(c) Francis Vanhee
'Keep Me Close' is the new Faces on TV 5 track EP. We have been dropping several singles in the past year or so, but we're happy to share the collection in its entirety with you today. 'Keep Me Close' is now available as a limited edition 12" white coloured vinyl. Do not sleep on it if you want one of those.
The new Faces on TV songs are playful, unconstrained and sultry. Whereas he used to excel in sculpting sonic miniatures, these new songs are life size. The intricacies and layers are still there but the preoccupations are gone. Faces On TV never sounded this effortless. During a long tour opening for Balthazar, his set-up boiled down to the essence: himself, his synths and drum machines, guitar and a microphone. An autonomous metronome. On stage and on the road new songs emerged, live, in real-time. Jasper didn’t stand still trying, he was in motion. No analysis, just praxis. He was composed, and he went on to compose.
It may seem like a bit of a paradox, but the accessibility in fact makes them more vulnerable, and courageous. Instead of soul-stirring he shares his observations. Keep Me Close is Maekelberg’s sexual healing for socially distant times. It feels natural and organic. He is in a happy place, from which sprung a happy record - or, nearly so. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.