Caroline Polachek has been a long standing member of the music scene since her emergence with Chairlight and their first EP in 2007. Many releases later and her huge amount of critical acclaim, Blood and Butter is the latest release in a long line of successful tunes. 

I, like you, was most intrigued by the title of Blood and Butter! I was hoping that the underlying reason for the name of the song would appear to me in the lyrics, but I could not find the true meaning of the words. The song is a song of appreciation of another, lyrically there aren’t many clues as to the deeper meaning, but the beauty of what has been created here is not in the lyrics, in my opinion, it is in the way the instrumentation and vocals has been crafted. 

Blood and Butter is a unique sound in the variety of new releases at the moment. Caroline Polachek has a calming voice that starts off in a low register but builds throughout the song. The instrumentation around the lead vocal for me is what makes this a fascinating piece. With a hi hat tap and African drum at the beginning to set the tone, the percussion then morphs into a more recognisable mainstream beat towards the end. The rest of the backing gives the song a sense of warmth and carries the often fast paced lyrical melody through. Blood and Butter is an interesting song that musically is fascinating and so different that I think will capture new audiences for Caroline Polcheck.

Author: James MD

Entertainment and Showbiz Writer.