Myles Cochran is an American composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Born and raised in Kentucky, Myles was later based in New York City and now makes his home in the UK. He is gearing up to release his new EP, My Own Devices, via his 9Ball Records imprint on 19th June 2020. My Own Devices includes a new version of his single Early Dark (February 2020) and his long-form piece It’s Like This/It’s Like That, from which his single It’s Like This (May 2020) was derived. The recent singles have received airplay across the UK, including from luminaries such as Gideon Coe on BBC6 Music and Elizabeth Alker on BBC Radio 3. Aside from praise across the board for his solo work, Myles has also found recent acclaim for his work with Irish singer Brona McVittie, with whom he works as co-producer and steel guitarist.
His music is full of pangs for his home country, the guitar playing of people like Bert Jansch and Ry Cooder, as well as British ambient influences like Brian Eno and Lamb. It’s atmospheric and it bends around and into some of those traditional Southern folk rhythms and echoes across the Appalachian Mountains.
Elizabeth Alker, BBC Radio 3
Track by Track – My Own Devices
Love Is As Beautiful As Pizza grew out of a drum loop I recorded in France, which formed the basis for layers of guitar feedback. The structure revealed itself over time as a warped but optimistic statement, appropriate for these crazy times.
The full version of It’s Like This/It’s Like That continues the journey of the shortened version of song released in May. The result of layers of improvisation, it demonstrates the fact that, no matter where you are, things change – and often for the better.
At the suggestion of a friend, I revisited Early Dark and found a different version lurking beneath the original. I like this one as much as the first; it’s a reminder of the different perspectives that lie beneath the surface of the familiar.
Churrito was the result of a trip to the western United States, long the object of fantasy from my childhood. I spent days exploring cliff-dwelling ruins and experiencing the landscape. Being able to see fifty miles changes your thinking.
These four songs cover a lot of ground, but share the common thread of exploration and improvisation. My inspiration comes from the different places I’ve lived, as well as the past or the present; growing up in Kentucky meant country music, but also soul music. As with all my music, disparate influences come together to make what I hope is my own voice.
The tracks for My Own Devices were composed, produced and performed by Myles at his rural studios in the UK and France, and Early Dark and It’s Like This/It’s Like That feature cello virtuoso Richard Curran. As with the two lead singles, the EP as a whole illustrates Myles’s ability to effortlessly fuse the bluegrass roots of his upbringing with hazy guitar atmospherics and sonorous string arrangements. Tracks such as It’s Like This/It’s Like That were born of cutting-edge production techniques and studio improvisations, but Myles still very much has a foot in the musical traditions of his native Kentucky; as he explains:
Roots and country music were in the air when I was growing up and they still shape my aesthetic. But my love of improvised music, whether Miles Davis or Talk Talk, also informs what I do, and the American Primitive guitarists such as John Fahey and Leo Kottke made a deep impact. To me, these aren’t disparate influences, but make beautiful sense together.
These diverse music forms inspire different aspects of Myles’ work and, combined with the atmospheres of guitarists such as Robert Fripp and Daniel Lanois and the minimalist soundscapes of Steve Reich, make for a fascinating and heady musical brew.
With further releases planned in the run-up to the launch of his forthcoming album UNSUNG, Myles looks set to continue to make his name as one of the premier guitar innovators currently working in the UK.
https://mylescochran.bandcamp.com/