WATCH / SHARE “UNBELIEVABLE” (ROCOCODE REMIX) HERE
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TOUCHING’S (AKA, MICHAEL FALK (EX-LES JUPES)) NEW ALBUM, littleworlds, OUT NOW VIA HEAD IN THE SAND
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“All I Need, about the last day of a manufacturing plant, paints a poignant, John Samson-esque picture of existential struggle, while Caught in the Middle is a classic tale of unattainable love and Tony Called the Muscle is an uptempo study of how the mighty fall that will likely sound huge when played live. Here’s hoping…” - WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Touching, the artistic alias of Michael Falk (formerly of Les Jupes), recently released his new LP, littleworlds. Today, the Winnipeg-based songwriter and producer is sharing a remix of album closer “Unbelievable” by Rococode (Laura Smith and Andrew Braun), which arrives complete with a video from Daniel Murphy.
“Rococode was the first non-Manitoban band I ever signed to my old label Head In The Sand, and I've long appreciated Laura and Andrew,” says Falk. “They've made some great music over the years. Artistically and personally, they felt like the right people to ask to mess with one of the songs on the record, and I really love what they've made. I like how they've somehow managed to make the song even more introverted and lonely... its glitchy in the best David Lynch ways possible. Daniel Murphy has been making all of our cover artwork, and it was great to get him involved on the video side now too. His work often feels ever-so-slightly, purposefully out of balance, like a pretty picture that's just fucked up enough to keep you guessing a bit.”
“When Mike asked us to reimagine a track, we came up with the concept of ‘what if Radiohead’s ‘Everything in its Right Place’ was on the Nine Inch Nails album The Fragile?’,” says Smith. “With these, admittedly way too lofty, sonic goals in mind we set about trying to create a new but complimentary narrative out of the song’s raw materials.
We wanted to encapsulate the moodiness of the lyrics and to juxtapose the beautiful piano of the original with something harsh and hypnotic. We started by taking a couple of bars from the piano outro and looping it into a grinding pulse. Next we chopped up lyrical phrases and messed with Mike’s voice to create a fragmented and multi-voiced inner dialogue that eventually comes together in a moment of serene clarity. We made 8 minute versions and 3 minute versions. We tossed in a four on the floor 909 kick, surprise bass notes, muffled vocals, and dug out our e-bow. We didn’t listen to any Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails.
It took us some time to agree on the effectiveness of most of these moves so the process, much like the remix itself, was somewhat tense before finally finding its way to a moment of release. On our final listen before sending it off, some teenagers walking home from school saw us dancing in the living room and made awkward eye contact. We took that as a good sign and in the end, like always, we agree it was worth the ride to make something we both believe in.”
WATCH / SHARE “UNBELIEVABLE” (ROCOCODE REMIX) HERE
BUY / STREAM “UNBELIEVABLE” (ROCOCODE REMIX) OUT EVERYWHERE TOMORROW
MORE ABOUT littleworlds
In late Spring of 2020, Touching began sharing 10 songs over 10 weeks, a project that was unveiled serially with a one-shot video for each track filmed and released every seven days, eventually released as the project’s debut album, Isolation Blues. With its relatable lyrical themes of loneliness, depression, and disconnection, Exclaim! described the collection as “a greatest hits of pandemic moods.”
Hot on its heels now comes littleworlds, a new album aiming to disinfect the darkness with sunlight. The sophomore release from Touching is built on feelings of hope, simple joys found amidst conflict, and the anticipation and fear of becoming a parent. Its 12 songs were written during the same period as Isolation Blues as Falk stepped away from touring and various other collaborative projects. Using this opportunity to build a studio in his basement, he centered his efforts on writing and recording.
WATCH AND SHARE “TONY CALLED THE MUSCLE” HERE
At the heart of littleworlds is Falk’s rich baritone. His striking voice soars with the passion of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, coasts with the coolness of Marker Starling’s Chris A. Cummings, and plumbs the emotional depths of Richard Dawson. Musically, the album injects the downtempo electronic ambience of Massive Attack (“I’m inspired by their late career stuff that no one thinks about,” laughs Falk) into the high drama indie-rock of Editors, Manchester Orchestra, or We Were Promised Jetpacks.
WATCH AND SHARE “ALL I NEED” HERE
WATCH AND SHARE “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” HERE
From his home in Winnipeg, the multi-hyphenate musician has organized festivals, run a studio, and operated a record label, juggling countless roles within the local scene. As a performer, he has toured with acclaimed acts including Les Jupes, The Liptonians, and rapper/CBC host Ismaila Alfa. Yet since becoming a father, Falk has consolidated his lifelong pursuit into a renewed, singular focus: Get back to making music. And lots of it.
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Photo Credit : Samanta Katz // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES