In this end of the year series, Ears to Feed spoke with some of our favorite artists to see what helped them get through 2020.
In a year where human interaction became sparse with club lights cut off, Brooklyn’s Public Practice recreated images of nights on the town for those in need of escape. On their debut LP Gentle Grip, released in May via Wharf Cat Records, the group fashioned a searing album laced with funky basslines, disco grooves and adventurous songwriting.
The four piece emerged from the ashes of Singer Sam York and Guitarist Vince McClelland’s minimal no-wave project WALL. Joined by Beverly’s Drew Citron on bass and Scott Rosenthal on drums, Public Practice soon became known for their dynamic live shows that enthrall audiences with the urge to dance.
In this edition, McClelland shares how late 70’s experimental auteur Arthur Russell’s track “That’s Us / Wild Combination” became his quarantine anthem.
Arthur Russell – “That’s Us / Wild Combination”
“I’ve been obsessed with Arthur Russell’s “That’s Us / Wild Combination,” during quarantine. The lyrics allude to an anticipated love, or sharing time with someone you’re in love with. That moment just before its arrival, how saturated it feels, and the excitement it brings. In many ways, it has become an anthem of sorts for my quarantine.”
“A few summers ago, I was traveling through the continental divide and spotted a tiny shack centered deep in a valley and I found myself marveling at mankind’s will to live amid such isolation. It was a stark way of life, and one that all of us have ended up living and experiencing now, but this song continues to remind me of the shared moments of reunion and friendship around the world that are soon to come.”
“I keep returning to this song to remind myself of that feeling.”