Drawing us in with a count in of four, Marc Soucy opens Charlie Backwards with a cerebral nature, expanding into a super dimensional jazz meets prog-rock hybrid energy with textured drums, cymbals and a galactic piano performance.
The opus feels like we are sat at a high octane futuristic version of Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in Soho, where the instrumentalists are on acid. The trip feels intricate and yet expansive. There are creative ebbs and flows, nuanced moments of silence before dynamic performances that showcase human musical excellence.
The tempo shifts are welcome and almost add a cosmic vibe for brief moments before we are enthralled in an almost car chase-esque universe. There is a super fast synth performance that emerges sending us astral and actually reminds us of a 1990s video game, akin to playing Sonic The Hedgehog on a SEGA Megadrive. The track would actually be perfect for one of the new Sonic movie sequels. Marc, we need to see that happen!
As if the pace couldn’t increase, synth arpeggios increase in tenacity, almost like we are reaching a climax – it feels almost otherworldly, laced with cinematic allure and as if we are about to explode before a momentary descent and a climactic and playful finale sending us beyond the cosmic into another dimension!
We learn that the track was recorded live in a stone cellar in Dracut, Massachusetts, and is designed to embody “raw creativity with no overdubs or edits”. This reflects Marc’s overarching innovative approach to composition. He cites Vince Guaraldi as an influence but there is no doubt that Marc Soucy is consistently manifesting a universe of his own.
With reference to the name of the track, Marc confesses, “The title Charlie Backwards refers to the fact that my main piano theme feels like the Charlie Brown theme, only played backwards. This is not literally true, but a fun way to look at it.”
Speaking on the pace and accompanying visual, “It’s perhaps the most high energy piece I composed in that era. The music video reflects that by featuring bobsled footage, representing fast forward motion.”
Naturally, we have added the masterpiece to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TRIPPY and TIMELESS playlists, whilst we continue to stream Marc Soucy‘s ever growing discography, including his archive ANTARTICA tracks!