welcome to my mind. yes, there's always a song stuck here.
this is a safe space to analyze, re-analyze, and ultimately overanalyze my record collection. also a spot to wax poetic prose regarding the music that's mattered in my life.
Curious indeed was I. How could this man mix music freshly sung from a mountaintop with music freshly exported from something like ableton or FL Studio and create a solid vibe? Don't know, but HE DID.
I love every beat of this volume.
Listen along with me here. Playlist also available on Spotify.
first impressions...
Artwork is as sweet as it is trippy. Mirrors my college experience in New York's Adirondack Mountains. Hair flowing long, I practically embodied Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country".
I admired all things rugged natural, Including the fine, flannel-clad young men dragging from their American Spirits outside my window, their backs hunched from their oversized camping packs. True old-timey mountain-men focusing on expeditionary studies, fresh home from adventures in the wilderness. I befriended many, trusted few, and dare I admit it, deeply loved one.
I'm hoping for a nostalgic dip in the lake of time. It has been ... nearly ten years ... since my diploma arrived in the mail.
Stoked for needle drop.
Volume 101 Listening Log
A1: This intro could be looped for 10 hours, and I’d be there listening. Hand percussion and the slide guitar melody coming in, and I feel like I can just breathe easier. This soundscape has me feeling like I am either in the Adirondacks or maybe the Smokies breathing in fresh mountain air. Maybe I’m in a creek hidden in a forest. I’m a wood nymph. Vibing to this song is as close to meditating as I can get nowadays. Refreshing. Wow.
A2: Diffused Drums are a strong lead from where we started. They keep a groove with slower guitar and bass. Smooth folk vocals. Obsessed. Layers are layering. More of a groove going now with additional perc sounds and guitar arps. Then they all fade for a semi-solo vocal ending. Damn. Brandon is releasing his smooth operating mother-folkng soul. I’m in heaven here. 6/8 compound time heaven. (Still a wood nymph, btw)
A3: softer acoustic for the intro. We’re veering a bit away from straight folk. This has a punchier bass line, slightly more prominent kit. Minimalist with some shimmering guitar accents and cello trill-ish accents. Love the slight effects on the vocals. The instrumental breaks are light and wavy. Ends how it began.
A4: right in on this one. This feels more traditional. Like a soft flannel you bring camping. I can smell the smoke. Reverb on the typical folk instruments and a piano/organ style filler. Super full sound. Full heart, too.
A5: electronic soundscape. Lo-fi. Pads on pads on pads of atmosphere lead to an unexpected sonic plane for this album. No more ponchos waving about with the windows down. We are not acoustic from the garden, resting our darkened soles. This is slick production. Super relaxing. Usually my type. Drenched in verb, little flute accents. Amazingly well written. Does it throw off the vibe we've had for four other songs? Yeah. Do I love it for maybe a different time? Absolutely.
B1. The folk band has exited stage left. We are in beat territory. Still believe it's cohesive, especially after being led by A5. Percs are at a mid-speed shuffle. Piano trills are all over the place. It's a good representation of an evening walk in the burbs. Early spring, sweet sunset. My brain is wandering off anywhere it wants, or I'm over focused on the new foliage trying to sprout.
B2. We’re thumping. Dull thumping. Like The kick is covered in cloth. The lyrics are super interesting. Little dichotomy here. She's leaving the rural area to hide in the city. Lyrics are giving natural descriptions, and the music is giving slick city vibes. Vocals sounding a little like Elle Goulding. Minimalist electronic accompaniment. Some acoustic trills. Nice blend of opposites.
B3: jangly guitar as the backbone along with one simple hand perc rhythm. Slow and entrancing vocalists with nice synth-string accents. A male-female duet exploring comfort in each other’s arms. Instrumental break with the guitar and one perc item, adding a shaker. A groove. Ends with the jangly guitar. Nice. This volume is very gentle or very smooth. The jangly vibe is a great addition.
B4: Super smooooooooooth bass and hurried beep boop perc that almost sounds like crickets. Okay, then. Holy wow the synths that cover and fill are gorgeous. Arpeggios actually keep the balance between smooth filler and some slower kit work. It’s giving ‘Stardew Valley’ at nighttime vibes. Wish it wasn't so short.
B5: THICCCCCCCCCCC wall of sound. Smooth as fuck bass and chordals. Verb drenched choruses. Smart to drop out for verses. Just a crisp kit and vocals.
B6: Vocal focused. Verry minimal accompaniment here. Little weird, when female vocals enter the guitar follows each syllable. This is kinda funky territory. The verb that intensifies on the vocalists sounds like they are on a cloud. Diffused organ layers. This song has grown so much from the intro, and has totally grown on me. THE WEIRD TRIPPY ENDING THOUGH.
B7: Super thiccc wall of sound again. Love it. Like squeezing toothpaste. Then the guitar comes in and waves at the distant folk vibes from A side. Smart choices.
SUMMARY
This volume marries two genres that I love independently, and it remains COHESIVE. It will be spinning often, especially when the leaves get crisp. It's a top tier Vinyl Moon release for me.
POTENTIAL CONS
This volume thrives in its inclusion of folk elements. If you cannot tolerate a little twang here and there, or you are an avid hater of anything that sounds remotely "country", this album may not be your favorite.
This volume required more strength to digest than I imagined it would, but by the end the pros outweighed the cons.
Listen along with me here. Playlist is also on Spotify.
Let's get into first impressions.
Did I over-hpye this volume before it hit my turntable? Perhaps. I blame a simple premise: KOI BIAS.
The album art truly hooked me in on this one.
I grew up watching my parents' 20 gallon fish tank. I raised Betta in college. I was mildly dismayed wen my husband announced my dreams of aqua-scaping the apartment were officially cancelled when we adopted our cat-not-catfish.
Stereotypically, I worked at an aquarium. One that was home to 90 koi in an interactive exhibit. My employment ended; my visits to pet and feed my babies have not.
Koi pond album was definitely a catch of the month from the sheer looks of it.
VM 97 Listening Log
A1: TRIPPY CELLO INTRO. THIS WILL BE SUCH A DOPE VOLUME. Love the Vocal Timbres. LOVE IT ALL 10/10.
A2: ...was hoping the strings would remain constant. Credit goes to the funky bass line. The synth stabs are a bit too harsh. Downtempo ending was a nice contrast to the mainly repetitive song.
A3: Instantly love the accent of the vocalist and the shimmer guitar and synth. Minimalist chorus, but super effective. I honestly just see Ncuti as the 15th Doctor dancing in his TARDIS with this pumping out the jukebox. More my speed than A2.
A4: Hand percussion is always appreciated in my book. especially when it is slightly more prominent than a set. Downtempo groove and a filtered voice really brings out the isolation vibes the lyrics are giving off. Wall of soft sounds round out the ending. This might be my favorite section of the song. This one kind of just hangs in the air. Fits the lyrics. Not badly written at all, but didn't jump out at me. Still, better than A2.
A5: Traditional shoegaze bass melts into horns? They are not too bright. Feeling this jazz band feel. From jazz band to near silence and oceanic pads. Soft filters, gentle flute, super quiet orchestral brass chords. How did we get here? Compositional genius. Final, darker recurrence of the jazz band ends with a radio fade. 10/10 RECOMMEND. NUANCED SOUNDSCAPE. <CHEF'S KISS>
B1: How can this go from so right to so cloying in 21 seconds? Duet voices and ALL instrumentation hammering the same exact beat pattern in unison. MAKE IT STOP. The best retreat we get is the voices alternating and very basic accompaniment instruments. Voices have not changed their rhythms at all. The only "bridge" they muster is a guitar solo that follows the rhythm of the previous vocal line ...much like the entire song. A side ended in a 10. B side starts with a 1. where s this going to go?
B2: Opening is promising...until vocals start up. It's giving older Taylor Swift. Also giving dixie chicks? Or it sounds like the artist who sang "I'm Gonna Soak Up the Sun". This is not my personal style. Nothing wrong with it songwriting wise. Some people will LOVE this. For me, another dud. I fear for B3.
B3: SWEET RELIEF. This is a bop. Simplicity and plate reverb of surf rock meets a male vocalist who sounds similar to Fleet Foxes. There are a few guitar stabs throughout the chorus, but they add to the song instead of act as a distraction from the vocalist. Well balanced. Loved this little riser section in the kit. Loved all of it, actually. BRING ON B4.
B4: Okay. Stark contrast here. The very few seconds of dissonant notes were creepy in a fun way. This song is straight forward. Too much so for my taste. The main 4/4 beat is just slammed into your brain. Not much of a rhythm section or groove to this. Lyrics are fun though. Well-written electro pop. Great for a general pop audience. Do I think it belongs on this volume exactly where it sits in this track listing? Not really? Will I jam to this after leaving a toxic work environment? Probably bumping this on the way home from my last day. It's love-hate for me. Slightly less hopeful for B5, but there truly is sonic art in this volume, so who knows.
B5: Cutesy. I will take cute. This reminds me of the 2010s. It's catchy. It's easy on the ears. Love the folk instruments. It balances lyrical content with proper instrumental breaks...and just like that, it's done! A short little palette cleanser. For me, a palette cleanser was necessary. Ready? or not? for B6.
B6: SWEET JEEBUS ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST. Textured bliss. Uptempo, retro synths. Good balance between walls of sound in the chorus/bridge and minimalist instrumentation in the verses. The bridge gets an edgy intro, then BOOM wall of sound. This gives Walk the Moon's "Next in Line" vibes. Ends on a choppy arpeggio. This last track hit me hard. Glad I didn't give up when the water got rough.
PROS
The songs that I loved from this volume, I ADORED. They are going into shuffle rotation STAT. Absolute Bangers. I think I have found more bands to follow and fall ever deeper in love with.
CONS
There were definitely a few BIG NOPE songs on this album for me, and some songs fell flat. On top of a difference in taste, the volume lacked something I crave in finished works: COHESIVTY/COHESION. This volume felt like a jukebox or a radio station. I didn't find the inner story. I didn't feel like the songs were related whatsoever, and sometimes they didn't sound great one after the other.
OVERALL
This volume was important, but it was mid. Don't skip it outright. My ear's trash could be your ear's oasis. For me, Ill take the good, leave the bad, and most likely will not listen to volume 97 as a unit again.
"You got skeletons in your closet, and I got bones to pick with them"
#punintended #punnyplaylist
Heard this gem while polishing off a post-match sundae of sorts at a local putt-putt course.
Not as familiar with its genre, but the pun in this song's chorus cut through the faux braggery I was dishing out to my husband after realizing we tied on the green instead of him defeating me by many, many strokes.
We are word nerds.
The pun won the day.
...and I have another song to add to my spooky, scary skeletons playlist for fall.
The Album that drowns out the pitter-patter of rain drops and intrusive thoughts
It's been raining for three days.
The entranceway displays a curation of muddied Crocs.
Today was a tough day...yesterday was a tough day...tomorrow's forecast is as bright as the night. Perhaps even broodier than the stubborn dark clouds outside my window.
Who am I kidding? I usually love this shit. Soft, introspective darkness lulls me to sleep, with whispering breeze and wet white noise as my lullaby.
Then the storm surges.
Thunder rumbles. Lightning flashes. Phone vibrates; texted headlines herald the status of my ill dog at the vet and an update to that invitation I lack the stamina to decline.
The Uber is en route to the apartment via the intestines of a great whale surfing the streets. The Ark cut us off in the turning lane before we were gobbled up.
The Tesla is too quiet. The thunder claps too loudly. The distant lightning bolt seems far less distant than I'd prefer. The headphones slip over my ears. Anxious tears fall away in kinship with the splattered deluge running over the windows.
Moby's on Spotify speed dial, and play he indeed does. Just as he had for more than two decades.
Play is a beloved blanket, and I, a creature of comfort.
Now thirty, my inner child is flashing back to 7, settling into a storm from long ago.
That fateful night, a rugged pick-up pulled us through the darkness. My dad, at the helm of our golden, noble chariot, needs to haul ourselves to safety. He has an uneasy wife at home, regaling the warning of a potential touchdown through the static-ridden speaker of his giant cell. His passenger, a young anxiety-ridden child who fears nothing more than your average thunderstorm. It's not a great drive.
The rain pounds like a hammer. Harsh winds push against the sides of the truck. He musters a calming clarification that no, there are no 'mini cyclones' cycling across the highway. No, you are not more likely to be shocked by lightning in a car because it is made of metal. Before re-confirming, as he had to nearly every time rain dropped, that an incoming tornado sounded like a train, he opted for a different audio source. He let the soothing string samples from 'Play' take over. Parental instinct paid off, and somehow my already-depressed doomsday-set brain was coddled into a musical sense of safety and stability.
The Tesla parks me at the closest door. I'm thirty. I'm worried about my dog, about my friendship attachment styles and priorities for my next therapy session. I bitch about not having a damn umbrella that isn't broken.
I hug my husband close. We retreat to our darkened bedroom. From the confines of my weighted blanket cocoon I close my eyes and press play. The rain bleeds into Moby, who is softly singing into my headphones.
Soft, introspective darkness lulls me to a relaxed state. my lullaby is nothing but wet white noise, a sonic blanket, and my love's snores.
Who am I kidding? I love this shit.
All is safe in our blissful basement abode.
...the best area of refuge to seek out if your local storm cell touches down.
