Song of the Day: Porcelain Raft - Cluster

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Cluster” by Porcelain Raft from the 2013 album Permanent Signal on Secretly Canadian.

Porcelain Raft - Cluster (MP3)

Porcelain Raft's sole member Mauro Remiddi's take on indie-tinged electro pop embodies both the vibe-heavy aesthetic of chillwave and a post-millenium enthusiasm for pop sensibility. In his youth, Remiddi played music in his native Italy, eventually becoming a film and media composer. In 2000, he moved to New York for the first time, returning nearly a decade later when he put out his first solo recordings under the moniker Porcelain Raft. Blog buzz followed soon after, and the following year, Remiddi released the project's first album, Strange Weekend. Relentless touring behind the album followed while Remiddi began constructing its followup, this year's Permanent Signal. Despite its heavily atmospheric production, "Cluster" is a testament to Remiddi's strengths as a composer. The intro sets just enough of an insistent tone without giving anything away, the verses flow smoothly, and when he hits the chorus, he pushes his voice into a soaring yell. It's easy to get lost in "Cluster" if you try and isolate every element that Remiddi puts into the equation, but it's even more effective when simply letting it wash over your speakers.

Remiddi and the rest of the live band just finished an American tour last week, and now they're moving on to Europe to finish the year. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook to hear about a return to North America, and watch Remiddi play "Shapeless and Gone" live on KEXP at the 2012 Capitol Hill Block Party.