In partnership with the St Andrews Wine Company, Saint Audio selects one very special album to match with a curated selection of wine, beer, and spirits.
Miles Bolland paired alcohol each song off of avant-garde Estonian rapper Tommy Cash’s ¥€$. The album—Cash’s first full-length production—features an appearance by designer Rick Owens and productions from Boys Noize, Amnesia Scanner, and PC Music legends A. G. Cook and Danny L Harle. Calling his sound “post-Soviet” rap, Tommy Cash’s album subverts expectations at every turn.
All wines and spirits are available for purchase on the St Andrews Wine Company’s website.
“Wait a Minute”: I’m going to make no attempt at pretending I have any idea what’s going on here. All I’ll say though is if you’re drinking anything except vodka from a bottle as you listen to this, you’re just not doing things right. Please drink responsibly.
“Mona Lisa”: Now I know if the wine world hears about what I’m going to say next, I’ll be stoned for heresy. I’m going to suggest Chateauneuf du Pape, the earthy flavours mixed with some gamier notes along with leather and fruit that can run the scale from red to black along with a spiced touch seems to pair well here. However the travesty in this recommendation comes not from the wine, but once again how it’s to be drunk. From the bottle, and if possible, while standing on the back seats of an expensive drop top.
“X-Ray”: I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to pair with this. It reminds me of my late teenage years clubbing and I remember dancing to similar music but I’m not entirely sure what I was drinking then. Probably WKDs if I’m honest, maybe a Corona if I was feeling fancy. Pair this with whatever you’d be drinking in a club, that seems a good bet.
“Brazil”: Given the beat and the name of the song there’s only one way you can go. Get yourself some cachaça, a spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice. It comes in unaged and aged forms and quite frankly either would do, but I’d go for something aged for a smoother beverage. If you can’t stomach the idea of that, get yourself a caipirinha, it’s a wonderful cocktail that contains cachaça.
“Vegetarian”: You’re going to need something dark and heavy. Due to my preference (read: love) for it, I’m going to go for Amarone. It’s made from specifically chosen grapes that are then dried on straw mats in a process called appassimentoor rasinate (to dry and shrivel). You get a wine that’s full bodied but with little acid. It’s dark and raisiny and just gorgeous and often surpasses 15%, with the legal alcohol minimum being 14%.
“Horse B4 Porsche”: Again, I’m going to stick with the heavy Italian theme and pick out Barolo for this one. Produced in Piedmont and made from the Nebbiolo grape, this rich and deeply concentrated wine can have a huge range of flavours. Earthy notes and leather tend to be very common, along with tobacco, a bit of spice, and some red fruit. Younger Barolos can be a little astringent so I tend to go for something with a bit of age. I recommend you do too.
“Dostoyevsky”: Opening aggressively, this song feels like an eclectic mix brought together to form something impressive whereas on their own they’d be out of place. Straight gin, over ice, seems the thing to go for here. I’d go for something with a more herbal note but with a slight fruit hint through it.
“Black Jeans, White T-Shirt”: For reasons I can’t fully articulate, this has a summery feel to me, and as such I’m moving more towards a white wine here. I’m thinking dry Riesling, something from Alsace, floral notes with a slightly perfumed touch. Nicely chilled, not cold.
“Cool3d World”: I’d go for a light red, and I’m leaning towards Beaujolais. The lighter fruit notes, mixed with a bit of tannins to keep it balanced. Just seems to fit here quite well.
“Not Care”: Cognac seems like a good fit here. Produced in Charente and Charente-Maritime, it is named after the town Cognac. Personally I’d go for a smaller producer, something not owned by a company with a profit margin larger than some countries. Each sip can be different from the last as it warms slightly through the glass in your hand.
“Yes or No?”: It started with vodka and it’s going to finish with it, simple as that.
This was definitely one of the harder pairings I’ve been asked to do and as such I shall forgo the usual beginning, mid and end pairing note. Instead I’m simply going to say, as may well be obvious from my pairings, that spirits are the order of the day when listening to this. Which spirit you may ask, but I’ll leave that up to you. The only thing I’ll say is that pick something you can enjoy straight, and with that said as always, drink responsibly. – Miles Bolland
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