By: Staff
"Einsam" Unveils : “Fill Your Boots (More Life)” A Bold Project Blending Deep Themes with Innovative Soundscapes
“Fill Your Boots (More Life)” is a dazzling testament to the creative brilliance of Bristol-born writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sam Jackson aka Einsam. Conceived over four transformative years in Vienna and brought to life upon his return to Bristol in 2020, this project represents a bold exploration of musical and thematic depth.
Einsam, who has previously shared stages with acclaimed bands such as Everything Everything, Wolf Alice, and The Maccabees, embarked on a journey to push the boundaries of his own artistry. Einsam embodies this quest, masterfully intertwining philosophical themes with pop sensibilities. The project delves into profound concepts of language, existence, and the human body, fusing acoustic and electronic elements into a cohesive and innovative soundscape.
The excitement surrounding Einsam is amplified by its unique development process. The initial collection of songs was crafted and demoed in Vienna, only to be meticulously reimagined and recorded with the renowned producer CECIL (known for his work with PJ Harvey, Ed O'Brien, and Jehnny Beth) in his London studio. This collaboration brought an extra layer of finesse and polish to the project.
Einsam’s sound is further enriched by its rolling bass and synth textures, which add a remarkable depth to the music. The vocal presentation is both intense and unique, shifting from relaxed and calm to powerful and dynamic. It navigates the soundscape with such fluidity that it seems to invite the listener’s ears to chase it. The mix and editing are nothing short of exquisite, offering an exciting, unpredictable listening experience that keeps you on your toes.
What truly sets Einsam apart is Jackson’s ability to create a full-bodied, immersive experience single-handedly. Jackson’s commands attention and fills an entire room with its rich, resonant sound. The project’s name, “Einsam,” meaning “solitary” in German, aptly reflects both its solo nature and Jackson’s profound, introspective artistry.
Einsam stands as a shining example of what can be achieved when one artist’s vision and talent converge, making it a compelling and influential work that resonates deeply with its audience.
You can find this on any major platform and see below for links to take you straight to some of the profiles. Make sure to playlist, stream and share Einsam’s “Fill Your Boots (More Life)” today.
What we really liked about this song:
Einsam refuses to allow conventional music's influences to dictate the path of the music, creating a unique and beautiful listening experience.
Powerful Quotes about this artist:
“As both producer and performer I see songs as a fluid or malleable thing, working and reworking several different versions of the same idea in order to find a sound world that corresponds with the subject matter.
“Einsam has already embarked on successful support shows with Just Mustard, The Umlauts and Saloon Dion. The next live show will be supporting John Mouse at The Old England in September.”
Wait….. there's more!
We caught up with this exciting artist, for an interview in “The Cage” Music Blog, to talk about music and learn more about them.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview
Hello Einsam, we’re thrilled to have you for this interview. We've enjoyed diving into your music and learning about your work, but we're eager to discover even more about you personally and professionally.
We heard there is a story behind how you chose your artist name and we wanted to hear more about it.
I was living in Vienna and finding my way around the language, and I kept coming across these words ending in ‘sam’, so I would use my flatmate’s label maker and stick them to my door. It’s really just a suffix like our ‘some’ in winsome, or fearsome, but it felt like a nice way of locating a bit of myself in a new world. Einsam means ‘solitary’ (literally ‘onesome’), so it stuck as a working title for the songs I was developing on my own. It’s nice too because if you put ‘Gem’ in front of it ‘Gemeinsam’ means together, so I like to release my songs under the label Gem; another thing that tickles me in two languages.
Can you walk us through your songwriting process and where the inspiration comes from for this latest project? -
The new record Actionism is all about doing, and particularly when it’s difficult to do. The name was inspired a bit by the Viennese Actionist movement in the 60s, which was process-driven art. Sport, psychology and existentialism were also all big inspirations.
Sport provides an ideal frame for looking at doing, and trying, and failing.
I read a lot on Muhammad Ali, particularly the book 'King of the World', but I got really interested in Floyd Patterson too, who was the youngest heavyweight champion before being knocked out first round by Sonny Liston, and then again by Liston and by Ali in trying to regain the title.
"They said i was the champ that got knocked down the most. I was also the champ that got up the most too” and
“I've learned so very much about myself in defeat. I've learned very little to nothing in victory.”
The central character and ideas throughout Actionism are very much informed by that.
Process-wise, for these songs I built a workflow with little loops that allowed me to move around instruments and give me a bit more of live feeling. I start with a timer, having sixty minutes to find an idea, build it into a piece of music and set some words to it. The aim is to have a rough sketch by the end, and then I revisit later and shape them up a bit or completely dismantle them. It’s a good way to counter blocks and talking yourself out of ideas, and to accept small - often naff - thoughts, knowing that the process can make them into something significant.
What part of the music-making process is the most stressful, ie the creation, the actual release date, etc?
In song-making it’s always shaping into finishing. It’s painful because it’s extracting something definite from the infinite space of potential. The start of an idea is always exciting because it could be anything. I have to keep writing out these pages with the heading 'What am I getting at?" to stop myself from veering off.
Where do you currently reside and what is the live music venue scene like there?
I’m back in Bristol now which has a great music scene, and it’s in a really good place at the moment. You can find a decent show pretty much every day of the week from techno to punk, sloshy jazz to dnb. I’m into all of that so it’s nice to be spoilt for choice.
What advice would you give your younger self?
If I were to meet my younger self I’d kiss him on the head, pat him on the butt and say “you’re in the right place”. That's all you need sometimes!
I do often think about how my younger self would feel seeing me now too. Always assume the younger you would be fine seeing a haggard and bedraggled version of themselves. I’ve had an unfinished song about that for a while.
What is your favorite song to cover?
Ralph who plays guitars for us asked me this the other day, and I said at the moment with this live setup it’d be fun to play Game Over by Antelope. It’s been repeating on me this whole year.
What is your favorite quote?
One that fits for Fill Your Boots is Octavia Butler’s “All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you.”
How do you feel about social media?
Fascinating! The democratisation of art like Walter Benjamin forecasted - the comment sections can be a real treasure trove. Bringing far-flung people close together. And it’s so seductive because it’s all potential - every time I turn to my screen I could laugh, I could be enlightened or moved to tears. Quite destabilising too probably.
If you could go on any late-night talk show, which would it be? And based on present life, what would be the topic of discussion?
Does Monday Night Football count? I’d like to get stuck into some game analysis.
When you reach the stage where you have the admiration and respect of other world-known artists, what band or artist would you love to call and say, “Let’s go on tour together”?
I think the tour would take some explaining, and I don't know if we'll ever get Andre 3000 away from the flutes, but OutKast are one of my all-time favourites. I think what they did for music in terms of being thoughtful and funny and experimental, all whilst making stone cold bangers, can’t be understated. Then I think we could get Kate Bush to join too for all those reasons and Big Boi's a massive fan, and then actually not give anyone any explanation at all.
End Interview
We’re thrilled to have shared this artist's exciting journey with you and to have uncovered such inspiring details about them.
Now click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand
Check out this latest release and listen to more of Einsam on Spotify & YouTube.
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