Live Review: Abraham Tilbury paints a lush picture of ‘California’

Melbourne based multi-instrumentalist ABRAHAM TILBURY has released his latest single ‘California’. Featuring lush sounds and spacious beats, the musician paints the perfect picture of California.

Reaching with falsetto, Abraham Tilbury’s vocals are filtered, alternative and breathy. Deliciously melting into the percussion, the first half of the track is a balance of smooth lyricism with entrancing synth beats. There is a moodiness about the vocals - a certain touch of yearning that has the listener desperate to decipher the mumbled lyrics.

“California, I can’t solve you,” Tilbury sings, with the chorus serving as a further testament to the puzzlement of the story teller.

Piano chords are at odds with more electro sounds; it is this balance that makes this track perfect for easy listening. Abraham Tilbury never allows the simplicity of tender tones to get tedious. The listener is pulled in and out through a dynamic array of gradual progression and stark pauses.

There are moments within the instrumental that are staggered and flickering, reminding the listener of the electronica that is holding together the soft folksiness of the melody. Samples and snippets are thrown in erratically, making for interesting layers and genre-defying instances.

One rather short lived but satisfying eclipse of sound toward ‘California’s end takes the song to a fulfilling and strong finish. ‘California’ gains in aptitude and propensity as it progresses. Bursting backing vocals create a choral sound as rich as a gospel choir’s. The beginning of each line explodes with opulent sound, before gradually reclining into the song’s characteristic softness.

Tilbury is easing into unfamiliar territory with his latest track 'California', but the familiarity of percussion and softness of vocal anchor the song in the artist's distinct considerate style.

Words by ABBEY LENTON

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