Touching

I Can Be Two People At Once

Head In The Sand, 2024

9/10

Listen to I Can Be Two People At Once

The brainchild of the multi-instrumentalist Michael Falk, as Touching he’s got plenty of friends along for this avant-garde version of jazz.

“It’s So Hard To Change A Lie” opens with Falk’s warm voice alongside Sean Irvine’s well timed sax and Dave Quanbury’s flowing Rhodes, and “Ocean Of Smiles” follows with Olive Louise’s expressive singing alongside Dunlop’s cozy bass and Sandy Fernandez’s fluid drumming.

“Feeling Swell” lands in the middle and employs Curtis Nowosad’s moody drums and Laura Smith’s distinct pipes in the intimate landscape, while “Jitterbug” lands in heartfelt territory thanks to Quanbury’s calm keys and Irvine’s soulful sax.

Landing near the end, “Stand Aside” benefits much from Cody Iwasiuk’s meticulous drums alongside Falk’s deep voice with a hint of mystery, and “Harvest In The Time Of Children” exits with a somewhat more straight forward jazz approach that uses Dunlop’s programming and plenty of ambience.

Falks’ background involves punk rock, synth and tense song craft, and the experimental nature of these very atypical songs makes every selection worth repeated listens.

Travels well with: Disaster Pony- Disaster Pony; Last Ark Out- Lift