The sentimental and quieter side of Electro Swing.
Riff Kitten – “Wild Card” and “Coolest Man Alive”
Recently I have been reviewing mainly very energetic, lively songs. Such, to which you can dance or get in the mood for a weekend party. However, as we all know, Electro Swing is a genre full of not only lively, danceable hits. These are also the calmer, more relaxing compositions, thanks to which we can relax a bit from the fast pace and focus on the sound of instruments and the message contained in the text.
Today I’m going to review two singles by Riff Kitten, that is “Wild Card” and “Coolest Man Alive”, which were released on the Freshly Squeezed Music label. Brew your favourite tea or coffee and savour every sound of these fantastic tracks with me!
“Wild Card”
A typically swinging tempo, a superbly balanced use of various instruments and that voice that I will remember for a long time… That’s how I can describe “Wild Card” in a nutshell. Riff Kitten is a master in subtle blending of sounds. In this song we are electrified at the beginning by a guitar sounding a bit gypsy style. When it is joined by the piano, which gradually builds up the tension and during the chorus it starts to rock for good, I already know that this is not all that Riff Kitten has prepared for us.
Just before the start of the second verse we are warmed up by wind instruments. And then just a brilliantly played piano solo – this melody simply delights me! Riff Kitten perfectly selects vocalists for his songs. This time he decided to choose Teodora Gosheva, who is not yet known in the electro swing circles. I, of course, was tempted to listen to her again, as she enchanted me with her delicate, clear voice. Be sure to listen to the covers Teodora publishes on YouTube. I hope other Electro Swing artists will be happy to invite her to their new projects!
“Coolest Man Alive”
This instrumental track enchanted me from the first sounds. Get ready for three minutes of a real musical explosion! That bass we hear in the intro already immediately suggests to me that this will be a slightly “heavier” track than “Wild Card”. But that’s not true: it’s another quite calm, subdued track from Riff Kitten. You have to admit that this bass, together with the drums, makes for a straightforwardly perfect rhythm section.
A delicate guitar sounding somewhere in the background blends very well together with the piano and saxophone improvisation. It is really a very pleasant composition, which relaxes me fantastically. It combines perfectly with “Wild Card”, which made me want to listen to previous Riff Kitten albums. And once I’ve finished listening to “Gone Rogue”, I can’t stop. This music really makes me calmer, and believe me I’m always a huge volcano of energy! :)
Summary
I have to admit that Riff Kitten perfectly sticks to the style in which he feels best. His tracks are mostly characterised by a slow tempo, rich instrumentation and perfectly balanced amount of electronic elements. Both “Wild Card” and “Coolest Man Alive” fit perfectly as a complete composition to previously released albums and singles.
The music that Riff Kitten creates always makes me relax, calm down and forget about everyday life. According to the information I found on the Internet, Riff Kitten is releasing another album this year. I have nothing else to do but wait for the release of this album to confirm my conviction that sometimes I need to listen to such a relaxing Electro Swing that Riff Kitten gives us with every released track.
Written & reviewed by LadyDot (Ja, Wizeruk) Date: 2022-03-21
Bio – LadyDot
Anna (LadyDot) was born in ’94, but always felt she came from the Golden Twenties. “Polka” in Polish means “girl from Poland”, so she’s “Polka in polka dots”. She loves vintage style and spontaneous travels around Europe. But her greatest love (apart from her husband) is of course music, especially Electro Swing.
On her own Blog www.jawizeruk.pl she writes about various music genres. She is a copywriter, so writing is her strong point. Anna likes singing (not only in the shower!) and cooking (especially Italian and Hungarian cuisine).
Electro Swing Thing 
Electro Swing Thing 
Electro Swing Thing 
Electro Swing Thing 
Electro Swing Thing
Electro Swing Thing
Comments are closed.