Methyl Ethel – Proof (ft. Stella Donnelly)
With an opening ominous in the way a Wu-Tang track begins, Methyl Ethel hits us instead with an electronic orchestral arrangement. It’s reminiscent of a more religiously-inclined Little Dragon (but with equal amounts of bangs on the female vocalist).
Deep in the song’s second act you’re surprised with an aura of pop majesty; you almost get lost in it. But as you emerge and find the syncopated beat and synths, you get back into the rhythm of the song’s outset. Like returning from a long vacation in a new place, happily getting back into the day-to-day routine, wondering if you actually enjoyed your time away from home, but glad you made the journey.
Twin Peaks shows their range with this b-side, released along with the raucously heart-warming “Cawfee.” This one isn’t so tender, telling the tale of orphans and women of the night. It rings like a lighter “Street Fighting Man,” bemoaning the plight of the lower castes while shilling the upper crust for their ignorance of life’s realities.
But it’s also an arm-in-arm drinking ballad. After all, drinking in a dive is one of the last great equalizers in this land devoid of third places and public amenities. But I digress.
Local Natives – Megaton > Someday Now
Including both “Megaton” and “Someday Now” here so the valued listener can experience the disorienting mechanical chaos of the transition between the 5th and 6th songs off Violet Street, Local Natives slightly more sinister 2019 full length.
“Megaton” is dancey; probably used in sweeping drone-shot panoramas more than a few times. If cut-off at the three-minute mark, it might even be simplistic. But it devolves into a false climax and then throws itself into “Someday Now,” switching from a scratched up outro and into a distorted version of itself. “Someday” takes the reins with cycling bells and decelerating drums kits that sound like peddling a bike backwards feels. The vocals enter in, each word standing as an island connected by a thin sand bar.
By the time you’re deep into “Someday Now,” you see it as the deeper, maybe better, song.
But it’s a package deal, the yin and the yang, and so on. Context is key!
Big Wild – 6’s to 9’s (ft. Rationale) [Day Wave Remix]
I always thought Big Wild’s hit “6’s to 9’s” was trying to be too many things at once: a shout to the sky pop ballad, a cool electro-indie groove, a timeless summer hit. Maybe it is all these things. The song has an SSRI-inhibitor effect and, though I’ve tried, I cannot frown while listening to it. But the serious indie-blogger in me wanted something more. And Day Wave delivered it.
With his signature uptempo beat and moody/melodic guitar, Day Wave allowed me to properly enjoy the Big Wave staple. Sometimes you just need a gift to be wrapped differently. Context is key!
Randy Pages – Nice to Be in Orbit
NASA’s Planetary Defense Group (or whatever they’re calling themselves) demonstrated that they could successfully drive a satellite into an astroid. This is intended to demonstrate that we can alter the course of a planet killer using science! Nice job guys. Check asteroid off the list of apocalypse scenarios. Remove Don’t Look Up from Netflix (seriously, do this), and pour one out for the poor dinosaurs whose arms were too short and thumbs not opposable enough to make spacecraft.
Now, we just need to tackle climate change, nuclear war, and zombie invasion. Maybe we crash a satellite into the Kremlin? Context is key!
<===>…and the rest of ’em…. The Terrys bring some happy punk to your local bike route… Fontaines D.C. are coming to Boston this Thursday, and I need someone to have my back in the mosh pit, who’s coming with me?… and Turnstile supplies us with one that would have been at home on a mid-2000s era Madden soundtrack.
<===>I’ve heard that LA cops effectively operate as a gang and that many police departments in LA County are actual gangs with violent initiation rituals and astounding levels of corruption. This murder of a young LAPD officer seems to confirm.
<===>A great, straight-forward thread on placemaking and why a lot of places in America suck.
<===>Wise words from Ms. Le Guin.
<===>Paper receipt ghillie suits are next.