Memotone, aka Will Yates, has made a name for himself in the broad ambient continuum – and, like many others, has risked being labelled as vague or insignificant, even though his music is often much more complex. His electronic soundscapes oscillate between introspective jazz, rustic folk, and a touch of eccentric experimentation.
Smallest Things stands out in his catalogue: clarinet and piano are more prominent, the mix is more transparent, more airy than before. Treated banjo or guitar sounds drift into a pastoral pull that reinforces the folk connection without relying on genre formulas. In »Chairs on the Lawn«, for example, whimsical melodies meet quirky charm. And in »Keep the Change«, Yates even ventures cautiously into singing – or something close to it.
Depending on your perspective, Smallest Things might be described as a dog-eared book of musical poetry: slightly odd, all the more endearing for it. Those who lean into it will find no randomness in these miniatures – only lovingly arranged idiosyncrasies. And they tend to linger – sometimes more than conventional ambient albums.
Smallest Things
