Top8 - 08/19/24

August 18, 2024 - 02:54 PM

I may have run out of ways to intro these blogs. Wait, actually, I could say that I don't have an intro. That buys me another fortnight.

I have had an unusually good few weeks filled with people I care about and things that matter to me. Some of that has been new music, and I am glad to share it with you. Send all reasons to live to wtsq.org/contact.



Father John Misty - I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All

Starting things off with some Father John Misty. I could give you a mini bio of the guy right here. I won't. His name isn't John Misty. He isn't a Father. But FJM is a pretty divisive artist. A lot of people just plain hate him. He's worth paying attention to though, and "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All" is a good example of that. Sometimes more is better, and at eight and a half minutes, this fits the bill. The track feels like a late 60's - mid 70s groove spun out over a deepening absurdist void. FJM sometimes feels like an cynical Abrahamic figure; someone who would contend with the divine over the fate of humanity, but realizes, ultimately, we have it coming.


Michael Kiwanuka - Floating Parade

Michael Kiwanuka was on the playlist I submitted to become a volunteer at WTSQ. There's something really special about this guy. Kiwanuka is a British performer who I would categorize as neo-soul. It's not exactly a retro sound, but it does draw heavily on 70's R&B with string arrangements and slowburn builds. "Floating Parade" doesn't reinvent the wheel for Kiwanuka, but it is a really effective example of why I love his music. This is the soundtrack for a night time drive toward something that might not be a good idea. I hope this is in advance of a new album, but I haven't read anything to that effect yet.


Amélie Swann - Turning Blue

"Turning Blue" channels a lot of trip-hop energy without tons of that genre's production. Swann actually reminds me here of artists like Suzanne Vega or Tori Amos. There's a slow, seductive quality here that makes me think of whatever happened next from the night time drive I mentioned with the previous track.


Flesh Tape - Joe Hill's Last Will

"Joe Hill's Last Will" is, literally, the last will and testament written out by labor organizer and musician Joe Hill before he was executed for a murder there's reason to believe he was not involved with. Flesh Tape brings a noisy, Sonic Youth edge to these words. The split single this track comes from is part of a fundraiser for relief efforts in Palestine.


Valerie June - Friendship (ft. Carla Thomas)

"Friendship" is the second collaboration between Valerie June and Carla Thomas. The song is a song written by Pops Staples, but not recorded until decades later by Mavis Staples. The Valerie June version is a warm hug of a track with a lot of 60s soul DNA. This is probably helped along a lot by the inclusion of the Stax Music Academy.


Blossom - While

Blossom is shoegaze from San Diego. They have a few singles and EPs out. "While" seems to be a stand alone single. In the age of streaming, bands are sometimes less motivated to create an entire album. In some ways, I think this is a shame. But, on the other hand, the modern notion of an album has only been around since the 60's. Music may survive just fine without it.

In any event, Blossom has the boilerplate shoegaze essentials – there's a hazy vocal, there are layers of buzzy guitars. "While" smartly uses a dual vocal approach which I think gives the same effect as the layers of guitars. It feels lush and immense with drums that seem to burst like thunder. All this resolves and we are left with the last minute of the track filled with a sort of fizzy, ephemeral coda. It might sound disjointed, but I think all this works together pretty well.


Yndling - Make Me Want You

Imagine me throwing another shoegazey track in. Who would do something like that? Anyway, here's another shoegazy track. Yndling is an Oslo based artist making bedroom dream pop. It's a surprisingly big sound with organs and tons of echo on the vocal. "Make Me Want You" actually came out last year, but the album it's from, "Mood Booster" only just dropped. This isn't one to sleep on. Yndling is either the next big thing or just the artist I won't shut up about for a while.


Trauma Ray - Bishop

I could keep up the bit making fun of myself for picking shoegaze tracks, but I give up. Here's another gaze at your shoes. Trauma Ray has been doing this for a few years now. The band is out of Texas, so they probably have a lot of good reasons to be mopey (although, following that logic, WV would have even more.) In reality, "Bishop" is more aggro than mopey. This is shoegaze revival along the lines of bands like Nothing. Which means I have been listening to it on repeat, at a dangerous volume, for like an hour.


And this week's extra innings, just a few other things I have been listening to. 

Glenn Miller - I Know Why (And So Do You)



Sweet Pill - There, There (The Wonder Years Cover)



Frank Ocean - Chanel

And a playlist with everything.

Thanks for reading and listening,

-emily

See also

Top8 - 02/26/24

Top8 - 02/26/24