Robert Walter has shared the latest installment of his Better Feathers series, a new single featuring Mike Gordon dubbed “Saucermen”. The keyboardist has also released the B-side to his latest “digital 45” with another single, “Devices Of A Similar Size”, featuring Stanton Moore.
This pair of singles comes as the second monthly entry in Walter’s Better Feathers series, which he described as a lineup of “digital 45s” that will see him call on his bandmates from Greyboy Allstars as well as the Phish bassist’s solo project. Galactic drummer Stanton Moore also appears throughout the series, set to run through October with monthly releases through Royal Potato Family.
As for the name Better Feathers, Walter has said that it refers to the process of birds shedding their old feathers for new, “better” ones. He wrote all of the songs during quarantine, noting, “it was time to shift gears and think of the situation as a positive and not a negative; an unexpected abundance of time to emerge with something of value.”
On “Saucermen”, Walter lays out an expansive soundscape that he and Gordon could—in theory—ride out to infinity, though they decide to cap the track at three minutes, 14-seconds.
“’Saucermen’ was a tune I had been working on for a long time and kept coming back to,” Walter told Relix, who premiered the track on Tuesday. “It‘s sort of genre neutral, but still feels great. I wanted to make something that avoided all the cliches of funk music but was rhythmically propulsive and syncopated. It’s very hypnotic to me and feels other worldly. This goes with my general fascination with psychedelic groove music. I decided to not play a traditional ‘solo,’ but instead think of it as improvisational sound collage.”
As for Gordon’s involvement in the track, Walter noted, “While was working on the song and adding layers I kept thinking about moments I have had on stage with Mike Gordon. Sometimes we stretch something so far that the tune no longer matters and the music plays itself. I figured I would ask him to play bass on ‘Saucermen’ to try to recreate that feeling in a much shorter space. Mike and I talk a lot about getting away from intention and letting the music tell you where to go next. I think this captures that mystical thing.”
Flipping over to the B-side, “Devices Of A Similar Size” is more familiarly Walter-esque. The organ-driven track grooves right along in a straightforward acid-jazz direction while Moore provides his color commentary on the backbeat, almost acting as a second lead beside Walter.
Listen to “Saucermen” featuring Mike Gordon and “Devices Of A Similar Size” featuring Stanton Moore, the two latest installments of Robert Walter’s Better Feathers series, below or on your preferred streaming platform. Royal Potato Family also shared a clip of Gordon recording his bass track.
Robert Walter – “Saucermen” (ft. Mike Gordon)
[Video: The Royal Potato Family]
Robert Walter – “Devices Of A Similar Size” (ft. Stanton Moore)
[Video: The Royal Potato Family]
Mike Gordon Bass Track on Robert Walter “Saucermen”
[Video: The Royal Potato Family]
[H/T Relix]