Danish duo Vinyl Floor are kicking off their sixth album campaign with “Mr. Rubinstein”, and it’s a proper departure from what you might expect.
This one’s got a story behind it. Brothers Thomas Charlie Pedersen and Daniel Pedersen wrote about the moment when an artist and a critic go head to head, when neither one’s willing to blink first. That clash of egos, that standoff? It’s all in there.
They decamped to Studio Möllan in Sweden to record with producer Emil Isaksson, then handed it over to Søren Vestergaard at the Shelter for mixing and mastering. The band didn’t stop there though. They brought in Bebe Risenfors, who’s put in time with Tom Waits, to layer horns throughout. Christian Ellegaard’s string arrangements give the whole thing this almost cinematic darkness.
If you’re expecting the Vinyl Floor you know, reset your expectations. “Mr. Rubinstein” moves at its own pace, slow and deliberate. Piano and organ drive it forward while strings cast shadows over everything. It’s moody as hell and in no rush to get anywhere. The single edit runs 4:13, slightly trimmed from the album version.