Staying Tuned With is a new pop-meets-surf-rock song by Le Jank. Featuring former members of legendary reggae outfit The Maytals Band, an group known for their work with many musical legends, the song was recorded in the historic Abbey Road studio in London.
Drawing together a restrained and yet generous approach to production, Le Jank’s song floats with a sense of inner-peace. This reflects the overall description the North American duo apply to the song:
“Staying Tuned With is a song to help people quiet their mind and align with their internal direction.”
On first listening, I found Staying Tuned With a little simplistic – it arrives at and locks into a groove quickly, and then stays there. Yet, I quickly realised this is far from a derivative take on reggae — the way it inhabits that groove is purposeful. Indeed, the song’s second half is instrumental, the lyrics backing off to give the musicians space.
The instrumentation, conjured by the ex-Maytals members and Le Jank, joyfully plays around in the space afforded within the structure. Steely guitars slip and slide, reverb and echo, creating a sense of depth. A Hammond organ shines in the song’s final minute, rescuing the song at just the point where it feels like it is on the verge of disintegration. Staying Tuned With is clearly such a deliberately created performance that the song’s structure is really only the ground upon which it is built… It’s the playing that really matters.
The feeling Staying Tuned With evokes is stabilising, giving a sense of presence and pulling me into the moment. I only wish there was more — that I could stay tuned in, longer, because it is truly a stabilising place to be.