Altair Native Music Blog

aspiring music journalist based in Portland, OR. welcome to my first blog!

[altair-native]

Happy New Year From Altair Native!

Hey everyone! I’m still just starting out, but I wanted to thank the few people that have been checking out my blog. My goal with this is to practice my writing and share and discover lots and lots of music. I’m working towards becoming a professional music journalist someday, and I figured making a blog is the first step towards that!

Along with writing about music, I also am a musician myself! I’ve been teaching myself how to produce, mainly making chill ambient/lo-fi tracks. I had taken a break for most of 2020, but my hope for 2021 is to get back into it, and I’ve started by releasing a 3 song EP on Soundcloud called “out of water”! It would be awesome if you guys could check it out and tell me what you think :)

I’ve got plenty of ideas for new posts, and I’m currently working on my list of my top 10 albums of 2020, which should be up in a couple days ;)

Happy New Year! Here’s to 2021 being (hopefully) better than the last!

[altair-native]

just found out about this song by a new artist called “bedfashion”. definitely worth checking out!!

[altair-native]

MILKK Return With Bold New Album “MYCO”

It’s been a wild ride for indie pop trio MILKK since they released their debut single “Pacific Kiss” back in 2017. They managed to quickly grow a fanbase online even before putting out any music, and since then have been putting out music at a steady pace and continuing to grow. Now a few years later they’re back with their second full-length album MYCO.

Something I’ve always loved about MILKK is how wide of a range they have in terms of different styles of music they try, and MYCO is definitely a great example of that. They’ve never been afraid of going out of their comfort zone and trying something new and seeing if it sticks. My first initial reaction to the album was that it felt very different from their 2019 album HEADRUSH, and while I really enjoyed that record, I feel like that different vibe is what makes MYCO so special.

The first track on the album “NOVA” kicks the album off perfectly, and really shows that the band is willing to go weird and big. Right away, the themes of the album become clear. MYCO is a story (described by singer and producer Pat Kiloran as an “opera”) that delves into the idea of fame and whether it’s really worth giving up the things and people you care about. That theme pops up multiple times throughout the record and is talked about from multiple different perspectives and from the point of view of multiple “characters”.

“stuck” is easily one of my favorite songs on the album and immediately drew me in with how catchy it is. In comparison to the rest of the album it feels a bit tame, but it really feels to me like MILKK at their best, and reminds me a lot of their 2018 EP If You’re Reading This, I Love You. “watch me” is another song that really grew on me the more I listened to it, and is one of a couple songs that have references to songs from HEADRUSH, which veteran MILKK fans will really appreciate.

Before starting to write new music both for this album and their most recent EP God Loves You & So Do I, Kiloran joked that their second album would be a “trap album”. And while not all of the songs are trap-influenced, there definitely are a few and most of them I really like, despite not being a huge fan of trap music. Songs like “lemon lime” especially draw me in because of the lyrics and the delivery of the vocals. I can see that one becoming a huge hit in the near future, especially if TikTok users hear it. “lambo” is another interesting song because of the way it suddenly transitions in the middle of it. That was an unexpected move, but in my opinion gives the song a little more character. Some people, however, might not like the sudden change.

The band aren’t afraid to slow things down, though. There are multiple “ballad” type songs on this album, and one of the standouts for me is definitely “christine”. This is the song that has been around the longest, with Kiloran having actually posted a link to the demo a while back. It was a song that I personally really loved even in its early stage, but hearing the finished version for the first time blew me away. The strings that were added to the bridge really make it feel full, and the lyrics really tug at your heartstrings. “83″ and “ELO” are also beautiful, the latter of which has a huge focus on autotune which is used throughout the album. Some people may see it as over the top, which I can agree with to an extent, but I definitely feel like there are moments where it really does fit.

The few singles that were released before the album all did a good job of showing off the different sounds on the record, but I feel like the final single released before the album “skydiving” is what really sold me. That song is another example of MILKK at their best. Lyrically I think it’s one of their best, and I really love the final verse especially. The way Pat puts more emotion into his voice really gives that song an extra edge and puts it high on my list of favorites in their discography.

The album ends with the song “lights go out” which in my opinion was the perfect way to wrap everything up. It blends all sorts of different elements and ends it perfectly with a breakdown towards the end where all 3 members of the band get to really shine. That’s probably the biggest thing I feel is missing from a lot of MILKK’s music: it doesn’t always feel like a band. That does, however, make moments like this feel more special and is why I feel it’s a perfect ending. I would love to see them explore this kind of sound more and incorporate all of the individual members more in the future.

Overall, I think MYCO is a really solid album. It’s still a little hard to compare it to their previous album, but I can say for sure that I like it much better than their last EP. I think this is a step in the right direction both for sound, and for the band’s overall success, and I’d love to see them branch out more in the future and have more songs that feel like a full band. Fans of MILKK will definitely love it, and I have a feeling this will also open up a lot of opportunities for more people to discover their music. I’m very excited for what’s to come and for watching MILKK grow even more.

Rating: 8/10

[altair-native]

my power has been out since sunday, so i haven’t been able to write my review of the new MILKK album, but in the meantime i put out a new ambient track on soundcloud for y’all to check out!! :)

[altair-native]

Dayglow has a new song coming out tomorrow, so I figured I’d share this video because this performance was incredible!

[never-ending-odyssey]

parents: fuck you, my child is fine!

their child, listening to i of the storm by of monsters and men:

[altair-native]

My Top 10 Albums of 2020

Now that the longest and craziest year in history is finally over, I figured now would be a good time to reflect and look back at some positive things from 2020. Despite concerts and tours being cancelled, and many bands and artists postponing albums due to not being able to promote them, there was a lot of really fantastic music released this year. Here are some of my favorites!

Honorable Mention: Money Money 2020 Part II by The Network

Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool (plus some friends) brought back an old side project from 2003 this year called The Network. This album is a follow up to their debut album Money Money 2020, and was a huge surprise. I wasn’t sure where to put it on my top 10 list, but I still wanted to talk about it because it ended up being much better than the actual Green Day record we got this year. They experiment with lots of different sounds on this album, and while some of them are definitely meant to be satire, there are some seriously great songs on here that give me hope that future Green Day albums could be much better.

Favorite Song: Fentanyl

Now, on to the top 10:

#10 Last Room by waveform*

The first of many surprise additions to the list, Last Room is a really great album stocked full of songs that are all pretty short, but each stands out on its own. waveform* is really good at making songs that capture the listener’s attention. This is definitely a band that I want to hear more of, and I’m excited to dive deeper into their discography this year! 

Favorite Song: Miner’s Lullaby

   #9 Petals For Armor by Hayley Williams

After years of being in Paramore, Hayley Williams has finally released her first solo album! Paramore’s 2017 album After Laughter experimented with lots of different sounds, and was also a very personal record lyrically, so it’s no surprise that Hayley took a similar approach here. These songs are a way for her to open up about her life and branch out more and she succeeds on this record. Even if you’re not a fan of Paramore I highly recommend checking this one out.

Favorite Song: Why We Ever

   #8 Some Still Morning by Handsome Ghost

I’ve already talked a bit about this album (it was even my first review on this blog!) but I feel like the more I’ve listened to it, the more I’ve started to love the songs that first stuck out to me. I still feel like some of the songs sound a bit too similar, but when the duo branch out and try new things on this record, it’s some of their best work.

Favorite Song: Christmas In Jersey

   #7 Healer by Grouplove

Something that has always been true about Grouplove’s music is that it is insanely catchy, and this holds true with their newest record Healer. I’ve liked a lot of their music before, but for some reason this album connected with me on a way that their other music hasn’t. I feel like this album came out at the perfect time for me, because it has a lot of themes about growing up and dealing with the crazy world we live in. If you’ve never listened to Grouplove and want to check them out, I think that Healer is definitely a good starting place.

Favorite Song: Hail to the Queen

   #6 Folklore by Taylor Swift 

I’ve had a history of really disliking Taylor Swift’s music, especially her earlier albums. I guess for those it was due to overexposure, but with some of her more recent albums (especially 2013′s Red) I actually found there were certain songs I actually liked. Her albums as a whole, however, have always felt bogged down by their singles which often don’t sound like they fit with the rest of the album. When I heard she had announced an album coming out that night, I was very curious. After listening to it, Folklore fixed every issue I’ve had with her previous albums, and I love how she’s shifted her lyrics to focus on telling stories. I didn’t expect a Taylor Swift album to end up on my top 10 list for any year, but 2020 was definitely full of surprises!

Favorite Song: Seven

  #5 Possession by Joywave

I had discovered Joywave one day on YouTube by accident, and immediately wanted to hear more from them. Their songs are always so unique and creative, and after seeing them open up for Bastille in October 2019, I got really excited for their third album. They have incredible energy on stage, and that energy is reflected perfectly in their music, especially on this album. It was one of my most anticipated records of 2020, and it seriously lived up to the hype.

Favorite Song: Half Your Age

   #4 Figure by Into It. Over It

Yet another accidental discovery, Figure blew me away the first time I listened to it. I was immediately drawn in from the first track, and each song delivers something truly special. I had to listen to this album all the way through multiple times to really take it all in. I planned on doing a full review of it here, but felt I needed to look into the lyrics and the meanings behind the songs a little more to fully understand it. Now, Into It. Over It has been on repeat for a good chunk of the past couple months.  Evan Thomas Weiss is an incredible songwriter and really talented musician, and I seriously recommend checking out his music.

Favorite Song: Brushstrokes

   #3 Leave What’s Lost Behind by Colony House

Colony House are a band that I discovered a few years ago, and their first two albums quickly became favorites of mine.Their intriguing instrumentals along with Caleb Chapman’s powerful vocals make their music really fun to listen to, and like Joywave they put on a fantastic show even when they’re just the opening act. I had been looking forward to the follow up to 2017′s Only The Lonely, and this record definitely lived up to my expectations, even if I prefer the latter album a little more. There are definitely some incredible songs here, a few of which are among the best in Colony House’s discography.

Favorite Song: The Hope Inside

#2 Zeros by Declan McKenna

For whatever reason, I didn’t listen to this album when it first came out, but when I did eventually get around to listening to it I fell in love. Declan McKenna has always been a really great songwriter, but this album in particular shows just how talented the 22 year old singer is. Blending sounds from different eras of rock along with some more modern production, Zeros is an absolute masterpiece of an album.

Favorite Song: Twice Your Size

   #1 Dreamland by COIN

Even though Zeros got really close to taking the number one spot, my personal favorite of the year is still COIN’s third album Dreamland (not to be confused with the Glass Animals album of the same name also from 2020). COIN is a band that just keeps on getting better, and even after losing a member back in 2018, they’ve still managed to grow and improve their sound. Dreamland takes everything I’ve loved about COIN’s music and adds to it. If you haven’t listened to this album and are a fan of indie pop bands like Flor, Smallpools and Young the Giant, then you should definitely give this album a listen!

Favorite Song: Nobody’s Baby

   Thank you for checking out my list of my favorite albums from this past year! I’d love to know what you guys think and if we have any of the same albums on our list :)

[heedra]

sometimes a song overall is mediocre but theres like one brief portion of it that u wish you could steal with the photoshop eyedropper tool and expand into a full song of its own

[feral-flower-child]

I didn’t realize other people felt this specific mood

[sweetgrassbraids-deactivated202]

Justice At Spotify - Union of Musicians and Allied Workers — UMAW

Spotify is growing in value, yet music workers everywhere see little more than pennies in compensation for the work they make. With the entire live music ecosystem in jeopardy due to the coronavirus pandemic, music workers are more reliant on streaming income than ever. We are calling on Spotify to

Hello everyone! As a musician (Ground Sloth Orchestra) with majority of streams from Spotify I highly support the Union of Musicians.

Our demands: - Pay us at least one cent per stream - Adopt a user-centric payment model - Make all closed-door contracts public - Reveal existing payola, then end it altogether - Credit all labor in recordings - End legal battles intended to further impoverish artists

Please sign if you’re in the music industry + share with allies and fellow musicians. 

[altair-native]

This is super important!! I’ve done research about how Spotify pays their artists, and it’s mind-blowing how much things need to change.

[altair-native]

Cavetown Feat. Miloe “Let Me Feel Low” Review

Bedroom pop artist and youtuber Cavetown (AKA Robin Skinner) has been on a winning streak the past few months. He dropped his fourth studio album Sleepyhead back in March, and has been occasionally releasing singles since then as well. His newest song Let Me Feel Low is, in my opinion, one of the best songs he’s made since his 2018 album Lemon Boy.

The song starts out with just acoustic guitar, and slowly builds on itself and it sounds fantastic. Robbie’s production has gotten better and better since he started making music back in 2013, and this song is a perfect example of that. There are also some synths in the background right before the drums start that really makes the song sound like a lot of Cavetown’s earlier work. The drum samples used in the song also sound really nice, and once they come in along with the bass, the song starts to really take form. 

There’s been comparisons made from this song to his previous single Sharpener which was about harmful coping mechanisms. Let Me Feel Low, however, is about learning to live with your negative thoughts, and remember that those feelings pass. Lyrically it’s very powerful and is probably something that many people can relate to. 

The song also features another independent artist Miloe, who does backing vocals and has his own verse, which fits with the song perfectly. His voice blends really well with Robbie’s and he adds an extra layer to the song that just makes it feel unique and stand out among the rest of Cavetown’s discography.

Overall, the song is really great. It captures that sound and has strong lyrics that Cavetown is most known for, yet it also seems unique and different at the same time. It’s really cool seeing Robin’s production improve, and it makes me excited for what else is to come from him, and it also makes me want to look more into Miloe’s discography as well.

Rating: 9/10

[ifitsbeaches-blog]

Music always helps get me through tough times. It helps organize my thoughts.

Sitting alone, listening to music helps more than drugs will ever do.

[altair-native]

Handsome Ghost Return with Mellow New Album “Some Still Morning”

The indie pop band Handsome Ghost are back with the follow-up to their debut album “Welcome Back”. The duo from Boston consists of Eddie Byun and singer Tim Noyes. What started out as Noyes’ solo synthpop project turned into something so much more, with “Welcome Back” gaining a bit of traction. Now after some time off from touring they’ve decided to make a return to the music world with their sophomore record “Some Still Morning”.

While “Welcome Back” had a heavy focus on percussion and catchy synth melodies, Handsome Ghost have taken a step back to focus more on a minimal approach to their second album. After releasing the first single “Massachusetts” it was obvious their sound had changed from the synthpop style that fans are used to, instead it focused more on acoustic guitar and very little drums.

This sound is prevalent throughout the record, which starts with the track “Funeral” which was another single released before the album. Immediately it sets the tone for the album both sonically and lyrically, with it talking about a failing relationship. 

After “Funeral” and “Massachusetts” is yet another single called “Weeds” which was probably my least favorite of the songs released before the album. There’s not a lot going on in this track in terms of the instrumentals, and putting it after the first two songs starts to make the album drag a little and shows the problem that the singles had: they started to sound too similar to each other. Focusing heavily on acoustic guitar and not having much else in the mix starts to get old, even if it does blend well with Noyes’ vocals, which are a highlight of almost every song on this album.

Thankfully the issue of songs sounding too much like each other is solved on the next song “Christmas In Jersey” which is the first non-single, and is my personal favorite on the entire record. This is the first time that we get to hear a focus on electric guitar and it fits the song very well. Like many of Handsome Ghost’s lyrics the song is very emotional and focuses a lot on relationships. For fans of the older Handsome Ghost sound, this is one that is more like that, even with the lack of drums. The melody in the verses is very reminiscent of their early work from before “Welcome Back”.

The album continues to pick up with the next two songs, “Fifteen Countries” and “Vampires”, the first of which has some really fantastic lyrics. One line that really stands out to me is “that fires they burn brightest in the moments just before they burn out”. This is one of the songs where the minimal drums actually work really well and suit the song very well. The use of electric guitar along with acoustic also adds an extra element that makes the song stand out. 

Other tracks that work really well are “Nightmare” and “Weekend Crowd”. I love the way that “Nightmare” builds on itself, adding piano in the chorus and eventually drums to make a song that in the end sounds very different from what it started out as. I also really love the line in the bridge that gets repeated in the background of the final chorus (“say you’re losing yourself, I think it’s suiting you well). Finally, “Weekend Crowd” includes synths that bring back that classic Handsome Ghost sound, even if the track is very minimal overall. 

The album ends with the third single “Sunday Best” which to me seems like an odd choice. The closing track should be able to wrap up a full-length album but this one just ends very abruptly and kind of doesn’t really fit as a final song, which for me kind of hurts the album a little overall. I think it would have been smart to rearrange the track list a bit to both make it flow better (so it doesn’t start sounding boring within the first 3 songs) and to give it a proper ending. In my opinion, “Nightmare” would be a better choice for the closing track because of the way it builds on itself and has a really strong outro.

Overall, while I don’t think “Some Still Morning” is as good as their debut, it’s obvious that Handsome Ghost still have a lot of potential. There are some tracks on here that are some of their best songs to date (I’m thinking specifically of “Christmas In Jersey”) and while the track list as a whole doesn’t always flow very well, it’s still a pretty solid record overall. I’d love to see the band explore this more acoustic sound further, and maybe adding more percussion, similar to how their earlier songs were made, to make certain songs sound more unique.

Rating: 7.5/10

[altair-native]

COIN Makes A Surprise Comeback With New Single “You Are The Traffic”

It’s been a big year for Nashville-based indie pop band COIN. After releasing their highly-anticipated third album “Dreamland” in February and having to postpone a tour due to COVID-19, they’re already back with a new single titled “You Are The Traffic”.

After a few days of teasing on their social media, the band quickly dropped the song along with a music video. It was produced by singer and frontman Chase Lawrence, along with Micah Tawlks who helped produce multiple songs on “Dreamland”.

“You Are The Traffic” feels both familiar, and like a step in a new direction for the band at the same time. Lyrically it feels very reminiscent of the themes and emotions brought up in the band’s previous work, especially songs like “Let It All Out (10:05)” and “Malibu 1992″,the latter of which is from their 2017 album “How Will You Know If You Never Try”. The key difference in this new song, though, is the focus on electric guitar, especially in the choruses as well as a solo during the bridge. Overall, the song seems to take influences from early Coldplay both in the lyrics and the instrumentation, and a mix of The 1975, with some trumpet samples and synth melodies fluttering through the background of the second verse.

The chorus ends with the line “there’s no me without you” which immediately stood out to me. One thing I’ve always loved about Lawrence’s writing is how simple it is, yet his vocals always manage to convey the emotion of the song really well, and make the listener reflect.

Whether this is just a one-off single or a taste of another upcoming record, I think this is a step in the right direction for the trio. They managed to include minor changes in their sound but still keep the energy and emotion that makes them stand out.

Rating: 8/10