Words by David C. Obenour
Gently strummed nylon string guitar, swelling organ and string arrangements, a soprano saxophone melody that flutters through the air alongside field recordings of seabirds. Multi-instrumentalists and long time friends Matt Gold and Resavoir’s Will Miller followed their love of mid-century Brazilian music to bring it all together for HORIZON. Far from just a love letter, the album introduces these classic aesthetics in reverent contemporary conversation – making use of both musician’s backgrounds having worked with artists as varied as Makaya McCraven, Jamila Woods, and SZA. Just in time to soundtrack the sunny days ahead of us.
Off Shelf: Having known each other for a number of years, it wasn’t until the last two years that you both finally got together for the album that became HORIZON. How was it what you expected for all of these years and how was it different?
Matt Gold: We started the project first as friends, then as musicians – I think that’s worth a lot in the collaborative process, actually. We didn’t really have a clear sense of where the writing and recording process might lead, but we were invested in spending more time together and exploring that space. Just trying to write a few things, without any real expectations at the outset. A certain playfulness and intuitive way of making music came from that headspace, which I think translates across the record in the melodies, the instrumentation choices, the whole spirit of the thing.
OS: Each of you have performed with so many incredible other artists, what did you appreciate about working with the other for this project?
Resavoir: I really appreciate Matt’s range in the studio. He’s known for his guitar work, but we ended up writing a bunch of the material with him on bass and me on piano. Then he’d sit at the drums and knock out an idea, lay some percussion, then finally get to the guitar. He plays some incredibly tasty piano on “Metropoli” as well.
OS: This project was described as beginning as a “love letter… for 60s and 70s Brazilian music”, can you talk more about that inspiration? Some of the artists who’ve stood out to you and what about their sound that’s resonated?
R: I’ve been a massive fan of Brazilian music for as long as I can remember. My parents would play Getz/Gilberto and Milton Nascimento’s self-titled album around the house growing up. But around 2020 I discovered Luiz Bonfa and it totally rocked my world. I just became completely obsessed with his guitar playing and arrangements and is a big part of the reason why I wanted to make an album centered around the acoustic guitar.
OS: How do you feel you were able to bring your own approach to this music?
MG: It’s just about showing up to the studio with open ears, open hearts, and seeing where the ideas want to go. While this record has some aesthetic reference points and is in conversation with certain sounds and traditions, we’re also coming to the table aiming to make honest music, follow our intuition, and be ourselves within the songs.
OS: You worked with a lot of other amazing people to bring HORIZON together. Did anyone surprise you or make you re-evalute a song with their contribution?
R: Mei Semones’ vocals on “Diversey Beach” just completely floored me. After she sent those vocals over I knew we needed to bring in her string players as well because her string arrangements are one of the parts of her sound that initially drew me in. Noah Leung and Claudius Agrippa play viola and violin in her band and they worked with Mei on the absolutely stunning string arrangement on this song.
OS: Both multi-instrumentalists, was it hard to leave a song as “complete”? A strong urge to keep returning back with different parts?
MG: We did return to the songs over and over again, more so because Will and I love the specificity of arranging and producing. Sometimes additional instruments would come into play, but just as often we’d rearrange or remove an element to clarify the arrangement… I’m a big believer in keeping a “low track-count,” or minimizing the number of instruments and microphones being used on a given song to only what’s really necessary. We’re always trying to get things to jump out of two speakers at the end of the day, and sometimes a sound or performance can feel even more special when there’s not so much information competing for the same sonic space. But it was fun balancing those energies – keeping an eye on which elements felt vital to the song’s final form while embracing the vibrant and expansive palette that much of this music seemed to be asking for.
OS: The sequencing of songs on an album like this seems like it’s additionally important. Riding a vibe but never getting stuck in it – something I think you did really well! What considerations did you have when putting the tracks together and in order?
R: Telling a story and keeping the listener engaged.
OS: How “Canopy” begins feels like it just had to be the first song of the album. Can you talk about how that sets the pace for what’s to follow?
MG: I have to give a big shout-out to saxophonist Tim Bennett, who plays so beautifully on “Canopy.” It’s funny you mention that – in the original writing/recording session for “Canopy,” we had a sketch of the next track – what ended up becoming “Memento” – transitioning right out of the ending, just like it does on the record. So those two tracks were always conceived of together, almost like one continuous piece. From there we really just tried to balance the different energies across the record – centering the woodwinds and strings, verse some of the more sampler-based pieces, verse opening up on side B into the pedal steel guitar as a melodic voice… sort of like gradually changing the lighting in the room.
OS: Were there other songs you worked on that just didn’t quite end up fitting here?
R: Always.
OS: That said, will there be more Resavoir & Matt Gold releases? Would you want to mine a similar vein of music or were there other points of inspiration you’d like to explore?
MG: We will see! There is certainly no shortage of inspiration to draw from and explore… for the time being, we’re excited to see this music out in the world and start to experiment with presenting it live. We’re both curious to see that side of the music take shape!