#medejin

[hubcaphalo]

favorite albums of 2023

Here we go: favorite albums of the year. I like to make my lists every year and these? Are just my favorites. Are they the best albums of the year? Who the fuck knows. Maybe some are, some aren’t. I make these lists for myself, because I like to go back and revisit these, but if you listen and find something here you like, that’s awesome!

favorite albums of 2023, in alphabetical order:

Allison Russell - The Returner (listen: The Returner, Snakelife)

Austin TV - Rizoma  (listen: Su Nombre Es El Tuyo, Reflejo Infinito)

Bethany Cosentino - Natural Disaster  (listen: Outta Time, I’ve Got News for You (fun fact, I was listening to this for the first time walking home from the grocery store, and the last 2 lines of this song just sucker punched me out of nowhere and I burst into tears on the street lmao))

Black Belt Eagle Scout - The Land, The Water, The Sky  (listen: My Blood Runs Through This Land, Nobody)

Brian Lopez - Tidal  (listen: Black Mountain, Looking Glass)

Bully - Lucky for You  (listen: How Will I Know, Days Move Slow) 100% my favorite album this year. I love everything she does.

Explosions in the Sky - The End  (listen: Loved Ones, Ten Billion People)

Eyelids - Colossal Waste of Light  (listen: Runaway Yeah, Colossal Waste of Light)

Fruit Bats - A River Running to Your Heart  (listen: Rushin’ River Valley, Waking Up in Los Angeles)

Gaby Moreno - X Mí (listen: Luna de Xelajú, Intento) yes, this is technically an EP but  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hozier - Unreal Unearth  (listen: Francesca, Unknown/Nth)  

Indigo De Souza - All of This Will End  (listen: Wasting Your Time, Smog)

Janelle Monae - Age of Pleasure  (listen: Lipstick Lover, Rush)

La Fonda - We Are Infinite  (listen: We Are Infinite, Kaleidoscope)

Lydia Loveless - Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again  (listen: Sex and Money, Poor Boy)

Medejin - The Garden  (listen: Shell, January)

Sunny War - Anarchist Gospel  (listen: No Reason, Whole)

Victoria Monet - JAGUAR II  (listen: Party Girls, How Does It Make You Feel)

Y La Bamba - Lucha  (listen: Dibujos De Mi Alma, Nunca)

Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy  (listen: I Saw, Rice)

And an honorable mention to this fantastic EP:  Konyikeh - Litany (listen: Girls Like Us)

[side-line]

Medejin – The Garden (Album – Icy Cold Records)

http://dlvr.it/T2MwsM

[jungleindierock]

Medejin - World's Fair

Medejin is the ethereal, dreamwave project of Jenn Taranto (vox/keyboard/guitar). She performs with Rebecca Gutterman (guitar), Matthew Cooke (drums), and Ramsey Troxel (bass). World’s Fair is the latest video from Medejin, who are based in Seattle, Washington, USA. This video was made by Karl.

Links: Facebook | Bandcamp

[findasongblog]

Find a #dreamwave song

Medejin - Untitled 4

(bedroom version)

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

I’ve been meaning to listen to Medejin since I watched/heard them play for a virtual concert series featuring Seattle bands and artists, and listening to this, I intensely get Enya vibes, but a bit different, too...

[desertislandcloud]

Medejin is the ethereal, Dreamwave project of Jenn Taranto (vox/keyboard/guitar). She performs with Rebecca Gutterman (guitar) & Matthew Cooke (drums) in her band around the beautiful PNW.

Links https://soundcloud.com/medejin-music https://medejin-music.bandcamp.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQkb1F1MSvc&feature=youtu.be https://www.facebook.com/MEDEJINMUSIC

[rainydawgradioblog]

RDR Essentials - Local Music (11/11)

RDR Essentials is a weekly newsletter of alternating genres that outlines key releases of the past month, upcoming events around Seattle and happenings in the specified music genre.

Made in collaboration between Rainy Dawg DJs and the Music Director.

Releases

Heavenly Bother - Trinity

Trinity opens with “Heavenly Bother the Band,” a Sgt. Peppers-esque invitation to come listen and explore. One might question why a group who has been together for three years would introduce themselves, as if for the first time, on their third major release, but listening to the lyrics provides an answer. This is “Heavenly Bother’s new band,” a fully united and thoroughly unholy Trinity.

The band’s confidence is made obvious by the album’s sheer variety of musical styles. The opening track is followed by “Chemistry,” a soft, sweet, juvenile plea for a love interest to see the potential so obvious to the narrator. Then comes the tragicomic “Gassy” and the subtly ironic “Normie,” which utilizes discordant basslines and punk lyrical flow to describe a “simple girl” so excessively plain as to become abnormal. “Homebody” sounds like depressing plod through an unduly bad hangover, carrying a deeper meaning if anyone cares to look deeper than the chorus, instantly relatable to anyone involved in their local music scene, of “Are we really even having any fun?/ Can we go home?” The album ends with “Sex Freak,” which could have been ghostwritten for Summer Walker, and a twangy, mellowed out version of the rousing house show favorite “Rodeo.” Trinity proves what Heavenly Bother is capable of, and asks how much more they might have up their sleeve.

-Katrin Keller Garbe

Low Hums - Zzyzx

Psychedelic, skate, acid and classic rock are a few influences Low Hums invoke in this new release. On the whole, Zzyzx delivers a chill, groovy vibe, ideal for lazy, hazy, late-night contemplation and relaxation. Songs like “Ghost Babe” and “The Heat” are short, sweet and upbeat, while “Neo Spiritual” and “Spaced Out Mind” wander for longer in a pool and riffle sequence.

You will not find that this album strays far from Low Hums’ home-brewed brand of rock. However, it is comfort food for the rock-enthusiast, hot out of the oven, ready to appease your waiting ears. Trying times call for wavy-gravy, low-key jams, and Low Hums are here for us. 

-Reve Hansen

Temple Canyon - Fortress

Fortress’s tone is set from the first line, as lead singer Mariko Ruhle’s emotive, warbling voice shines clearly over softly fingerpicked guitar to ask, “Shovel and bucket in her hand,/ Will her sandcastle stand?/ Will the waves wash it away before she’s done?” This is an album of contemplation and introspection, of revisiting the past in order to shape the future.

The production on Fortress is simple and cool, a slight yet noticeable shift from the hazier, grungier sound of their first two releases. Al Reiter’s percussion and Jason Shao’s strings blend together the dark blue clouds against which Ruhle’s silver lyrics sparkle. While Ruhle’s narrative verses are the focal point of the album, Shao gets a chance to shred on the power ballad “I Tangled With the Serpent” and both he and Reiter compete with Ruhle for center stage on the synth-pop influenced “Desire”.

Nearly every track on Fortress approaches or exceeds 4 minutes, but none drag on or become repetitive. With Fortress, Temple Canyon have asserted themselves as belonging to an emerging class of artists such as Weyes Blood and Big Thief who are embracing the simplicity, poetry, and pure beauty of their music, and whose listeners are being richly rewarded for following them down that path.

-Katrin Keller Garbe

Upcoming Releases: 

~ 11/14 Night Hikes - Chalice

~ 11/15 Aaron Semer - Cape Disappointment

~ 11/16 Great Grandpa - Four of Arrows

~ 11/16 ings - Lullaby Rock

~ 12/14 Crazy Eyes - It’s Over, Everybody 

Events: 

11/14-11/17: Freakout 7

7PM / 21+ / $20+

11/16: Rachaels Children / Don Forgetti / Flying Fish Cove / Garden Chat @ Push/Pull

8PM / AA / NOTAFLOF

12/7: Hoop / Medejin / Artem/s / Sheridan Riley @ Brunch Box

8PM / AA / NOTAFLOF 

12/11: Velvet Q / Bernie & The Wolf / Plum @ The Kraken Bar & Lounge

8PM / 21+ / $7

[tulipblack]

6 September 2019 | COCK BLOCK #113

/  / LISTEN LIVE ON 8K.NZ 

/  / Friday 12:00 NZT repeats Saturday 15:00, Monday 06:00, Wednesday 00:00

/  / MIXCLOUD 

hana vu - At the Party

Shura - Fyin' / Skyline, Be Mine / Princess Leia

BEA1991 - Philip / I'm a Goldmine

Marika Hackman - Blow / Come Undone

Sleater-Kinney - Reach Out

Debby Friday - Fatal

AE MAK - Dancing Bug

Chelsea Wolfe - Be All Things

Rosalia - Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi

Soccer Mommy - Still Clean

Dream Wife - Bobby Kakouris Sweet Sweet Sweet

Weyes Blood - Movies

Dry Cleaning - Phone Scam

NAVVI - Human

Marie Davidson - Chasing the Light

C.O.W. 牛 - Cringe Lords

Perera Elsewhere - Wait n See

Sudan Archives - Confessions

Vagabon - Water Me Down

Sasami - Take Care

Charli XCX - Warm feat HAIM

Juilee - Fulla Curve feat IQ

Marika Hackman - All Night

Medejin - World's Fair

Team Dresch - Your Hands My Pockets

L'épée - Dreams / Last Picture Show

Haru Nemuri - Take Back the World

Lana Del Rey - Happiness is a Butterfly

Image:  Marika Hackman’s undies

[hubcaphalo]

It's been a while since I've done a Thread no one cares about, so how about a thread on some great newer bands in the Seattle scene? I kinda feel like a lot of people tuned out post indie-folk boom, but there's a lot of really good stuff happening rn!

NIL ELSES: When I watch a band & go "Wow, how do you do that??" I KNOW how they do it, I understand the mechanics. When I say I watched Nil Elses w/his boards of wires & buttons, plugging & unplugging wires, hitting buttons & switches, turning it into music...HOW?? DOES HE DO IT???

TERRA NOBODY: Ali and Brett, in addition to being the sweetest people, are full on multimedia artists who have amazing ears for hooks and melodies. Always love seeing what they come up with next

TIO NACHO'S HOUSE: Impeccable dark-disco dance vibes

JUL!ET: Did somebody ask for perfect pop-rock?

TERROR/CACTUS: It's not just because the theatre costume geek in me loves a mask (but it doesn't hurt)

ANNIE J: I mean...that VOICE y'all

DAY SOUL EXQUISITE: groove after groove, cooler than me and you and everyone we know

MIDNIGHT HIGH: synth-pop that should absolutely soundtrack a montage in a rom-com set in the 80s

TEZATALKS: Teza said "what GENRE am I? ALL OF THEM" hiphop, poppunk, electronic, goth rock, throw 'em in a blender. I'm also going to link to my fave of hers, STOPIT!, which has an age-restricted video (bc it's horror themed, I guess?) and can't be embedded

MEDEJIN: I've photographed them a couple times, and I mean it as a compliment when I say that every time, I wanted to put my camera down, lie down on the floor and just let the fuzz wash over me in the dark

[findasongblog]

Find a #dreamwave song

Medejin - July

From the recently released EP Eleni.

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

So, I was watching this livestream earlier that was put on to increase voting awareness (basically all of the bands were just saying “Go vote!!!” although one band, King Youngblood who I’ve vaguely heard of before, actually listed out all of the good actions to take in addition to voting and THAT I was grateful for!), and I LOOOOOOOOVED getting to hear Nicolle Swims of Black Ends perform since it’s been a whole six months since I last saw her perform LOL, but aside from her I was most interested in hearing a band I hadn’t heard of before - Stereo Sauna. Actually when I read their name I was like ‘never heard of ‘em, don’t care’ (whoops), but then I found out that Maya Marie fronted them and THEN I was like OOOOOOOOOOOH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! And speaking of the last time I saw Nicolle Swims live, Maya Marie was the surprise artist who I saw perform at that same last live performance I saw before the pandemic hit. I didn’t write a review (though I probably should have), but I did write this about how that performance just blew my fucking mind as it did for my best friend who went with me to see them perform, too.

So when I finally got to see Maya front her new band Stereo Sauna, I was like YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES. Well, actually, I was mostly thinking that about Maya and her VOICE because I can just imagine her being able to, like...blow the windows out of a room because her voice is just SO INCREDIBLY powerful and GOOD. But don’t misunderstand that image - when I say that, it’s not because her voice is bad. Nooooooooo. Her voice is fucking beautiful in that it’s incredible, like she’s got the power of soul (like bearing one’s soul kind of soul) and folk (the passionate, politically-charged power of fighting to be heard kind of folk) in her voice that is just.................................an absolute, almost cosmic, FORCE. So yeah, I was very much looking forward to hearing her again and she was as AMAZING as I expected, although I found that I actually preferred, musically, to hear her solo (in the case of the last performance I saw, just her singing with her acoustic guitar) rather than fronting a pretty loud and rambunctious rock band of what seemed like mostly if not all white dudes. Which is not a criticism of her; really, it was the band that couldn’t match her. I do believe she could front a rock band and do a fucking fantastic job at it...but those dudes (none of whom I recognized, FYI) were not gonna do it. LOL But I get it - putting a band together is fucking hard...and once they’re together, I hear it tends to be especially hard to stay together. So...I don’t know. I absolutely hope the universe makes it easier for her voice to be heard, though, and I also hope especially that she’ll be backed by a band that can and will go toe-to-toe musically with her. Because THAT is where the GOOD STUFF IS. :’D

[naogata]

Favorite tweets: Seattle's Medejin brought their Pacific Northwest dream wave to KEXP in March, playing tracks from their self-released EP 'Eleni,' which dropped in 2018. Watch the session here: https://t.co/7JMjgYeINT📷: @melissawax pic.twitter.com/9ZKttAcA5N— KEXP (@kexp) June 2, 2019

http://twitter.com/kexp

[wimpydave]

Medejin - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

[desertislandcloud]

In the Same Way by Medejin Written by Jenn Taranto Vox/guitar - Jenn Guitar - Rebecca Gutterman Drums - Matthew Cooke Roli - Arbor Audio Engineer - Tracy Winjum Mastered by Heart Gold Studio, Seattle