{"product_id":"celebrant","title":"Celebrant","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobert Sotelo\u003c\/strong\u003e is a mercurial melodist building a resplendent world of pristine DIY pop from the ground up. The Glasgow-based artist’s songs are meticulously crafted, patchworked together with eclectic arrangements and ardent vocal performances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach of his albums to date has been accompanied by a growth-spurt, 2017’s debut \u003cem\u003eCusp\u003c\/em\u003e was packed with miniature psych overtures, whilst 2018’s \u003cem\u003eBotanical\u003c\/em\u003e was more keyboard-minded and playful with a near-absurdist palette of sound. \u003cem\u003eInfinite Sprawling\u003c\/em\u003e came out towards the end of 2019 and surprised with songs pulled together like a wakeful stretch, brisk with a lightness of touch. This was neatly followed by ‘Leap \u0026amp; Bounce’ melding a sparse synth-pop minimalism to an emotional undertow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUpset The Rhythm now release \u003cstrong\u003eRobert Sotelo’s\u003c\/strong\u003e vivid new album \u003cem\u003eCelebrant\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eCelebrant\u003c\/em\u003e was intended to be and still is to some extent a joyous wedding album (\u003cstrong\u003eSotelo\u003c\/strong\u003e is recently married), but in his own words “the pandemic and the death of my aunt Carmen intersected with the original concept so the album is darker than intended in places.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMore cinematic and measured than prior albums, \u003cstrong\u003eSotelo\u003c\/strong\u003e expounds that “it is purposefully a bigger sounding attempt at my keyboard songs and I felt more ambitious about it in general.” That’s certainly reflected in these twelve sophisticated loops of song, all curiously affecting and catchy, sprinkled with \u003cstrong\u003eSotelo’s\u003c\/strong\u003e offbeat musings and keenly accurate observations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGuitars\u003c\/strong\u003e are rarely employed on this record with \u003cstrong\u003eSotelo\u003c\/strong\u003e recruiting Iain Mccall, Ross Blake, Celia Morgan and David Maxwell to contribute brass, woodwind, spoken word and acoustic drums respectively. All of these additions blend well with the album’s synthetic core, softening and subtly shaping its pop-first nature into something more nuanced, vulnerable and human.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCelebrant\u003c\/em\u003e is a plucky synth-centric collection of unbridled songs at times surefooted at others threatened by disconnect, skilfully steered by \u003cstrong\u003eSotelo\u003c\/strong\u003e with typical classy touch. ‘Dear Resident’ is divinely metronomic, ‘Behaviour’ luxuriates in pitching a silken saxophone into a frenzied drum-off. ‘The Currency Is Love’ swaggers with 80s vibes aplenty: “all the globe is listening as a system of concern” sings \u003cstrong\u003eSotelo\u003c\/strong\u003e in clipped manner, enjoying the placement of each word in each song precisely, however seemingly stumbled upon and surreal their selection might seem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOther highlights include title track ‘The Celebrant’ with its lush environ of droning keys, swooning woodwind and baroque reverie, and ‘This Is My House’ a woozy, maze-like triumph of melody. ‘Influencer’ is similarly masterful with melancholic strains of synth, sax and voice: “extract the data from the fruit straight off the tree, conducive testing proves it’s not reality, create a substitute to simulate the tide, with rich efficiency the differences can hide.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe song itself a cipher for an ill-imagined future we might be living in already.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eCelebrant\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRobert Sotelo\u003c\/strong\u003e has made an album that sounds as big as its heart and imagination, true depth of feeling, true depth of connection. It’s an ornate album, complex and thoughtful, a fitting tribute to a wedding in unsettled times. What a treat that we’ve all been invited to the reception.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Upset The Rhythm","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50475302814027,"sku":"1132251","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/16d85b74-5d63-4c07-9708-ece981a8d4c6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727446073","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/celebrant","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}