Article by Elizabeth
Hey gang! As Mark introduced, we're finally getting around to sharing some thoughts we've been mulling over for far too long. We're kicking this off with a few reviews of our top picks from Spotify's Discover Weekly Playlist. Read on and get inspired to do some listening!
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| Salad Days Captured Tracks |
Passing Out Pieces – Mac Demarco
This is a tune for sitting back and smiling while the walls
fall down around your ears. Its elusive
melody and jangling synths are contrasted against a darker dose of
self-reckoning: “Passing out pieces of me/You know nothing comes free…What ma
don’t know has taken its toll on me.” These lines, accompanied with a heavier
base, break through the song’s initial light tone, pulling you out of the lull
and making you aware of some deeper dilemma. But as quickly as it appeared,
we’re back to the bouncing ease of the next verse. It’s like talking with
someone who seems about to reveal that he’s been carrying the weight of the
world on his shoulders, only to have him break into a grin and order another
drink. Light-hearted ease that undoubtedly comes at a cost.
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| The Great Pretenders Electromagnetic Recordings |
Vertigo – Mini Mansions feat. Alex Turner
Suave meets sleazy in this Mini Mansions/Alex Turner colab.
Before going any further I should mention that it’s my firm opinion that
everything Alex Turner touches is gold, so I was going to be biased towards
this track from the beginning. And it didn’t let me down. Starting off with an
air of dark intrigue, it works towards the tumbling melody of the chorus that
keeps things light. Alex Turner steps in with a solo that adds smooth-talking
sex appeal. This sounds like a lot of different vibes – and it is – but they
all mesh together in the overriding theme of seduction that permeates the song.
There’s a sort of Hotel California
feeling of being drawn in despite the warning bells going off. Listen to the
song again – you can literally hear them.
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| We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic Jagjaguwar |
Shuggie – Foxygen
I generally don’t like talking-singing tracks where it feels
like the vocalist can’t decide just how much he wants to contribute. However,
it really works in this song by LA duo Foxygen. The lazy slur of lyrics is
fitting as the singer intones, “You don’t love me/That’s news to me.” Then in a
single note the tempo picks up and the vocals take on greater power as the
message of the song moves from melancholy towards motivational. Yet, as quickly
as it came, we revert back to the dimness of lost love…and then back again.
It’s the mental state of someone beating his head against the wall in sad
frustration and alternately fining inspiration to keep moving forward. The
melody jumps to an unexpected funky beat for a moment before trailing off with
ba-da-da’s to that hopeful tune again. These phases take us on a
stream-of-consciousness journey through the mind of, well, anybody. It’s not
overly complex here, just that old tale of trying to make love and life work
together – a tale that doesn’t go stale in this retelling.
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| Burn Your Fire For No Witness Jagjaguwar |
Hi-Five – Angel Olsen
Angel Olsen’s vocals are just incredible. She sounds so familiar
and yet it’s thrilling to listen to her because she’s like unlike anything
you’ve heard. This is due to the fact that she has undoubtedly drawn influence
from some old time crooners like Patsy Cline – or maybe I should say Hank
Williams, as she opens with the line, “I feel so lonesome I could cry.” Still,
she artfully modernizes her sound with the help of guitar reverb. She has a
lovely, feminine approach that’s not afraid to be rough around the edges, in
the same way that Wanda Jackson sang sixty years ago. Her lyrics conjure up the
image of her seated at a bar lamenting her loneliness. When she turns to the
person next to her and asks, “Are you lonely, too?” the answer (obviously a
yes) inspires a “Hi-Five! So am I!” Those retro vibes mentioned before serve to
remind that loneliness is an age old feeling, so we might as well embrace it
together.
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| Color of the Trap Columbia |
Come Closer – Miles Kane
In this indie-pop piece, Miles Kane takes on retro clichés
with no hint of irony or kitsch, just reinvention. Every “ahhh” and “wooah”
exudes temptation rather than innocence and dirty riffs punctuate this sultry
take on “eyes meet across the room.”
It’s gritty pop designed to be sexy and fun, unlike rock songs that
often take them selves too seriously. Kane
definitely owes a debt to sixties rockers like the Kinks, though his vocals are
more reminiscent of Liam Gallagher (who was also has a constant eye on the
sixties, so that may be no coincidence). It’s the perfect melding of upbeat pop
and sordid rock ‘n’ roll.
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