Over the past week, I've found myself listening repeatedly to two new singles from two very different--but equally impressive--artists, José González and Gojira.
González, the Argentinian-Swedish indie folk musician, returned with his first new single in several years, (and his first in Spanish), "El Invento".
González describes "El Invento" as a song he wrote around the birth of his daughter, and one which asks the questions, "...who we are, where we're going, and why?"
Like much of his music, the song is pastoral and introspective, with González' skillfully-plucked acoustic guitar playing to delicately spoken vocals. It's a very poignant and pretty tune that fits right in with much of the artist's previous catalog. His music always feels calming and complex at the same time.
For me, it brought back memories of seeing him perform live in Chicago back in 2007, and recalling the gentle command he had as a solo performer (You can read my concert review here).
Watch the video for "El Invento" below:
And then...
On the polar opposite side of the musical spectrum, we have the explosive, flying whale-of-a-single from French metal masters, Gojira, called "Born For One Thing".
Gojira have rightfully earned a reputation for effortlessly blending elements of technical, death and thrash metal into a heavy groove. Having seen them live in 2019, I can attest that Gojira is a band that somehow sounds even heavier and more dialed-in in concert.
The new single, "Born For One Thing", which dropped last week, has been met with much enthusiasm from fans new and old. It finds the band picking up where they left off with 2016's crossover success story, Magma. While some dyed-in-the-wool fans from the band's early days may have feared Magma was veering into mainstream territory, there's no denying the latest single finds the band still in their prime.
"Born For One Thing" starts with that trademark Gojira build-up before crashing down into intense riffs with surgical precision. Brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier have an inherent way of clicking together on guitar and drums, respectively, like conjoined twins sharing one musical brain.
Even if metal isn't your thing, I recommend giving Gojira a listen, as they remain one of the tightest, heaviest and most consistent bands in the genre today.
Gojira's forthcoming album, Fortitude, will be released on April 30th, 2021. Listen to "Born for One Thing" below:
Ever have that song which is such a big part of the personal soundtrack of your life; but then, with no warning, it inexplicably fades into your subconscious?
Up and until that juncture, you may have played the song several times a day for weeks at a time; you may have even put it on a couple of mix CD-Rs or MP3 compilations that you handed out to others. Then, for reasons you're not quite certain of, the song faded into personal obscurity, just like the vivid dream you can no longer remember the details of five minutes after you wake up.
'Catch the Sun' by Doves is my very own sonic feverdream. When I was in college, I discovered the British band by listening incessantly to the now-defunct XM Radio Station Ethel. Ethel was a station that broadcast a perfect blend of Britpop-inspired alternative rock, along with the proto-indie rock native to the aughts. Ethel introduced me to other solid Britrock bands like Ash and Catherine Wheel, yet, unlike Doves, those bands never left my immediate awareness.
During 'Catch the Sun's' prime on my personal playlist, I distinctly remember queueing the track on my headphones as I made the quarter-mile trek from my residence to the lecture halls on central campus. I found it subtly uplifting and stirring. If I was in an anxious mood as I readied myself to be in the same room as fifty other high strung university students, 'Catch the Sun's'' assured chorus always brought me back to center.
Then, at some point in approximately 2002, 'Catch the Sun,'--and the rest of Doves' repertoire--slid out of my rotation for reasons unexplained. Maybe it was because Ethel stopped playing them on the radio? Or maybe I was distracted by another shiny, musical object?
Earlier this evening, I was cooking Sunday dinner while listening to the Indie 1.0 station on the since-rebranded SiriusXM. (Indie 1.0 is the spiritual successor to Ethel). Lo and behold, Indie 1.0 transmitted the opening, but prescient, lyrics to 'Catch the Sun:'
"Everyday it comes to this / Catch the things you might have missed."
At that moment I couldn't help but thinking my life had suddenly come full circle. And I felt like I had been reunited with an old friend I didn't realize how much I missed or needed.
Stream 'Catch the Sun' by Doves in the music player below:
For those of you who don't mind a little Brazilian-styled rhythms intermixed with Lupe Fiasco-esque smooth beats, than 'Sacred Safe' may be just the song for you.
'Sacred Safe' is hypnotizing and transformational. It is sonic quicksand, methodically sucking its listener into soundspaces that are neither here nor there. Indeed, for those of you who listen to the "lo-fi" study radio station on YouTube--the one with the looping animation featuring the headphoned girl and the cat--you will feel right at home when you listen to this one.
It's hard to believe I've never posted about Dino before, but it seemed appropriate to wait until V-Day to drop his 1990 cheesefest, "Romeo" on you.
I first heard Dino in my favorite 1992 Rodney Dangerfield/Jonathan Brandis cross-dressing soccer comedy, Ladybugs, in which his song, "Summergirls" was used.
Dino, AKA Dean Esposito, was a Top 40 DJ who took a turn at singing with the group, Esquire, in the '80s before going solo in '89 with his first album, 24/7. The album also featured the single, "I Like It".
The same year, Dino got booked as an opening act for the insanely popular New Kids on the Block tour.
In 1990, Dino returned with his sophomore album, Swingin', which featured today's song du jour, "Romeo".
"Romeo" shot its way to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, due to a sugary sweet pop chorus and, yep, a guest rap by Doctor Ice (of UTFO).
With a healthy dose of New Jack Swing and freestyle dance, "Romeo" was destined to break some hearts while tearing up the charts.
The music video is a pretty incredible historical document of the culture of 1990, as well.
With fashion choices nothing short of colorful, Dino alternates between a mustardy sport jacket and a white tee emblazoned with the slogan, "My Race is Human", as he serenades our souls.
Enthusiastic backup dancers bounce in and out of frame like over-caffeinated extras at the Peach Pit on Beverly Hills 90210, cementing the video's place in the annals of pop history.
Whether you're feeling hopelessly romantic or just a little '90s nostalgic this V-Day, take a page from the Dino, the master of smooth:
"I'll be your Romeo, I love you so, I can't let go... of these feelings in my heart!"
Steven Wilson, the prolific and multi-talented British musician and songwriter, returned this past month with his latest solo album, The Future Bites.
Wilson is best known as the frontman for the contemporary prog-rock band, Porcupine Tree--a group that amassed ten albums and another seven EPs over a twenty year span.
I first heard Porcupine Tree more than a decade into their career with the release of 2002's remarkable commercial breakthrough, In Absentia. The single "Trains" from that album is still a favorite of mine, and is a great entry point for new listeners. Porcupine Tree's follow up album, Deadwing, was an equally impressive effort, combining Pop songwriting sensibilities with complex Prog and Metal arrangements.
Wilson has also recorded six of his own solo albums, in addition to working with several other bands and remix projects. On 2021's The Future Bites, Wilson finds himself immersed in electronic music more than ever, with songs making digs at consumerism and critiquing the effects of a technological society on our personal psyches.
His latest single, "SELF", is a great example of just that. The music video uses deepfake technology to alter Wilson's appearance, morphing him into various celebrities. The album's slinky electo-funk recalls Young Americans-era Bowie for me, at times.
The video can best be summed up by the artist's own words, taken from the description on his official YouTube video, shared below:
"SELF is about our new age of narcissism and self-obsession, one in which a human race that used to look out with curiosity at the world and the stars now spends much of its time gazing at a little screen to see themselves reflected back in the mirror of social media. In that sense everyone now can take part in the notion of celebrity, and has the potential to share their life with an invisible mass of people they will never meet. The video takes things further by exploring the idea that anyone can now project a version or “self” that has no bearing on reality, and by using only well known faces the deception is made transparent." - Steven Wilson
Steven...have you been binge-watching Black Mirror again?
Additionally, the video's director, Miles Skarin commented on his work in regards to creating deepfakes, saying, "Anyone with the right tools and ability can now turn themselves into anyone else, so what does that mean for identity?"
Watch the video for Steven Wilson's "SELF" below:
If you enjoyed that, I also recommend watching Wilson's music video for "Personal Shopper" off The Future Bites.
For some, tomorrow is another Super Bowl Sunday. For me, it's the one-year anniversary of the last time I experienced live music in person.
February 7th, 2020 seems so long ago. It was a cold night in Des Moines, Iowa--as it typically is this time of year (it's currently 3°F as I type this)--but inside the Vaudeville Mews, things were heating up.
Ontario rock duo, The Blue Stones, had taken the stage of the independent venue and were busy melting my winter blues away.
I'd only recently become aware of the Canadian band's music--a hard-hitting blend of alternative blues-rock someplace in the musical ether between guitar/drum acts like the Black Keys and Royal Blood. Hearing their latest single, "Shakin' Off the Rust", I instantly found myself pulled in to their sound.
I'd invited fellow Lonely Noter, Steve, to join me for the show--which was only a week or so into the band's US tour--but he unfortunately found himself under the weather that night, so a coworker joined my wife and me at the last minute.
This was, of course, several weeks before COVID-19 shut down live music as we know it. But on that evening, fans were packed together shoulder to shoulder in the narrow club, singing and cheering (yes, prior to masks) along to songs like, "Rolling With the Punches" and "Black Holes (Solid Ground)". The term Coronavirus had been around in the news for weeks, but we still didn't know just how quickly our world would change.
The Blue Stones, also known as singer-guitarist Tarek Jafar and drummer Justin Tessier, rocketed through a tight set of crunchy, psychedelic guitar riffs and catchy pop hooks. The two didn't waste any time working up a sweat under the lights of the tiny stage.
They used the night to play much of their 2018 album, Black Holes, while teasing several new songs, including "Grim", which hit home that evening with the lyrics, "Am I dreaming or am I awake? 'Cause it's just too good".
After the show, we met the band up on the balcony of the Mews, and both members graciously signed the record I'd just bought on the spot and posed for a photo with us. And then we departed, not realizing that was the last concert we'd see for the rest of the year. A few more shows down the road and the Blue Stones would have to cancel the remainder of their tour.
Fortunately, the band has turned a rotten situation into a productive year. From their impressive Live on Display livestream to the recent news of their sophomore album, Hidden Gems, dropping March 2021, there's been plenty to keep fans listening.
You can listen to their latest single, "Spirit" in the YouTube clip at the bottom of this post.
The Vaudeville Mews has since announced its permanent closure--another victim of a tragic year. Taking to social media, the venue owners bid farewell to the many fans who'd crammed inside its walls for the past 18 years. It was one of the first, and few, local venues where a fledgling band could find a gig--and where you could stumble in to find live music nearly every night of every week.
The Mews hosted everything from folk and indie rock to death metal, and was dedicated to pushing Des Moines' music scene forward.
Bands who'd previously bypassed the city (or state as a whole) began stopping through on treks between Chicago and Denver or Minneapolis and St. Louis. The departure of the Mews is a loss for the local music community as a whole, and it's sadly just one of the thousands of live venues across the country who have suffered this past year.
Of all of the things I've missed over the past year, live music is right at the top of the list. But with vaccines slowly rolling out and warmer weather around the corner, I'm feeling a sense of optimism that a finish line is somewhere off in the distance.
The new normal may not come to a close anytime soon, but someday in the future we are going to stand together in a crowd, and a band will be loudly pouring their hearts out to us, and we will be singing the words right back at them, and it is going to be worth it. And we won't be dreaming.
Of all the music I listened to in 2020, it's probable that no other artist played as frequently as Mayer Hawthorne.
I'd been a casual fan of Hawthorne's retro-soul for a number of years (Steve blogged about him briefly back in 2013), but it wasn't until he began dropping one-off singles last year that I really got hooked.
When the single, "M.O." was released last February, it instantly became a part of my regular rotation, and I found myself combing through his back catalog more than I ever had before, including his previous solo albums and work with his disco-funk duo, Tuxedo.
After "M.O." became my go-to, I realized that Hawthorne had already been teasing new music one song at a time for the prior 6 months. Whether on the Prince-like funk of "Over", or on the sexy Marvin Gaye energy of "Healing", Hawthorne has a gift for putting a modern spin on classic R&B music.
All of the songs have a delightfully nerdy, blue-eyed neo soul vibe, but Hawthorne's falsetto and abilities as a musician and producer sell the authenticity.
During quarantine, Hawthorne began hosting a weekly Thursday night Wine & Vinyl Hour livestream, where he'd pull records from his massive collection to play for fans. His depth of appreciation for classic and obscure music really came through during these livestreams, which also gave some insight into his musical inspirations.
In the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic last summer, Hawthorne released the single, "Rare Changes", which he dedicated "...to the brave people of planet earth who are holding hands and fighting for the rare changes". He acknowledged that the song was written pre-Covid but felt the message became more important than he'd realized at the time.
Fans, including yours truly, were wondering when any of the eight great singles Hawthorne had released online would eventually find their way to a physical medium. In December 2020, 1-1/2 years after first teasing new music, Hawthorne released the Rare Changes LP on CD and vinyl formats.
The album is a collection of 9 tracks, with only the short "Intro" track featuring previously unreleased music. The entire album clocks in at under half an hour, but for those fans who'd waited patiently, it's exactly what we wanted. There's no filler here--every song is fleshed out and feels cohesive as a compilation.
Rare Changes easily ranks as one of my favorite albums of 2020. To order a copy for yourself, visit: www.mayerhawthorne.com
Watch the recently-released video for the title track single, "Rare Changes" below:
The album is a dense mix of samples and original instrumentation, featuring a diverse range of guest performers, from Leon Bridges and MGMT to Tricky and Rivers Cuomo.
The album's 25 tracks are packed to the brim with short interludes and fully-formed cosmic pop songs.
An early standout for me is the song, "Reflecting Light", featuring vocals from Sananda Maitreya--formerly known as '80s hitmaker Terence Trent D'Arby (remember "Wishing Well"?).
The track also samples British folk singer Vashti Bunyan's stunningly delicate 1970 song, "Glow Worms".
"Reflecting Light" is a lush and achingly soulful song, accented by Maitreya's emotional vocal delivery, and interspersed with abrupt whistle stops.
The Avalanches printed an extremely limited run (12 copies) of the single on 7" X-ray film, as a tribute to the "bone records" of the Soviet era--a process where banned records from the western world were cut onto x-ray film and smuggled into the USSR, so as to avoid being caught by customs officials.
The X-ray pressing of "Reflecting Light" showed the dislocated fingers of skateboarding hero Tony Hawk, and Hawk himself gave away a copy for a fundraiser.
Listen to "Reflecting Light" in the YouTube clip below:
To listen to the original Vashti Bunyan song, "Glow Worms", sampled by the Avalanches, Click Here.
Elements of folk, indie-pop and electronica are continually front and center in the group's music, as highlighted in the single, "Ferris Wheel".
Allmusic's James Monger described the album as "...dance music for introverts", which is pretty spot-on. There's something charmingly awkward and genuine in the songs here.
The video for "Ferris Wheel" finds singer-songwriter Amelia Meath at a carnival, dancing in a variety of outfits in front of--you guessed it--a giant ferris wheel. It's a video full of fireworks and glitter and neon and the sweat of summer at the amusement park.
The lyrical content is fairly straightforward, but the coming-of-age nostalgia for simpler times resonates strongly in a year when everything has been anything but simple.
"When I'm slamming in my dancing shoes, Asphalt's hot, and my knees all bruised, It's the summer got a lot to prove, Can't wait to do it can you? (No!)"
Watch the video for Sylvan Esso's "Ferris Wheel" below:
What do you get when you put Prince, Throbbing Gristle and Tim Curry's demonic character from Legend into a blender?
Well, perhaps it would resemble something like this music video from breakout avant-garde pop artist, Yves Tumor?
Tumor's 2020 album, Heaven to a Tortured Mind, has achieved critical acclaim for its genre-bending intensity that's equal parts abstract and commercial.
Album opener, "Gospel for a New Century," comes out swinging with a seductive swagger that's both sexy and dirty--recalling the taboo attraction of early Rock n' Roll.
The song's best summed up by the lyric, "This ain't by design, girl, take it softer, You know I'm out my mind girl, don't make this harder".
As the song's title suggests, Tumor renews the rockstar archetype for the 21st century with a chameleonic persona that's glamorous, vogue, soulful, charismatic, and a bit scary.
Pom Poko is an idiosyncratic outfit hailing from Norway. Their debut album, Birthday, was previously nominated for the Nordic Music Prize and two Norwegian Grammy Awards.
'Like a Lady' is the second track on the band's latest offering, Cheater, which just dropped last week.
Comparisons to fellow Scandinavian rocker Bjork are all too easy, yet unavoidable. Lead singer Ragnhild Jamtveit's vocals are just as loveable and quirky as her Icelandic predecessor, while fused with catchy, grungy guitar that propel 'Like a Lady' into modern indie rock territory.
You can stream 'Like a Lady' in the audio-only player below:
Now, ambient music can be tricky. On the one hand, by its very nature, the genre must blend itself within the world or atmosphere it occupies. On the other, it cannot be so bland that it is dead upon arrival and easily forgotten, even when it is playing (See muzak).
The opening track from Ghosts VI - Locusts, 'Cursed Clock,' is enriching, yearning, pleading, and splendidly layered. No sound or note goes wasted. It is an audial demonstration of the tension between the persistence of time and the human psyche's capacity for monotony, amidst a global pandemic in which the world has come to a halt, while every single day seamlessly melds into the next without demarcation. (Damn that cursed clock!).
You can stream the audio to 'Cursed Clock' by Nine Inch Nails in the video player below:
Deftones' brilliant 2020 album, Ohms, was easily one of my favorite albums of the year--and likely my favorite from the band in the 20 years since 2000's White Pony (which also received an anniversary re-release and remix album, Black Stallion, this year)
The past year, despite a global pandemic, has proved to be a productive one for singer Chino Moreno.
Moreno's synthy side project with Far's Shaun Lopez, ††† (Crosses), just released their latest single, "The Beginning of the End" last week.
The track marks the first single since †††'s self-titled 2014 LP. The group's sound has always leaned more towards dreamy downbeats and melody than either of the two artists' respective Alt-Metal bands. This should come as no surprise to anyone who's followed Moreno's long career, as he's always worn his '80s influences on his sleeve: The Cure, Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, Duran Duran, etc...
As such, it also shouldn't be too shocking that the new single isn't an original tune, but a true-to-form cover of a 1992 electropop tune by Cause and Effect.
You can stream "Beginning of the End" below:
While Chino's side projects have always caught my attention, I'll admit that I was not expecting the latest solo album from former Dillinger Escape Plan frontman, Greg Puciato.
Dillinger earned a reputation through their relentless barrage of technically precise hardcore metal and wildly intense stage performances. Frontman Puciato has been known to breathe fire, bleed from his head and destroy equipment onstage during the band's crazy live shows that have developed a legendary status.
Puciato has also proved to have had an incredibly prolific year.
His "other band", metal supergroup Killer Be Killed includes Soulfly/Sepultura's Max Cavalera, Mastadon's Troy Sanders, and Converge's Ben Koller. Killer Be Killed released their aggressive new album, Reluctant Hero, in 2020--which is also recommended listening if you're looking for something heavy.
When my metalhead friend, Brad, recently recommended I check out Puciato's new 2020 solo album, Child Soldier: Creator of God, I was quite surprised to find an album packed with melodic electronic rock.
Child Soldier finds Puciato stretching his wings and blending genres throughout its 15 tracks. On standout songs like, "Temporary Object" and "A Pair of Questions", Puciato's Dillinger roots are nowhere to be found, swapped out for catchy synthpop and darkwave influences.
On "Evacuation", Puciato mixes melodic singing with snarls and screams for a heavy industrial rock mix that feels like it could have been written by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor.
In a lesser artist's hands, this drastic shift in musical styles could be a huge flop, and alienate longtime fans, but Puciato's earnest approach feels sincere in his influences and successfully comes off as an engaging and collected experience--in the same vein of the aforementioned †††.
I've since gone backwards and become more familiar with Puciato's other project, The Black Queen, which is also much more in the synth-rock vein, and worth visiting if you enjoy his solo album.
As a fan of both New Wave and Metal, I'm all for more experimental crossover albums from the metal community. If you are, too, I'd highly recommend taking both Chino Moreno and Greg Puciato's side projects for a spin.
Watch the live video for Greg Puciato's "Evacuation" below:
The mid-90s (AKA: my formative years) was a time period ripe with angst and unapologetically flooded with alt-rock bands. It was a strange time--sandwiched between Grunge and Nu-Metal--where a diverse range of sounds were all competing to be the next big thing.
My local alternative station, 107.5 ("The Dot"), was always the place I'd turn my radio dial for the latest music. Not all of it was up my alley, or even destined for greatness, but the station wasn't afraid to play some weird stuff, which really opened my ears to a whole new world of music.
Seemingly overnight, the station switched formats, and those of us tuning in to hear the latest from Veruca Salt or Harvey Danger, were instead met unexpectedly with new bubblegum Pop artists like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. It was truly the end of an era, though it didn't stop my affinity for Rock.
Here's a 107dot5 Spotify playlist I've pieced together from memory in remembrance of the station.
Of course, as I've often pointed out in my blog posts, a lot of great bands still flew under the radar, and I love rediscovering bands I missed the first time around.
Another such band was Kilkenny, Ireland's Kerbdog.
Formed in 1991, Kerbdog merged elements of alternative/college rock and metal for a sound that was both edgy and melodic.
While stateside radio stations were obsessing over The Cranberries, fellow Irish bands like Kerbdog and Therapy? were busy cranking out the riffs.
Kerbdog was pursued by at least 22 labels, and was signed to Mercury records in 1993.
Kerbdog's sophomore album, On The Turn, was released in 1997 and featured the singles "Sally", "JJ's Song", and "Mexican Wave". Unfortunately, the singles failed to catch a mainstream audience, and the band was shifted around during record company buyouts before being dropped entirely. About a year later, without a label, the band split up.
Two of the members would go on to form a new group, Wilt, for several years. Kerbdog has since reformed for various one-off performances over the past two decades, although they have not released any new albums.
On The Turn's enduring cult status has been heralded as influential by such bands as Scotland's Biffy Clyro, but is still largely under-appreciated and worth a listen.
Watch the videos for Kerbdog's singles, "Sally" below:
For those who appreciate Joni Mitchell, 'Wild Time' by Weyes Blood (a.k.a. Natalie Mering) may be right up their alley. Equal parts chamber pop and folk, the track's sirenesque vocals surreptitiously lull the listener into spurious bliss. Yet its choral hook all too quickly reminds the listener of the tragedy and chaos 2020 wrought.
Although 'Wild Time' was released on Sub Pop Records by way of Mering's Titantic Rising in 2019 (a full year before COVID-19 had infected its first human host, and America's original sin of racism was confirmed to have never truly been exorcised from the nation ala the death of George Floyd), the song's lyrics and foreboding spirit could not have been more prophetic or representative of the current milieu:
"Living in the rising tide
Our light, a feeling that's moving
Runnin' on a million people burnin'
Don't cry, it's a wild time to be alive
It already happened
Nothing you want to change more
Heaven found and the lights went down
Everyone's broken now and no one knows just how
We could have all gotten so far from truth"
You can play the enchanting 'Wild Time' in the video player below. (Note: The video may be NSFW due to some scenes depicting artistic nudity).
Recently, I received a delightfully-unexpected early Christmas present from my Lonely Note comrade, Steve -- the 25th anniversary double-vinyl edition of the Singles Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
For anyone uninitiated, the Cameron Crowe-directed Singles and its accompanying soundtrack are legendary in the unfolding success story of the Seattle Grunge scene of the early '90s. It's one of the era's greatest movie soundtracks and still stands as an important document of American music history. It was the right soundtrack at the right time.
This review from Pitchfork covers a lot of ground in explaining the interconnectivity and rise of the local music scene in Seattle during that time period.
Bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains all were prominently featured on the soundtrack right at the time when Nirvana's star was skyrocketing and Grunge was catching national attention.
Of course, for every major commercial success story, there are plenty of other great bands that unfortunately slip through the cracks and don't get the attention they desrve.
Truly was formed in 1990 by singer-guitarist Robert Roth, who had recently auditioned to be the 2nd guitarist in Nirvana (who decided to remain a trio) after the dissolution of his previous band, Storybook Krooks.
Roth was joined by Mark Pickerel, a founding member of Screaming Trees, and by Hiro Yamamoto, the original bassist for Soundgarden.
In 1991, the "supergroup" released their debut EP, Heart and Lungs, under the renowned Sub Pop label. The title track was featured in the movie Singles, but unfortunately didn't make the cut on the official soundtrack release. However, the 25th anniversary vinyl release does include a bonus CD chock-full of previously unreleased recordings from the movie, including "Heart and Lungs".
In 1993, as major labels were attempting to swoop up as many Seattle bands as possible, Truly was signed to Capitol Records. Their full-length album, Fast Stories...From Kid Coma, was released to positive reviews in 1995, but failed to catch on like some of the band's contemporaries of the time.
AllMusic gave the album 4.5/5 stars, calling it a loosely-based concept album, with songs that "...further the swirling, psychedelic sound present on the group's early Sub Pop EPs, but show an even more refined sense of songwriting and arranging."
Right out of the gate, the album's opener--"Blue Flame Ford"--comes out swinging, with a deep chugging riff and wall of psychedelia, met with Roth's menacing-but-melodic vocals. The song sets a tone for the rest of the album, which twists and turns in dense swirling layers of edgy rock that demand repeat listens.
Discouraged by the lack of support from Capitol, Truly departed back to an independent label, Thick Records, who released their follow-up album, Feeling You Up in 1997.
Although Truly stayed true to themselves and have continued to work together off and on for over two decades, they never quite found the mainstream or reached as wide of an audience as some of their Seattle brethren--which is truly a shame based on the quality of the band's songwriting.
Below, stream Fast Stories...From Kid Coma, the band's critically acclaimed debut, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2020.
If you're a fan of early 90s Alternative and Grunge, I highly recommend you download the full album from Truly's Bandcamp page, which also says to look for a remastered double-gatefold vinyl edition in the near future!
If 2020 was a person, it would've been named "Year Least Likely for a Dance Club Banger" in your high school yearbook.
This year, COVID-19 actively halted large gatherings, concerts, and--understandably--sweaty nightclub dalliances.
However, that didn't stop Dua Lipa from putting out one of the year's most (dare I use the term) infectious pop albums with Future Nostalgia.
Even the album's title nails the mood of 2020--remember back when we could just pack a bunch of random people into to a tiny room and dance it out, breathing in one another's oxygen without a care in the world? Who knew how much we'd take that for granted.
Lipa's major singles, like "Physical," have been blowing up the charts, even if her chants of "C'mon, let's get physical" seem weirdly out of place when you're manically bouncing around your bedroom by yourself. But, it's that innate human desire for personal connection that's still striving to break out from the confines of your socially-distanced lifestyle. So, in many ways, it's just the kind of album we needed.
Admittedly, I'm a fan. Sure, I'd say I most typically gravitate towards the Rock genre, but I've always had a soft spot for a catchy Pop song. That's why if you saw my Year Wrapped list on Spotify, you'd see Dua Lipa holding her own right up there with the new Deftones album.
Upon my first full listen to Future Nostalgia a while back, I instantly picked up on a familiar sample from my youth in her song, "Love Again".
I paused the song and thought to myself, "Wait. Is that White Town?"
That's right, White Town. Talk about some nostalgia... Dua Lipa had me going all Marty McFly back to the year 1997 when my little sister owned the album Women in Technology based solely on the success of the one-hit-wonder, "Your Woman". It's safe to say I've heard that song a few times, so I'd recognize that little trumpety sample anywhere. But, what I didn't recognize was the rich history of its use, until I went down the proverbial rabbit hole.
According to WhoSampled.com, the Dua Lipa song does in fact owe a nod back to White Town, but that signature loop actually dates all the way back to a 1932 big band rendition of Bing Crosby's "My Woman," as performed by Lew Stone & the Monseigneur Band feat. Al Bowlly.
Right off the bat, you can notice the familiar sample, which was originally performed by trumpeter Nat Gonella on the 1932 recording. Do you think Gonella would've imagined a bunch of millennials going nuts over his trumpeting in 2020?
After being picked up and repopularized by White Town nearly 65 years later, that memorable trumpet sample has continued to find an audience.
Just 3 years ago, it found its way into another dance anthem, "Fight Back with Love Tonight" by German electronica duo, Kush Kush.
Perhaps the Kush Kush sample more directly influenced Dua Lipa than White Town? After all, Lipa was only 2 years-old when White Town hit the charts (which subsequently makes me feel really old). Or, who knows, maybe Lipa is a closet Big Band aficionado...?
No matter the case, I always enjoy hearing a familiar sample and tracing it back to its roots. After all, passing along a song's rich history to a new generation is one of the true beauties of music. In fact, when taking something old and making it new, one could even argue the result brings about a certain... Future Nostalgia.
In a similar vein, I am here to present another, quite possibly, eccentric hypothesis.
Has anybody else noticed how the choruses of Mariah Carey's 'Can't Let Go,' and Mandy Moore's 'Walk Me Home' sound nearly identical? Take a listen to the chorus of Mariah's song at the 1:04 mark in her video; then, listen to the chorus of Mandy's song at the 1:12 mark in her video. Although the tempos and tones of the two songs are distinct, the remaining similarities to my ear are uncanny.
Now, I have done some amateur sleuthing on the internet to see if anyone else shares this view, including other blogs and forums, and apparently I am on my own island with this theory. Is there anybody else out there who agrees with me?
Check out the potential similarities for yourself by streaming the respective music videos in the players below:
Funneling the feel-good sounds of Sixpence None the Richer with the much more secular alt-rock affections of Letters to Cleo, Ratboys have created a heck of a bop with their single, 'Alien with a Sleep Mask On.' I can easily imagine early-nineties Liz Phair taking a crack at this one back in her indie heyday.
Ratboys claim Chicago as their homebase. They have been on the scene since 2012, when Swerp Records released their debut EP. The band has evolved throughout the years, originally starting out as an acoustic outfit, while incrementally adding electric distortion and fuzz to subsequent productions.
You can listen to 'Alien with a Sleep Mask On,' the opening track from 2020's Printer's Devil, in the YouTube player below:
Hotels has been described as New Wave Noir. 'Sides' by the Seattle band is consistent with that description: It is dark and mystical and strangely gorgeous.
Heart throbbing bass leads off the track, whereby it ushers in haunting synthesizer. The song's structure is a slow burn, plodding toward a worthy climax at the end of the composition. The real payoff, however, is the sublime vocals of lead singer Adra Boo. Her voice is just perfect: candid, plaintive, soulful, and fervent.
Adra Boo has been a fixture of Seattle's music scene for some time now. She was previously in Fly Moon Royalty, an electro-funk outfit. She has also performed solo works and as a featured singer for several notable artists. More information about this incredible vocalist can be found here.
A YouTube stream of 'Sides' can be found in the player below. Additionally, a video of her recent KEXP performance is featured below as well.
Additionally, a Spotify link to some of Hotels' latest work can be found here.
