#AND he listened to my bands ep and he said his favorite song was ode to mo and that’s the one i sing and he didn’t even know that

[arthur-r]

im home from work!!!! im never gonna work with jack again apparently so adam = best and favorite coworker. he deserves it

[onestowatch]

Del Water Gap on Smash Mouth, Quarantine and “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” [Premiere + Q&A]

Photo: Angela Ricciardi

Some music is just so vivid that when you hear it, you see it. In the same vein, some songs are so personal that when you listen, it’s like peering into someone's innermost thoughts. Each one of Del Water Gap’s songs possess that power. The artist’s newest single, “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” effectively peels back the curtain on a wandering mind’s thoughts.  

“Ode To a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” explores feelings of apprehension and angst at the possibility of a lover finding love somewhere else. Frontman S. Holden Jaffe’s soft-hearted vocals flounce over folksy guitars with rock-leaning layerings. The song’s undercurrent is akin to Del Water Gap’s previous classic singer-songwriter style displayed on his Don’t Get Dark EP. But Del Water Gap’s 2020 sound is becoming more and more accented by contemporary touches and heightened tempos. 

We caught up with the man behind the project to find out more about “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” his obsession with Smash Mouth, and how his quarantine is going. 

Ones To Watch: So you’re from rural Connecticut, but moved to Brooklyn during your young adult years. How have or haven’t your surroundings aided in creating your sound?

Del Water Gap: At the time I moved to the city, there was still a really vibrant indie scene happening. CMJ was in full swing, and I was out every weekend seeing bands like The Virgins, Public Access TV, The Drums… The Arctic Monkeys, The Antlers, Diet Cig. Bands and bands. Running into Fabrizio Moretti by the NYU library. I was spending a lot of time at St. Dymphna’s and borrowing electric guitars from my friend Dylan. I loved the music I was ingesting and the scene that came with it.

Did you choose music or did music choose you?

Music chose me - but I was an ardent enabler. I remember standing on my living room table and playing harmonica along with the radio as a kid. Everything in C major sounded decent...? I figured out what one-four-five felt like years before I knew the words for it, just staying quiet and listening. My relationship with music has been a bit of an abusive one in recent years, but I know I’m here for life. I’ve fantasized about quitting and doing something simpler hundreds of times, but i know that's not going to happen any time soon. 

What was it that made you decide to grow Del Water Gap from a personal project into a full blown touring band?

I put out an EP in 2012 under the name Del Water Gap because all of my heroes at the time were solo artists using monikers; Bon Iver, Tallest Man on Earth, St. Vincent… and so on. I moved to NYC without any aspirations of being a performer, but the record started performing a bit on local blogs and my best friend at the time basically forced me to play a show. She said “these are songs to fall in love to.” I refused and refused until she offered to play the show with me, and I finally gave in and booked a slot at Sullivan Hall in the village. I think we nearly sold it out.  

Who would you say your music is for?

People who have run out of podcasts. 

You’ve released “My Body,” featuring Claud, and now “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” both of which admittedly sound a little different from your previous work. The newer singles still have a folksy charm but seem more electronic-leaning or even more pop-leaning. What’s leading this explorative venture?

As I was finishing college I started producing some indie pop artists with my friend Mike Adubato. It was really just a way to help make ends meet, but I spent a year looking over Mike’s shoulder as he built out arrangements. I really got a holistic education in pop production that way. As artists, I think that our work is defined both by our strengths and our limitations, and as my limitations broke open, my work changed. I would simply sit down to make a song and reach for different colors. I also started consuming more indie pop records, and I eventually made the realization that I could take influences from those records without sacrificing any part of myself as a writer or protagonist. 

We love how tender “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” not only sounds, but actually feels. There’s a ton of intimacy there. It feels like we’re reading a diary entry. Can you give us some more insight into the song’s origin?

The song came out of a slow night in the studio with my good friend Gabe Goodman. We had been in a secret boy band that broke up in 2017, and it was our first time really writing together since things ended. I programmed some drums, and Gabe put most of the music together - we were just getting into a flow when a friend invited us to dinner with one of our musical heroes. We looked at each other and said “Should we go? Do we stop now?” “No, no, no we stay,” we decided. So we kept writing and had a spiked seltzer or two. 

I came back to the studio the next day and moved a few things around and wrote most of the words. I was seeing someone at the time who I really liked, and we had both been walking up to the line of asking the other to be with each other and no one else. Finally, we were sitting together one day and it got all quiet and she goes, “I’ve had this stuck in my throat all day…” And that was the start of our togetherness and the inspiration for the song. 

We were creeping on your Twitter. What’s going on with you, bowl cuts, and Smash Mouth? 

I thought you’d never ask - a few months ago, I was having a coffee playdate with my friend Charlie Burg and he was sketching me from the across the table. He’s really a very good artist, so I was feeling a little competitive and decided I would try my hand at sketching as well. So I grabbed a pen and a napkin from the table and drew this ridiculous line drawing of a horse with a bowl cut and a human face. It looks like something a six year old would draw in art class. It also has this disturbing and surrealist quality to it. We were laughing and laughing at my ridiculous creation and I turned to Charlie and said, “Do you think I could sell this online?” So I threw the napkin on my web store and it sold in five minutes and the whole event was so delightful to me that I made “commemorative” t-shirts and a Horse With Bowl Cut fan club account on Instagram. So a lot of bowl cut content makes its way to me these days. 

Not much to say about Smash Mouth other than the 2001 Smash Mouth self-titled LP is one of the greatest records ever made, and I will gladly teach a college level course on it if any university will lend me a classroom space. 

I read that you draw inspiration from what you eat, But when it comes to flavor, how would you describe your musical palette?

I would describe a musical cheese plate; sweet and savory. Trou Du Cru, a truffle Moelleux des Alpes, a hard Beaufort. Some honey and jam on the side, olives and cornichon. With a generous pile of those really expensive fig crackers they have at Whole Foods. 

What’s been one of the defining moments of your artistic career so far?

My dad FaceTimed me the other day from quarantine wearing a Del Water Gap mock turtleneck and listening to my song “Theory of Emotion.” That was pure power. 

What’s next for you?

I’m putting out the best work of my life so far - a few songs now and a few over the summer and into the fall. I’m touring with girl in red. I’m surviving this pandemic and everything that has come with it. I am trying to be a better friend and take better care of my brain and my body. 

We of course hope you’re staying safe during this time. But how are you keeping quarantine interesting? Or are you?

I am very lucky to be safe and comfortable - I’ve run away to a friend’s house by the ocean, so I have some fresh air and light, and I get to say hi to a seal once in a while. I’ve been journaling and cooking and trying to run twenty miles a week. I’ve been coloring a lot and watching Nashville. The excess of free time has not led to an excess of creation, but I’m trying to be gentle on myself. I think the collective anxiety has taken a toll on all of us. We’ll be writing about this for years to come, but we may have to wait a few years before we start. I shot a music video for “Ode” from quarantine, and have been finishing up my record remotely with Mike and Gabe. One of my best friend’s dad is a practicing buddhist, so he’s been sending me some really powerful literature each day, helping me move towards a more organized spiritual practice. All we can do right now is sit in this and keep in touch with the ones we love, so that’s my work. 

Lastly, who are your Ones to Watch?

I love Rosie Tucker’s record Never Not Never Not Never Not. Miss Grit played one of my favorite shows of the year opening for Daisy the Great at Rough Trade in August. Briston Maroney is making really powerful records. and Claud of course! One of my friends has a new project called Honeywhip, which I have been literally playing on repeat.

[quippingwithquyne]

This is un-edited for now.  I am leaving it as a Stream of Consciousness until then.

             In 2013, I stumbled upon a cheeky video called Disney Dudez by Todrick Hall in collaboration with the boyband IM5.  It was cheesy but in an absolutely enjoyable way.  I remember that Dalton Rapattoni (Cinderella/Prince Henry) and Will Jay (Mulan/Shang) stood out the most to me; Will Jay for his great control and Dalton for his purpose voice.  I don't know if a term yet exists for this concept but for now, I call it a “purpose voice.”  After a recent manic episode, I finally found a way to articulate how I’ve always felt about music and why my support and love for Dalton’s music still hasn’t wavered. To this day, his music is able to make me feel things and think long and hard about it.  I like to think of my voice and songs as a mosaic of inspirations, whether it be celebrities, musicians, friends, family, or memories. He didn’t help my find my voice but Dalton’s influence since 2014 has heavily impacted my journey through finding my own voice and purpose as a singer-songwriter, which is why my “re-imagined” cover of his song “Heaven” was important to me.

             A purpose voice is almost like a purpose statement. When we apply for some colleges, we are expected to articulate exactly what makes us stand out from the thousands of applicants who want to succeed in the same field of interest.  To me, it’s the same difference as seeing someone who’s singing for the attention versus using it as a vice to strip into a vulnerability that connects with the audience.  Some artists have the luxury of being able to write their own lyrics to tell the audience their story with purpose.  Others may have difficulty doing this with covers of other people’s songs but even so (and like Dalton), they sing it with their own purpose that may or may not have anything to do with the original version.  

             And then there’s a purpose song sung with a purpose voice.  These are usually the profound tear-jerkers or emotionally driven songs like “Shallow” by Lady Gaga, “By Now” by Will Jay, or one of my favorites: “Music” by Jojo (stylized “Music.”)  “Music” is quite literally about Jojo’s purpose and why she does music.  It starts out talking about singing as a young girl to escape from overhearing her parents’ arguments, then later on growing up poor, watching her mom at work, and singing the troubles of poverty and hardship away.  Music is the subject the love song is dedicated towards and the way Jojo articulates her lyrics is chilling.  She is parched and longing for a sip of music to hold onto during hard times.  The last part hits home for those who have lost a loved one and she dedicates the bridge to her late father, “went on the road to make my daddy proud / but I lost him and so I sang to the crowd / my only hope is that he’s looking down thinking, ‘oh my god, my daughter’s doing it now.’”  There’s almost never been quite the song that describes the relationship between music and musician.  I think “Music” does this so well in making it as holy grail as water is to survival.  Overall, this song exemplifies the perfect matrimony between meaningful lyrics sung with vulnerable conviction – purpose.

              Somewhere in Sunnyvale, Texas and approximately fourteen years ago, a nine year old boy was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  It was difficult understanding every emotion he experienced as he grew up no matter how many times a doctor or his mother would explain.  His grandma later gifted him guitar lessons and he enrolled into a nearby music camp, School of Rock, where he and his peers and mentors discovered he could sing. He formed the band Fly Away Hero and it was clear music saved him every time he performed.  At age fifteen, he ended up in a boyband where he was singing things he didn’t like and after a few years, he left to reunite with Fly Away Hero and sing with his whole heart again.  This was the era in which I discovered Dalton Rapattoni.  

             I was going through a writer’s block and had not yet been aware about my bipolar disorder at the time but I remember watching these pixelated videos of a carefree Dalton rocking out with some of his best friends and instantly became hooked to his songwriting style.  “Hercules” was one of the most inspirational songs that kicked the fire of my songwriting spree that spawned my debut album “It’s a Wacky World” (still available on iTunes and all other streaming platforms!)  Whenever I get excited about anything, I scream it to the heavens and I must have done it so much, made so many covers, painted so many obscure memes about Dalton to the point where it could have been an obsession. The parasocial relationship became a nice banter-and-exchange when I met him in Texas at his EP release party.  It was a magical moment for me.  He moves like he was born for the stage in a way that television or YouTube could never fully display.  After that Texas trip, I definitely made some posts for attention and had to remind my fangirl self that he’s human, too.  But like my respect for Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, and other inspirational artists, my dreams about Dalton were closer to sharing the stage and nothing more.  I knew nothing about his actual personality but I felt so connected in our music styles, songwriting style, and artistry.  It was like his music breathed life into mine again.  

             I didn’t understand why I struggled so much inside. I thought I possibly had ADHD or was just plain stupid compared to my peers in schools.  I didn’t get the best grades but I was well-read and teachers still described me as “smart.”  Music was where I felt like I could go anywhere with it despite it not giving me anything back in return other than a mental dose of amphetamine.  It wasn’t until I talked to one of my doctors about my thoughts about ADHD, to which he said, “actually…it’s bipolar disorder.” You never know what you have until you ask and I was always afraid to ask but the manic episodes were becoming more and more frequent.  Years later, I started shutting myself in my room and locking the door whenever I pleased.  My very Asian parents had never let me lock the door before 2018 and while some will think it’s controlling, I was used to that.  However, I was in my early twenties now so they stopped questioning my choices to lock the door.  

             I started writing again.  Even though years have passed since I flew over to Texas to meet Dalton, I felt even more connected to him upon learning about his bipolar disorder. I was always curious about what “Heaven” was about (but honestly, I’m curious about pretty much all of his songs) and perhaps there was some deeper meaning than learning how to pray again after a breakup with a “heavenly” girl.  Maybe it isn’t his purpose song but it was his first solo single and it hit home for me when I listened again in 2018.  I had the same feeling that I felt when I listened to “Music” by Jojo. Whatever it means to Dalton, I interpret it as his ode to music (“I found my heaven in you, coming back to your embrace.)  It is 2019 and I experienced another writer’s block so I returned to binge his music once again.  I sung Heaven in harmony with voice but this time, with purpose.  It fulfilled a long ago dream of sharing the stage with him, even though it wasn’t real. I locked my bedroom door, closed my eyes, and felt like I was just sharing a moment with someone who understood my struggles and coped with them through a similar outlet.  

          Dalton mentioned years ago that perhaps maybe we could share the stage sometime and I don’t think it’ll ever come true but “Heaven” is as close as I can get.  I was just overjoyed enough to receive such kind words from him.  I wrote It’s a Wacky World after taking some inspiration from the Fly Away Hero “Lost and Found” era and I like to think that my writing spree catalyst – his music – will always somehow be a part of me.  It definitely started out sounding like his work until I found my own voice and I think I found something that works for me that incorporates Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, Max Milner, and of course, Dalton Rapattoni.  I know I found my purpose voice so thank you, Dalton.  I hope that my future works can do the same for others well. 

[tonguetiedmag]

music: weekly roundup (our favorite song submissions of the week)

Jon Vinyl - Work

Jon Vinyl effortlessly exudes smoothness in “Work.” The contemporary R&B track makes for easy listening, even though it’s about just the opposite: hard work. “Work,” as Vinyl says, is an ode to “the beautiful exhaustion that is songwriting.” This can be seen in the chorus: “All this working got me crazy, but I’m still patient.” Later, he sings, “Getting paid to speak, easy to listen but it’s hard for me... I ain’t complaining, love what I do.” It’s the perfect chilled out mantra for when you need some extra motivation, but aren’t quite ready to go full steam ahead. 

Toledo - Que Pasa? 

Indie pop/rock band Toledo slow things down with “Que Pasa?,” a song about band member Dan Alvarez’s relationship with his dad. The song starts with listing a few chores: making the bed, hanging  a shirt, turning lights off. And yet mention of an argument. In the chorus, they sing, “Que pasa? What’s going on? What’s wrong?” The lines repeat, evoking a sense of numb tiredness. An acoustic guitar carries much of the song, the vocals just a handful of notches above a murmur. It’s all so very gentle. 

Superheart - Talk About It

Superheart’s “Talk About It” sounds like the definition of dream pop. The vocals are lush, hinting at a faraway self echo during the chorus. A tender video game-like beep loops throughout, giving the song a utopian quality. Early on, they sing, “see what good this love brings.” Such wonderment falls into the repetitive chorus:“We could talk about it. We only ever talk about it.” It’s not annoying, but rather tingly like the warm summer sun on your skin. 

Alto Key - Whisper in the Mist

With “Whisper in the Mist,” Alto Key sought to explore love, loss and hope through the tale of a bird in a winter forest being nurtured back to health. Such themes call for appropriate melodrama, as portrayed by a string quartet that grows with the song, mellowing for the verses and climaxing at the bridge. The song begins with hearing a cry and makes its way to raising the bird. The central rallying cry can be found in the chorus: “There is still hope. She’s a whisper in the mist. But I’m so tired of storming down these slopes, trying to find out who she is.” 

Brandon Hoogenboom - Hey You

Warm acoustic guitar grabs you with Brandon Hoogenboom’s “Hey You.” However, he has previously said the song is in fact about anxiety.” An upbeat strum kicks off the song and he sings, “Today I chose to sleep. My mind’s been drowning.” At the end of the first verse, Hoogenboom declares, “Got no control,” sending the vocals into a wonked out spiral that evokes the evokes the chaos that can come with anxiety. The plunging chorus keeps you on your toes, but is never jarring, and is especially exciting just before the song ends, slowly muting out.

DD Walker - Concord

DD Walker released his debut EP Malibu earlier this month. It features “Concord,” an electro indie track that pitter patters along an 80s dance track that initially makes you think Walker is going to bust out “Maniac,” but instead cools off. It’s a moment of peace before reality could set in. In the chorus, he sings, “Hell or high water. Either way, going out together.” “Concord” dreamy dance track in competition with your wildest Jack Antonoff desires. 

Matt McDermott - Whiskey Sarah

In “Whiskey Sarah,” Matt McDermott brings you in with “woah ohs” begging to be sung along. What follows is the beginning of an encounter with someone he goes on to refer to as “Whiskey Sarah.”  He sings, “Met you on the corner real late last night. You tapped me on the shoulder and asked for a light.” The track has the same charm pop punk songs have when singing about specific, intriguing, fairly reckless girls, but leans into the guitar for a feel-good sound a la alt/rock pop. 

Beach Tiger - It’s Been So Long

Beach Tiger find the right psychedelic rock balance in “It’s Been So Long,” knowing when to lay it heavy on the slow burn or poppiness. An extended guitar jam begins the song, eventually humming into a drum that kicks off the hazy, upbeat vocals. The last minute and a half or so give way to muted, angelic “la las,” eventually ending with a dripping electric guitar-focused instrumental. 

Spielbergs - Five On It

“Five On It” begins with a screeching guitar. Things don’t stay super heavy, but the Oslo natives prove they’ve created something of your childhood garage fantasy. In the chorus, they sing, “What do I do? What do I care? What do I know?” The upbeat rock track shys from the intended honesty of the song, making for a pleasant combination of vulnerability and fun, with a touch of a harder edge. 

Walden - Friends are OK

After some touring around, the Netherland-bred Walden are ready to release their first official single, “Friends are OK.” The song starts: “How has life been treating you?” “Friends are OK” comes off as the kind of indie track you play on loop in the summer, but then gets sluggish at the chorus for a break down before picking up again for the next verse. It’s full of charming quips, like “she’s leaving for the moon right outside the ladies room,” making for a wholesome 3 minutes and 40 seconds. 

Cold Engines - Money

Cold Engines are taking steps to release their next album, Kiss My Heart, come May. The step in this case is “Money,” a funky rock n roll guitar that is at its best when it shows off the horns and guitar solos. Money’s soul brings 70s nostalgia to a new generation in dire need of simple grooviness. The mantra, “You’re all about the money,” brings Bruno Mars to mind, but sidesteps such comparisons by not going too ham on the pop production. Regardless, “Money” is a song that calls for swagger and dance. 

Listen to all these songs on our playlist!

Article by: Haley Bosselman

[dustedmagazine]

Voting with our ears: Dusted spends the rent on Bandcamp.com’s Voter Registration day

On September 25, Bandcamp.com held a fundraiser for the Voting Rights Project, seeking to raise both money and awareness around voter registration. For the day, all profits on everything you bought on Bandcamp.com went to this worthy cause. Dusted writers saw the opportunity to a) buy stuff and b) promote democracy and said, “Hell yes, we’re in.” Participating writers included Ian Mathers (who is Canadian!!), Justin Cober-Lake, Jennifer Kelly, Bill Meyer, Isaac Olson (who definitely wins) and Ethan Covey. Check out what we bought and then, for the love of god, vote. We’re depending on you.

Ian Mathers

IDLES

For various reasons I wasn’t able to shop quite as avidly as I did last time we got together for one of these, but I managed to make one impulse purchase of a record I hadn’t heard yet (but had transfixed me with its singles) and combine that with two long-awaited additions of old favorites to my Bandcamp collection (and my hard drive, after having lost track of the files in one move or another). 

IDLES — Joy As an Act of Resistance 

Joy as an Act of Resistance. by IDLES

As you might guess from the fact that it just came out at the end of this August, Bristol’s IDLES is the impulse buy of the three, one that so far has worked out just wonderfully. Having been recommended the mockingly anti-Brexit(/xenophobia) “Great” on YouTube and being drawn from the immediately bracing, invigorating likes of that to this album’s more openhearted ode to the greatness of not hating people you don’t already know, “Danny Nedelko,” and the more Protomartyr-ish opening track “Colossus” (the latter of which also probably has my favorite music video of 2018), I couldn’t imagine any band capable of those three songs would somehow whiff the rest of a reasonably-lengthed LP, and the often political, always heartfelt Joy As an Act of Resistance. proved me right. There are certainly places where it gets darker (particularly “June,” where singer Joe Talbot relates in heart-wrenching fashion his wife losing a child to a miscarriage), but the overall feel of the album can be summed up by Talbot barking repeatedly at the listener to “love yourself” over a careening, punkish anthem. The album title isn’t a piss take, which is a relief in itself.  

 The Silent League — But You've Always Been the Caretaker...

But You've Always Been The Caretaker... by The Silent League

Back in 2004 I first heard of the Silent League, as I think most people did, because frontman Justin Russo had been in Mercury Rev (for 2001’s All Is Dream, the last Rev record I can say I fully loved), and their debut, The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused was interesting, lysergic chamber pop with some proggy and/or post-rock elements. I lost track of them for a bit after that album and was surprised that when I heard about them again it was because of an entirely different musician I was a fan of. Shannon Fields, then of Stars Like Fleas and since of Family Dynamics and Leverage Models (the last of which made my favorite record of 2013 and which is, incidentally, about to return), maker of a ton of records I both love and think have been overlooked, let me know that he’d also been a contributor to the Silent League for quite a while and that with their then-current album, 2010’s But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker… he thought they’d made something that represented a bit of a leap forward for the band. Not only do I agree, but the Silent League’s swan song (to date) now represents one of the most frustratingly overlooked records I know of, 15 sprawling songs in any number of registers, styles and tones tightly packed into less than 49 minutes that, fitting the circular and slightly foreboding title, packs a bunch of richly interwoven thematic and sonic depth into what feels like a whole universe of popular music. There’s proggy/ELO overture “When Stars Attack!!!,” the sound of a glam rock band practicing a particular soulful jam down the hall and four walls away on “Sleeper,” at least one just perfect string-led “perfect pop” song in “Resignation Studies,” and literally a dozen other things here. And yet But You’ve Always… never feels scattered or showoff-y. It’s a whole world, dense and rich and worthy of being studied in detail for its brilliance. I was thrilled to see it on Bandcamp, not least because this is exactly the kind of record that could easily slip through the cracks. 

 Tamas Wells — A Plea en Vendredi

(PB024) Tamas Wells: A Plea En Vendredi by Popboomerang

It’s been over a decade, but when I was in university I am pretty sure I first heard Australian singer-songwriter Tamas Wells because I saw the song “I’m Sorry That the Kitchen Is on Fire” somewhere and thought the title was hilarious. To my surprise the song itself was gorgeous, a gently folky little waltz with Wells’ high, gentle voice, carefully picked acoustic guitar, a lightly hypnotic piano refrain, and sparing hand claps. I fell hard enough for it that even back when the internet wasn’t at all what it is now I tracked down Wells’ 2006 album A Plea en Vendredi and found a shimmering little suite of song, some as gnomic and vaguely unsettling in their implications as “I’m Sorry That the Kitchen is on Fire” (like “Valder Fields,” which is apparently a place where our narrator and others mysteriously regain consciousness, or whatever you can make of “Lichen & Bees”), some much more plainspoken (including the slight political bent running through “The Opportunity Fair,” “The Telemarketer Resignation,” and the gorgeous little instrumental “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Ruling Class”), all just as twee-ly beautiful and enrapturing as my initial exposure had been. At the time Wells was working in Burma on a community development project, and from what I’ve been able to find his moving around and focus on non-music work has occasionally kept his album on the back burner, although he’s found an audience at home and in Japan and China (and of course, sometimes as far as Canada where I ran into his work). He’s kept releasing records since, most recently 2017’s The Plantation on a small Japanese label, but even if A Plea en Vendredi was all I’d ever been able to find it’d still find a regular place in my rotation; even when things get a bit darker, on “Valour” and the closing “Open the Blinds” there’s something so soothing about Wells’ music and this particular set of gem-like miniatures has been a go-to album for me during difficult times ever since.

Justin Cober-Lake 

David Ramirez

Ashley Walters — Sweet Anxiety (Populist)

Ashley Walters // Sweet Anxiety by Ashley Walters

I’d been wanting to hear this one for a while. I first noticed cellist Ashley Walters on Wadada Leo Smith's America's National Parks, a remarkable album that I spent considerable time with while writing a couple features on it and Smith (including interviewing Walters). I was even more impressed after understanding what went into the work and seeing that ensemble perform it live. Walters writes of this album, “I seek to challenge your perception of what the cello, a stereotypically gentle instrument, is capable of,” and it's fair to say she succeeds. It's a demanding listen, more aggressive than expected, but Walters and her composers blend technical challenges with theoretical ones. At times, Walters cuts loose, and at times she works with tonality, often using nonstandard tuning to odd effect. Smith composed one of the brightest numbers here, making a nice shift in sound without lowering the difficulty level. Luciano Berio's “Sequenza XIV” provides the most interesting piece, not only for the actual performance but for the reconstruction work on the score that Walters highlights in the liner notes. This one's well worth a focused listen, and I'll need to give it quite a few more to properly process it.  

 The Beths — Warm Blood (Carpark)

Warm Blood by The Beths

In August, the Beths released one of my favorite albums of the year, Future Me Hates Me, a blast of pop-rock easily good enough to warrant going back, more or less, to the beginning, with 2016's Warm Blood EP. Both lyrically and musically, the group hasn't quite found its footing, but that says more about the focused energy of the full-length than it does about these five songs (including “Whatever,” which reappears on the album). The hooks are there now; the guitar on “Idea/Intent” represents the band as well as anything. The vitriol of that track fits in less well with the attitude the band generally puts forward, one that's self-reflective and confident without claiming to know all the answers. Some of the joy of the music is in Elizabeth Stokes' searching, but that's turned around on a track like “Rush Hour 3,” a comedic bit of come-on (and the rare track not written by Stokes). Warm Blood works as a nice look back at a band, but it's not just a history lesson — it's an enjoyable set that adds to the playlist of a group with only one album out. 

 David Ramirez — The Rooster (Sweetworld)

The Rooster EP by David Ramirez

I've been working my way backwards with David Ramirez, too, starting with last year's We're Not Going Anywhere (which didn't adhere to his previous folk-ish sound but did make me wonder why I hadn't found my way to the songwriter earlier). After spending time with the fantastic Fables, there was the live show that utterly sold me on him, in part because he has a bigger voice than you might notice at first, even in his sparser productions. The Rooster EP, a fitting complement to that album, feels like an ascent. His vocals are assured, even as he searches for clarity, or at least anchor points amid turbulence. Tracks like “The Bad Days” and “Glory” offer unrequested hope, and “The Forgiven” provides a meditation on performance, art, and faith that's central to his work. The five cuts on this EP have the gravitas of something bigger and strengthen my sense that Ramirez should be a songwriter that everyone listens to.

 Grand Banks – Live 8-25-2018

Grand Banks live 8-25-2018 by Grand Banks

Any sort of bonus shopping day provides a good excuse to support local music. This time I went with the latest release (such as it is) from Grand Banks, their live recording from August 25. The duo don't shy away from volume, but their focus on minimalist ideas and sonic experimentation makes for unusual experiences. Over this single 30-minute track, the pair builds with patience, even when developing a haunted-house sort of melody on the keys. The second half of the piece increases the challenge, with guitarist Davis Salisbury pulling an odd series of sounds out of his instrument (for the curious, you can try it at home with an electric guitar, a tuning fork, and a fuzz pedal, and probably some sort of sonic laboratory). The effects build on Tyler Magill's creepy keyboard work – maybe this one's an unintended seasonal release. The study in space and harmonics gives way to a chirpy conversation and surprisingly (in this context) guitar-like guitar moment before placidly drifting away, an apt conclusion for the performance.

Jennifer Kelly

The Scientists 

I bought five different records this time, mostly, but not all, falling somewhere in the punk/garage continuum. I liked them all in different ways, but the one that absolutely killed me was…

IDLES—Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan)

Joy as an Act of Resistance. by IDLES

This is Ian’s fault, really. He talked me into it. Plus, it turned up on the Bandcamp recommendation engine. Which, by the way, is just so much better than Amazon’s recommendation engine. (I see you like the Pixies. Wanna buy every Pixies album ever?) But turns out, they’re both dead on. Idles is vitriolic and literate like the Sleaford Mods but backed by a ripped-to-the-teeth full band a la Protomartyr. Yes, two of my favorite current bands in one, plus a whole other thing of jagged, jitter-drunk percussion and wind tunnel howl. There is a song called “Never Fight a Man with a Perm.” So glad I got to hear this. Score one for voter registration.

 The Sueves—R.I.P. Clearance Event (Hozac)

R.I.P. Clearance Event by The Sueves

Butt-simple garage rock from Chicago, punctuated by weird little intervals of found sounds. Beautifully unhinged and uncomplicated, it reminds me the most of Demon’s Claw and after that maybe the Hunches and then the Monks. I bought it partly because I wanted to get those “we have a new record” notices from Hozac, but they know what I like.

 The Scientists—Blood Red River 1982-1984 (Numero)

Blood Red River 1982 - 1984 by Scientists

Guess who got to see the Scientists last week? They were awesome. They played “Frantic Romantic” in the encore (which is not on this disc, by the way). I knew some of the early stuff from the Do the Pop compilation of Australian punk, but immersing myself in these clanking, droning, post-punk juggernauts was the best and most enjoyable concert prep ever. “Solid Gold Hell” and “Swampland” were my two faves, and they played them both.

 Mike Pace and the Child Actors—Smooth Sailing (Self Starter Foundation)

Smooth Sailing by Mike Pace and the Child Actors

This one, from the former Oxford Collapse frontman, was a little more Raspberry-ish power pop than I was expecting, but it’s growing on me. “Escape the Noize” is my go-to track, a lush jangle of melancholy, a tetchy bristle of palm-muting, then a sweeping swooning chorus. It’s about leaving the music behind, which Pace clearly hasn’t, and good thing.  

Onoto—Dead Ghost (Taiyo)

DEAD GHOST by ONOTO

Let me the first to admit that I haven’t gotten to the bottom of this one, a swirling, enveloping miasma of guitar tone, wrapped around confoundingly weird vocal samples. “Shake Well for the Eye,” is droned-out chaos that parts like fog for bits of mid-20th century menstrual advice (avoid vigorous exercise, horse-riding, skating, cold showers, hah!). Other cuts eschew narrative for slow moving landscapes of instrumental tone. The title track lets guitar notes hang for unmovable eons, with only sharp shards of harmonics to break up the endless vistas. As a straight through listen, the disc makes more sense as you go along, meaning, you have to adapt to its oddity and it changes you.

Bill Meyer

 Canary records

Kemany Minas and Garabet Merjanian — When I See You: From the November 1917 Recordings, NYC (Canary) 

When I See You: From the November 1917 Recordings, NYC by Kemany Minas & Garabet Merjanian

Various Artists — And Two Partridges II: From the Earliest Turkish-, Arabic- Armenian-& Kurdish-Language Recordings in America, Feb-Aug, 1916 (Canary)

And Two Partridges II: From the Earliest Turkish-, Arabic- Armenian-& Kurdish-Language Recordings in America, Feb-Aug, 1916 by Canary Records

Various Artists — Oh My Soul: Armenian-American Independent Releases, vol. 1: ca. 1920-25 (Canary)  

Oh My Soul: Armenian-American Independent Releases, vol. 1: ca. 1920-25 by Canary Records

Various Artists — Why I Came to America: More Folk Music of the Ottoman-American Diaspora, ca. 1917-47 (Canary)

Why I Came to America: More Folk Music of the Ottoman-American Diaspora, ca. 1917-47 by Canary Records

I buy stuff via Bandcamp fairly often, and my purchases are nearly always hard copies. Downloads may be convenient, but a record you can’t hold in your hands seems to me to be one of those bad 21st century ideas like a Trump presidency or an unrepentant frat-creep on the supreme court. But when Bandcamp puts its income behind a cause, I relent, and when I do, I buy downloads from Canary Records. These albums are all compiled from recordings made by Anatolian exiles who fled genocide, war and poverty to take their chances in the USA. Many of these recordings predate the first blues records, and collectively they make a case that our notions of what constitutes American music are needlessly exclusive. After all, why should the music of people who came here from the Ottoman Empire be any less American than people who came here from the British Empire?  

 Billy Gomberg — Live Sets 2016-18

live sets 2016-18 by Billy Gomberg

Well, there go the rules. This DL-only compilation of concert performances by one of my favorite ambient recording artists of recent years shows that the carefully wrought, ultra-deep atmosphere of his recent cassettes is no fluke.

 Various Artists — Two Niles To Sing A Melody: The Violins & Synths Of Sudan (Ostinato)  

Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan by Various Artists

Back on solid ground at last! This hardcover book + 2 CDs (there are also vinyl and DL versions) shows how sounds blur from one culture to the next when people live along the same rivers and coasts. These recordings from the Sudan blend the nimble rhythms and ardent longing of Arabic pop with just a hint of the sinuous melodic quality of Ethiopian popular music. 

 Tashi Wada with Yoshi Wada and Friends — FRKWYS Vol. 14—Nue (RVNG)

FRKWYS Vol. 14 - Nue by Tashi Wada with Yoshi Wada and Friends

If you’ve caught Tashi and Yoshi Wada in concert, you know that there’s no louder or more mind-melting drone that a drone that incorporates multiple bagpipes and alarm bells. This record puts Wada fils in the composer / arranger’s seat, and while it uses the same materials as those live performances, the music is much gentler. Sometimes you want to boil your blood, sometimes you just want to kick back and zone out. A portion of the proceeds from this record will go to the National Immigration Law Center.

Isaac Olson

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan

Toshiya Tsunoda/Taku Unami — Wovenland (Erstwhile)

Wovenland by Toshiya Tsunoda/Taku Unami

I bought this collection of chopped and screwed  field recordings on the strength of Marc Medwin’s review and the fact that Erstwhile dedicated their profits for the day to the Voting Rights Project. Pieces like “Park cleaning / Crickets chirping,” “In The Park”,  “From the rooftop, railway terminal station” are both ear-tickling and intellectually stimulating. The rest are more stimulating intellectually than auditorially.

 The Weather Station—S/T (Paradise of Bachelors)

The Weather Station by The Weather Station

I slept on The Weather Station in 2017 because the music didn’t grab me enough I wasn’t interested enough in the music to tune into the lyrics.  I’m not sure what compelled me to give it another try, but I’m glad I did. Songwriter Tamara Lindeman has crafted a compelling take on early adulthood in an anxious age, one that, once I started paying attention, resonated with me in a highly personal manner I haven’t felt or sought in years. The b-side is almost too subtle, but Lindeman is a sharp enough writer to bring it off.

 Red River Dialect—Broken Stay Open Sky (Paradise of Bachelors)  

Broken Stay Open Sky by Red River Dialect

This is another record where the words carry the music, which means, like The Weather Station, I initially passed it over only to connect with it in unexpectedly personal ways after honing in on the lyrics. While I loved the fiddling from the jump, it took time for the rest of Broken Stay Open Sky to grow on me, but grow it did. (Check out Eric McDowell’s review here).

 Ustad Abdul Karim Khan—Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Canary Records)

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan: 1934-1935 by Abdul Karim Khan

Classical Indian vocal music is a complex, highly systematized artform that I can’t pretend to understand, so rather than take my recommendation that you should listen to these recordings, take LaMonte Young’s: “When I first heard the recordings of Abdul Karim Khan I thought that perhaps it would be best if I gave up singing, got a cabin up in the mountains, stocked it with a record player and recordings of Abdul Karim Khan, and just listened for the rest of my life”.

 VA—100 Moons: Hindustani Vocal Art, 1930​-​55 (Canary Records)

100 Moons: Hindustani Vocal Art, 1930-55 by Canary Records

A traditional performance of a raga can last hours. A 78 can hold about three minutes of music.

As such, the performances on this collection lack the the breadth and depth of a traditional raga performance, but they more than make up for it in intensity.

 Ross Hammond and Jon Balfus— Masonic Lawn (Self Released)

Masonic Lawn by Ross Hammond and Jon Bafus

Sacramento guitarist and improviser Ross Hammond (whose record with Hindustani vocalist Jay Nair  is also worth your time) teams up with percussionist Jon Balfus for a set of blues and folk inspired  improvisations that manage to feel spacious despite the dense polyrhythmic approach. Masonic Lawn’s improvisations are optimistic, wide-eyed meditations on Americana.

 Melvin Wine—Cold Frosty Morning (Roane Records)

Cold Frosty Morning by Melvin Wine

Old-time music, like most folk traditions that arose in relative isolation and pre-date the record industry, isn’t particularly well suited for album-length listening. That said, if you’re in the mood for scratchy, crooked, dance and trance tunes, West Virginia fiddler Melvin Wine is a great introduction to the distinctly non-bluegrassy mysteries of this music.  

Note: This recording features a minstrel tune titled “Jump Jim Crow”.  How we’re to deal with this in the modern, right-wing nightmare age we inhabit is a complicated question, so if you’re digging this music but that title bothers you (and it should), check out these articles by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Mechanic. 

 V/A—Usiende Ukalale: Omutibo From Rural Kenya (Olvido Records)

Usiende Ukalale: Omutibo From Rural Kenya by Various Artists

Like the Melvin Wine recording above, Usiende Ukalale exhibits a local folk style that evolved in relative isolation and is, for the non-local and non-expert, enchanting in small doses and merely pleasant over the course of a full album.

 VA—I’m Not Here to Hunt Rabbits: Guitar and Folk Styles from Botswana (Piranha Records) 

I'm Not Here To Hunt Rabbits by Various Artists

I reviewed this one back in May and I’ve listened to it so many times since that it was high time to buy it. Highest recommendation.

 Jess Sah Bi & Peter One—Our Garden Needs Its Flowers (Awesome Tapes from Africa)

Our Garden Needs Its Flowers by Jess Sah Bi & Peter One

This unusual gem combines the loping rhythms, slide guitar and harmonica of American country music with traditional Ivory Coast village songs. Its breezy Bakersfield meets Yamoussoukro vibe belies its anti-apartheid lyrics. Mp3s of this one have been floating around the internet for a few years, so it’s great to see it get an official re-release.

 Ola Belle Reed—FRC 203 - Ola Belle Reed: Recordings from the collection of Ray Alden and the Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music

FRC 203 - Ola Belle Reed: Recordings from the collection of Ray Alden and the Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music by Ola Belle Reed

From the indispensable Field Recorders Collective, this release documents a 1973 performance by Ola Belle Reed. Reed’s music exists at the nexus of old-time, bluegrass, early country, and gospel, but it feels wrong to box in the wisdom, humor, and generosity of spirit that shines through this release with anachronistic genre tags. Best of all is the Reed original, “Tear Down the Fences”: “Then we could tear down the fences that fence us all in/Fences created by such evil men/Oh we could tear down the fences that fence us all in /Then we could walk together again.”  Amen.

 Ragana— You Take Nothing 

YOU TAKE NOTHING by RAGANA

I don’t listen to as much metal as I used to, but while this fundraiser was happening, Brett Kavanaugh — case study in patriarchal resentment and mediocrity — got one step closer to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. Ragana’s raw, sludgy, anarcha-feminist take on black metal really hit the spot that day.

Ethan Covey

Weak Signal

Omit — Enclosures 2011-2016 (Pica Disk/End of the Alphabet)

Enclosures 2011-2016 by Omit

Clinton Williams, the New Zealander known as Omit, has been quietly releasing nocturnal electronic compositions of uncompromising quality for the past couple of decades. Enclosures 2011-2016, released jointly by Lasse Marhaug’s Pica Disk and Noel Meek’s End of the Alphabet labels, provides an overview of five years of Williams’ output in a 30-track, six-hour package, available digitally and as a limited 5-CD set. Omit has previously been anthologized on two compilations courtesy of the Helen Scarsdale label, Tracer and Interceptor. And past releases have popped up via Corpus Hermeticum and PseudoArcana, as well as — most prominently — Williams’ own Deepskin Conceptual Mindmusic imprint. Great listening, all, if you can find ‘em. For those curious to dive in without too much digging, Enclosures is ideal. Much of Williams’ genius lies in composing tracks that are edgy, yet beautiful, creepy and experimental, yet profoundly listenable. It’s forward-thinking electronic composition that checks a lot of avant-garde boxes without feeling like a task. There’s a subtle, krautrock propulsion to the best tracks — the opening “Turner,” the “Echo Dot” pieces — where the listener gets locked into the rhythm and time slows to an elegant crawl — like a soundtrack for night driving on an Autobahn upended.

 Weak Signal — LP1 (self-released)

LP1 by WEAK SIGNAL

Weak Signal are NYC’s Sasha Vine, Tran Huynh and Mike Bones. Bones has previously released a pair of strong albums of indie songwriting courtesy of The Social Registry. As a guitarist, he’s done time with Endless Boogie, Matt Sweeney’s Soldiers of Fortune and Prison. This album was a tip from Danny Arakaki of Garcia Peoples, and it’s a swell one, 30-minutes of slack fuzz pop bashed out with energy and swagger. The majority of the tracks strut by on solid riffs, backed by boy/girl vox that slide into chant-along choruses. Like new wave bled dry, leaving a beautiful bummer. The eight-minute “Miami/Miami Part 2” stretches out into a haze of increasingly rapturous guitar soloing, string screeches and a spoken word coda. Lotta promise here, for sure. Here’s hoping they stick around for an LP2.

 Raising Holy Sparks — Search For The Vanished Heaven (Eiderdown Records)

Search For The Vanished Heaven by Raising Holy Sparks

Seattle’s Eiderdown Records has been releasing some of the best contemporary psychedelia around, and the latest by Raising Holy Sparks is no exception. The project is the work of uber-prolific Irishman David Colohan, and is offered in double and triple cassette, as well as digital, versions. The “short” cut of the album is an hour and a half long, and the triple cassette and download versions stretch that to well over two hours. Per the credits, the album was recorded in somewhere around 40 different locations over four years. Colohan is credited with over 30 instruments and is joined by baker’s dozen of likeminded collaborators. What they deliver is, like most of Colohan’s music, long, slow and often eerily beautiful. “I Am In The Mountains While You Are In My Dreams” passes in its 23-minutes through Popol Vuh-style ambience, spoken word incantations that sound like Coil if they’d truly embraced the countryside and a whole lot of birdsong. It’s a good overview of the general proceedings — accented occasionally by louder blasts of synths, random percussion that sounds like drum machine presets and banjo-plucking krautrock. On paper, that sounds like a head-scratching combo, but it works. One gets the impression Colohan’s dedication and attention to detail is such that the grab bag of sounds weaves together into a surprisingly fascinating whole. Listen with attention and you’ll want to follow along as each stretch and segue unfolds. Oh, and as is typical with Eiderdown, bonus points for exceptional artwork, this time courtesy of Aubrey Nehring.

[geneticandunattainable]

There’s a clear bend toward electronic music late in this cluster, but the group overall spans multiple genres, including rock, R&B, and even a cinematic pop behemoth.  Now that we’re in the top twenty songs of the entire year, we’re discussing tracks that I may have listened to more than two hundreds times apiece.

20. Middle Kids – “Your Love” These three musicians from Sydney are still getting their careers off the ground, as they’ve only released an EP at this point; given the strength of the song “Your Love,” we should get used to hearing from them for years to come. The song is practically filled with hooks, and makes for an entirely delightful listen. Singer Hannah Joy, backed by her husband/bassist Tim Fitz and drummer Harry Day, effortlessly blends genres with her captivating vocals.  Many critics deemed them as the intersection between independent rock and alternative country, but I hear more rock here than anything else.  “Your Love” certainly has some pop structure, though with more genuine bite than you’d typically hear on the radio, and the production is inventive, building and crashing over and over throughout the track.  Ultimately, there’s something timeless about the song’s sound, and could easily be a lost gem from the ‘80s even though it was released last spring.

19. Sammy Brue – “I’m Not Your Man” Sure, the vocal sounds young - even strained.  Sammy Brue is clearly still coming into his voice, but not as an artist...as an actual adult.  Brue was only 15 when he wrote and recorded his debut album, and this track specifically is a total jam.  His sound may not be for everyone, but one of the producers on this debut album was John Paul White - better known as half of the brilliant alt-country duo The Civil Wars.  There’s no question that he has the pedigree behind him, and his razor-sharp songwriting skills are unquestionable.  His lyrics feel contemporary, but the sound is ripped from decades past.  Clearly Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan served as inspirations, but comparisons to Nirvana would be appropriate, too.  Brue is only going to get stronger from here, and continues to hone his folk/rock sound as he works with more musicians, including Justin Townes Earle and Lucinda Williams, just like a true prodigy.

18. Alice Merton – “No Roots” Alice Merton moved 24 times in only twelve years, leading to a feeling of complete isolation after bouncing around between Canada, the UK, Germany, and the States.  The longest that I’ve ever held one address is about five years, and my tally stands at just over two dozen moves in 33 years, so it should come as no surprise that I deeply relate to this song.  Merton swears that she had no idea it would become as popular as it did, landing her at the top of the charts for alternative rock; she’s the first solo female artist to top said chart since Lorde in 2014.  There’s an outstanding blend of genres here, with some funk percolating underneath the snarling bassline and the electronic-tinged breakdown in the latter third of the track.  One of the best aspects of the song, though, is the message; most people have a distinct place to imagine when thinking of the concept of ‘home.’  What’s clear to listeners here is that Merton lacks that experience, and that her perception of home is abstract at best when most can easily conjure that image.  For someone who shares that experience, I couldn’t be happier to sing along every time.

17. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Cut to the Feeling” There’s really no other way around it: Carly Rae Jepsen has quickly skyrocketed to the top of the list for pop stars who can consistently churn out high quality singles.  Part of the reason for her success, besides her obsession with 80’s-style synths, is that she refuses to lean into the darker side of pop that we’ve witnessed in recent years.  Jepsen isn’t concerned with mocking ex-boyfriends, frenemies, or rivals; her music centers around effervescent joie de vivre more than most of her contemporaries.  Essentially, her main goal is the distill the concept of euphoria into three or four minutes of blissful melodies.  The first thirty seconds of the track are unlike most on the radio right now, starting with synth that sounds bizarrely similar to the opening notes of Madonna’s “Lucky Star.” Any comparisons stop there, though, as the tightly measured handclap beat works perfectly with Jepsen’s syncopated vocals.  Nearly every review comments on how it was cut from her last full album, E•MO•TION, because it felt too ‘cinematic;’ my only regret is that it was wasted on a film as forgettable as Ballerina/Leap!, an animated dance movie for children that had various names based on the country where it was released.  This is a song that bottles sunshine, and should have been a juggernaut for Jepsen.  Luckily for fans, her next studio album is due in early 2018.

16. George Taylor – “I Hear Your Song, Sweetness” UK-based singer/songwriter George Taylor came out of nowhere in 2017 with this ode for other undiscovered artists.  For a guy who just released his debut album last year, he shows remarkably strong instincts on this track.  He knows when to dial back the production and when to complicate things.  Perhaps my favorite part of the song, though, is the lyrics; Taylor pierces through the aggressive initial production with his supportive, damn near inspirational theme for the up-and-coming musicians out there who feel like they aren’t even being heard.  The 24 year old grew up in Leicester before relocating to London, and claims he’s been writing songs since he was 13.   Clearly he has a natural talent, as the vacillation between isolated vocals on the verses and thundering, riotous choruses serves to make the song that much more dramatic.  It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing this song crop up in films and television, as it seems almost tailor-made for soundtracks.

15. Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean and Migos – “Slide” If I’m being completely honest, I first discovered this song on an HBO commercial for season two of Insecure (a personal favorite).  Regardless of one’s opinion on Calvin Harris, the main appeal for me was hearing Frank Ocean on such a radio-friendly single.  Ocean and Harris deftly make an entry to the recent genre of nu-disco, slyly combining hip-hop and dance music with a piano-driven song that may surprise the audience purely off of the talent roster.  Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, and rappers Quavo and Offset from hip-hop trio Migos all come together despite their own distinctive discographies.  It’s expertly crafted, but let’s be honest here - the second that Ocean starts singing, he steals the track from everyone else involved.  If you’re looking for breezy, SoCal hip hop, this is for you, but that description seems almost limiting considering what was achieved here.  For those of us who are consistently looking for new Frank Ocean tracks, “Slide” is a pleasant surprise.

14. Electric Guest – “Oh Devil” LA-based duo Electric Guest - which becomes a full band on tour - had a relatively forgettable sophomore album last year.  The major standout for me, though, was this playful track that utilizes its electronic production to toy with the arrangement constantly throughout its three and a half minute running time.  Perhaps the most interesting fact about Electric Guest is that it’s forwarded by Asa Taccone, the younger brother of Jorma Taccone - famous for being a member of The Lonely Island, along with appearances on shows like Girls and Parks and Rec.  Asa helped compose a lot of the music for The Lonely Island, which led to Jorma putting him in touch with Brian Burton (otherwise known to the world as Danger Mouse).  Long story short, Taccone now works with Matthew Compton, who supplies drums for their work and met Taccone through Burton, to create songs under the name Electric Guest.  “Oh Devil” merges pop, electronic dance, and R&B with some clear Caribbean influences, as well.   There’s a lot to like here, and if all you’re looking for is an earworm that comes out of left field, then this song is the one for you.

13. SZA – “20 Something” Solána Rowe had an incredible 2017, and released one of the biggest debut albums of the entire year under her stage name SZA.  Given the success of “All the Stars,” her collaboration with Kendrick Lamar on the Black Panther soundtrack, it seems like 2018 is going to be a huge year, too. This success didn’t come overnight, though.  Rowe has been working her way up for years, slowly gaining influences as diverse as Rihanna, Björk, Miles Davis, and Animal Collective.  Her R&B has a stripped down quality, especially on album standout “20 Something;” there is a poignant simplicity on display that translates the anguish and anxiety of your 20s perfectly.  It becomes clear quickly that Rowe expects a certain level of self-reflection and commitment to growth from her audience.  As she notes in the lyrics, “Honesty hurts when you’re getting older.”  Perhaps my favorite touch doesn’t even come from SZA herself, but her mother, who is heard at the end of the track giving advice to her daughter.  Essentially, she says that one must commit to whatever feels true in life, because the alternative is a complete abyss.  I couldn’t agree more.

12. Litany – “Bedroom” I may have noted the Caribbean influences on “Oh Devil,” but you can practically smell the jerk spices on this gorgeous electronic track from English duo Litany.  Made up of Beth Cornell on vocals and Jake Nicolaides producing, the 23-year-olds from North Yorkshire have nailed the atmosphere on “Bedroom,” employing steel drums, synths, and a steady, consistent beat that buries itself inside your head for days to come.  As the track progresses, Nicolaides plays with the beat and the production more and more, adding percussive texture and - dare I even say it? - crunch to the arrangement.  Cornell’s vocals are ethereal, giving the song a hazy vibe, which add to the symbolic lyrics that seem to tie the titular bedroom to the paradise implied from the production. All of it combines to create an experience of escapism, fleeing the monotony of everyday life and conversations about the weather for the idyllic bedroom.  For such young artists with only a handful of releases under their belts, the production on “Bedroom” is stunning in its professionalism.

11. Bayonne – “Fallss” I know, I know... another electronic song. Another track that effortlessly builds with synths, drum loops, and vocals, and captures your attention almost immediately.  But with a song this strong, can you even blame me for including it?  Austin-based artist Bayonne (legal name Roger Sellers) insists he’s not a DJ.  He grew up obsessed with Eric Clapton and his guitar from the age of three on, and his first concert was Phil Collins at the ripe old age of nine.  Clearly he learned guitar and drums from two of the best musicians of the last half century, but I doubt you’ll hear their influences on “Fallss.”  Sellers isn’t a DJ, but he uses a lot of the same tools, including mixers, pedals, and keyboards, to create his massive pop tracks.  The sounds he’s working with here rise and evolve and build throughout the song, as the layers of synth and other sonic strands slowly weave together, worming their way into your head. Sellers spoke to the lyrical meaning of the song, noting that it came from the huge life transition of being in his late-20s and starting to transition to music as a full time career.  To quote him directly, “It's the bittersweet ride that comes with big changes in life.”  We’ve all been through it the past few years, and the last six months alone have included, personally, a new job and moving across the country.  Trust me, this song was keeping me company the entire time.

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Track By Track - The Tragically Hip - Saskadelphia

Artist: The Tragically Hip Album: Saskadelphia (2021) My Favorite Track: Not Necessary Surprise! Surprise! A new Hip album! Upon hearing that the iconic Canadian band have released an EP of “Road Apples” session leftovers I had my reservations. Usually when you hear the term “leftovers” or “B-sides” what you usually end up with is a lot more filler than meat. When I hit play I was hopeful, but scared. That being said, lets get into the tracks! 1. Ouch Well, this opener is undeniably Hip! It has a familiar groove indicative of it’s “Road Apples” counterpart “Twist My Arm”. Gord Downie’s signature vibrato at the end of each phrase is haunting, almost like the last 30 years haven’t happened. The anguished screams that end the track ooze with conviction, and guitarist Bobby Baker is grooving here with the ascending licks providing great energy to this mid tempo rocker. The lyrics of struggle to balance who you have been, who you are and who you could be. “ I spike the recipe and turn my inner peace Into an aching for some more “. This track opens the album with swagger, and allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief knowing full well that this track is worthy of the Hip’s legacy. 2. Not Necessary The energy level takes a bump up on the second track! Again, this song is a true blue Hip tune, a straight ahead rocker with Downie’s unmistakable vocal phrasing reminding us all that he is still very much with us. To me the lyrics tell a story of the beauty of simplicity, great advice. “And all these things I carry, they're not so necessary”. This song is very similar in feel to The Reason’s “Longest Highway Home”. 3. Montreal (Live) On Montreal The Hip pull the energy down matching the dark subject matter described at the front of the track as “The identification process” an ode to the victims of the 1989 Montreal Massacre. “ Don't you worry, Her mama's gonna make her look good.” this line gave me chills, I can’t say I’ve thought much about ever having the misfortune to have to identify a loved one, but this definitely made me stop and think. Another great tune delivered by Downie’s poetic tounge. 4. Crack My Spine Like A Whip This is the only song from the album I had knowingly heard before having caught a live version on Much Music when I was a teenager, and I have always loved this tune! The main guitar riff reminds me of The Offspring’s “Come Out & Play”, which this obviously predates. Lyrically it seems to tell the tale of the demise of a personal relationship where one person’s expectations and demands are wearing down the other. “You're cracking your spine like a whip, and it's cracking my spine just like a whip.” 5. Just As Well This kind of reminds me of “Gimmie Three Steps” by Lynard Skynard in it’s general vibe. The Hip were always a bar band at the heart and this song is quintessential bar band hip. This is the shortest track of the six, but feels long enough. “Didn't really push me I kind of just fell, well, I guess that's just as well” 6. Reformed Baptist Blues After hearing the first three notes I thought “Tall Trees” by Matt Mays then straight into a pepped up Folsom Prison Blues parody. The title says it all, the Hip aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but they do it well and they make everything sound like their own. The lyrics are a hilarious take on a husband’s dismay when his wife finds religion and finds himself in a thruple with his wife and the Almighty. “ God's salvation doesn't interest me at all, found the answer at the bottom of a bottle”. Overall I enjoyed Saskadelphia and the more listens I gave the album, the less I viewed it as a novelty item and more as a very cool complementary piece to a timeless work of rock history. If you like classic Hip, this should be easy for you to love.

[chmpn-remix]

since @succulentsinspace​ said yes here’s a music survey questionnaire meme thing

Top Ten Favorite Artists 1. twenty one pilots 2. Panic! at the Disco 3. Fall Out Boy 4. My Chemical Romance 5. Set It Off 6. Waterparks 7. Paramore 8. Halsey 9. empires 10. All Time Low

What was the first song you ever heard by #2 [P!atD]? uuuhhh either I Write Sins or Nine in the Afternoon..pretty standard What is your favorite album of #6 [Waterparks] I’m really tied between the two albums but I think I actually like Entertainment more What is your favorite Lyric of #7 [Paramore]? “next time you point your finger I might have to bend it back or break it, break it off next time you point your finger--I’ll point you to the mirror” that’s just one of several

What is your favorite song by #9 [empires]? apparently there was a point in time when the most-played song on my ipod is Valmont by this band, at 1700+ plays, so there’s that (also Damn Things Over is another favorite) Is there a song of #1 [twenty one pilots] that makes you sad? 80% of them hahaha the chorus of Ode to Sleep gives me bittersweet feels, also Kitchen Sink, A Car A Torch A Death (for these two it’s more of a haunting existential feeling), and their cover of Cancer What is your favorite song by #8 [Halsey]? Hold Me Down and Control What is your favorite song by #10 [All Time Low]? Under A Paper Moon definitely What is your favorite album by #8 [Halsey]? Badlands How did you get into #5 [Set It Off]? WELL, my boyfriend’s roommates were playing this song on repeat and I actually kinda liked it and after a bit I was like okay i gotta know what is that song? Turns out it was Caleb Hyles’ cover of Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing. For some reason I thought SIO was powerpop this whole time so I was like ooooh i like dis and I listened to Duality bc that’s where WISC is from and loved every song, and the rest is history :3 What is your favorite song by #4 [MCR]? Planetary (GO!) was an old favorite. Dead and Give Em Hell Kid are up there too Who is your favorite band member of #1 [twenty one pilots]? b uddy (okay I love them both okay I have a special love for each of them but I will remain a Tyler stan) What is a good memory concerning #4 [MCR]? g od the one time I saw them live I saw them with my bff Edwin, and it was his first concert in a pit? and he was so traumatized ahahah I still quote what he said afterwards “that is the FIRST...and LAST...[hardcore GA] concert I’ll ever go to” (he has been to 2+ pit concerts since and one of them has top headlining) What does #9 [empires] remind you of? either winter 2009 because that’s when I started listening to them, or early/summer 2011 bc that’s when I listened to Bang EP Is there a song by #3 [FOB] that makes you sad? What A Catch, Donnie, Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes, Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash What is your favorite song of #1 [top]? Ode to Sleep and Kitchen Sink How did you become a fan of #7 [Paramore]? gosh how even? I think I was looking at the FBR roster when I was getting into bandom and found them? or maybe I saw Hayley’s name in fanfiction idk but it was definitely 2008 before I even moved to Canada What do you like to do while listening to #6 [Waterparks] I usually listen while commuting to school/work. If I listen at home I sing along. They have a good talent for coming up with catchy hooks Which of the 10 has influenced you the most? top 4+maybe Paramore Which artist makes you the most happy? All of them make me happy but if I have to pick I’ll probably choose twenty one pilots Which artist makes you the most sad? Paramore....only because I listened to a lot of their music to help me get over someone Which artist makes the best dance music? oh man none of them are particularly dancey...pmore, top, mcr and patd probably Which artist have you liked the longest? My Chemical Romance, I’ve heard and liked Welcome to the Black Parade in 2006 Are there any artists you will still be listening to in 20 years? okay buddy, 6 out of these 10 bands I’ve already been listening to for 10/almost 10 years. another 10 won’t be a stretch What are you listening to right now? silence :D

I’m tagging peeps but feel free to not do it haha @succulentsinspace​ @jubejube4nomz​ @notpassingfascination​ @jaspersforever​ @to-be-inconsequential​ @archfiend-filth​ @avangee​ @theghostofashton​ @pardon-me-summer-scene​ @theblondedancerinthedark​ @skelliescar​ @citrusgeoff​ and whoever that wants to do it feel free to steal!