The Californian musician Argel Cota has been a highly established and sought after session drummer for the last two decades, but as a solo artist under the name Arhkota he is now starting to build a new strand to his career. His second album Dreamy Hamilton is further establishing his sound and style, and with the help of singer Lubna Maher, a former collaborator of Tricky, he has produced a glistening, dreamy album that crosses boundaries between trip hop, indie, electro, dream pop, chillwave and ambient music.
Unsurprisingly, with the drumkit being his primary instrument, when there are drums here they do standout in the mix, thought it's far less prominent that you might expect. The focus of the album is ,more on the textures and soundscapes and there is as much time spent without a beat as there is with one. It's perhaps akin to how Charlie Mingus's bass playing always stood out in his band compositions, with a subtle prominence rather than an indulgent eminence, though whether this was down to the performer himself or simply the listener's perception is impossible to know .
The album begins with In My Head, a luscious combination of atmospheric synths, melodic percussion and striking vocals. These sounds build together in a way that reminds me of Visions-era Grimes, with the vocals both harmonising and layering to deepen the ambience. Northeast has a more definable tune that sounds like a Best Coast track reimagined by an unlikely supergroup of Lana Del Rey, The Mars Volta and Skream. There is a lot going on with the elements pushing and pulling in every direction, but the track somehow avoids any abrasive tension and instead there is an incredibly relaxed ambience.
The title track follows, and opens with a smattering of glittery keys while the Lykke Li style vocals segue their way in. Some neo-classical horns and strings enter with an electronic timbre that reminds me of Arcade Fire's more avant-garde work. There isn't really any semblance of a beat in this track, but it's cacophonous atmosphere does more than enough to drive the track through. On the other hand, Victoria is a catchy beat heavy tune that is full of funky drums and huge harmonised vocal lines that bring back memories of John Frusciante's early-mid 2000s solo work. It develops in a way which feels less overtly proggy than previous tracks, but it still isn't a traditional pop music structure.
Anxious Butterflies is a calming conglomeration of textures, with washes of noise that flutter in and out of the opening leg. Once the beat enters it feels like a more upbeat chillwave tune, or perhaps something The Neighbourhood might produce on a particularly shoegazey day. You're Pure is a slight step change, introducing some acoustic guitars that combine beautifully with the hazy vocal harmonies and soft dreamy beats. There's still a really strong tune below this though, and it comes together like Warpaint jamming with The XX.
Quiet Mind kicks things up several gears, introducing an electric guitar and bass riff with a pulsating drum beat. However, there are shallow waves of electronics that slowly begin to deepen and take over as the tune enters it's more progressive territory. The final track Crystal Candles For Magical Days revolves around a heavy double bass riff that sounds like doom metal played by Lee Rocker. All around though there are ethereal trip-hop style layers of sound, and these sonics really come to the fore as the track goes on, building into a perfect blend of organic and synthetic sounds. The whole thing ends with a hypnotic but engaging ambient section that's full of intriguing background noises, and it brings the album to a beautiful close.
The issue I have always personally found with trip-hop is that, for all of it's progressive and enlightened musical outlook, it is a genre rooted firmly in British music, and rarely is it combined well with more American pop and rock styles. With Dreamy Hamilton I have now definitely found a record which manages to combine the textures and timbres of trip-hop with an American style of song-writing, creating something wonderful that doesn't fit quite into any one genre. The album floats through your consciousness like the memory of last night's dreams, twisting and turning with an inherent subtlety that alters it's nature without you even noticing, and before long you're not sure what is memory and what is illusion. It's a fabulous and complete album that shows Arkhota to be a stunning and hugely talented creator.
Dreamy Hamilton is released on May 7th 2021 via Static Discos and The Orchard Music.
Check out Arkhota on his Official Website, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.
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