Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody‘s new album, Black Horses, is out on Tuesday via Goodnight Records, but today Glide Magazine is proud to premiere “Asha,” the second single from the record.
The song formed after Franklin recalled a melody from renowned Indian singer Asha Bhosle. “I love her music,” Franklin writes, “Which I first became aware of in the ’90s due to that Cornershop song [‘Brimful of Asha’], and then a friend made me a mixtape of her stuff.” The track leads off the new album, after a couple seconds of blank noise. “It just seemed perfect as the album opener, as the guitars and drums kind of belt you around the head, but at the same time there are all these lovely Indian scales and electric textures flying around,” writes Franklin.
“Asha” is a beautiful mix of Eastern-influenced orchestration with classic rock-and-roll muscle. The lyrics speak to someone who has lost their way, which the music amplifies with its swirling sounds and layered texture. Also, Franklin’s voice is complemented by the harmony vocal of Nightmare Air’s Swaan Miller, which provides further depth and luster to the track.
Franklin is known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the UK-based band Swervedriver, whose seminal albums Raise (1991) and Mezcal Head (1993) helped pave the way for so many of the indie rock / dream-pop / shoegaze / etc. band that have cropped up in the last ten years. With his solo work, Franklin shows his versatility as an artist and offers well-constructed and utterly potent songs that both recall Swervedriver and also give a poignant look to the future.
Listen to “Asha” below, and check out Black Horses, available now for pre-order through Goodnight Records.
