couldn’t claim it as a single.  Featuring vibraphone and violin, “Kerosene” represents the softer side of the post-rock band.

7) Port Mone ~ Nina (Hevhetia)
Want something a little different?  Try the music of this Belarus trio (bass, percussion, accordion).  The band stands out due to its willingness to take risks; new album Thou is the proof.

8) Ross Baker ~ Clouds in the Shape of Clouds (Plenty Wenlock Records)
The title track of the latest 7″ from E.L. Heath’s bespoke label, “Clouds in the Shape of Clouds” is the latest in a series of releases this year from the prolific Ross Baker.  He’s saved his best for last.

9) Balmorhea ~ Heir 1 (Western Vinyl)
The softest song on this month’s chart (at least to start), Balmorhea’s “Heir 1″ is taken from the 7” of the same name, released in conjunction with the vinyl reissue of the band’s first album.

10) Hans Zimmer ~ Our Destiny Lies Above Us (Interstellar Trailer 1)
We close this month with a tiny preview of the Interstellar score.  Zimmer does some of his finest work for Christopher Nolan, and we suspect this will be no exception.  Try reciting any monologue over this piece, and it will sound profound.

Richard Allen