Author: josmusings

ali barter – trip EP

Lately, I’ve been feeling really driven to do something with my life. I’m coming to the end of my college career and it’s absolutely daunting that, in less than a year, I’ll be expected to become an “adult.” Suddenly, I find myself thrown into unknown territory where I’m looking up grown-up jobs, possible graduate schools, insurance, and ways to move to Canada.

What can I say, I’m ready for a change of pace.

Since I was a kid, I never really felt determined to do anything with life, nor would I try to pursue any sort of dream I may have had. This was mainly due to my wanting to become a pastry chef which my dad laughed away, though it is now a much beloved hobby. One of the perks of my college experience is that I’ve been able to fight for music in a way I’ve never fought before – I’ve dabbled in DJing, reviewed musicians and albums, and even started this lovely blog for you beautiful readers.

I’ve been lucky to find my passions at a young age, and have these seemingly different worlds connect so well with each other. Japan, music, and baking have collectively made me a person I’m proud of.

Okay, sentimental time is over, let’s cue in some new tunes by Ali Barter.

What initially drew me to this girl was that Thrupence did the artwork for her Trip cover, and it is absolutely stunning. I’m drooling into my beer bottle like a freshman due to pretty-overload, pardon me.

1. Run You Down

I don’t often write on non-electronic music, but when I do it happens to be groovy folk jams. Ali Barter opens up with smooth vocals over a lush melody of piano, guitar, and drums. The haunting lyrics of “I’ve been trying to run you down,” sets a darker mood for the EP, by lyricism at least. It reminds me of Rachel Yamagata meeting Ben Kweller and having a nice cup of coffee. Not quite as grunge feeling but there’s some sort of groove the different artists play on. This is a sweet track and Barter does a fantastic job of creating a song that would do well in live performances.

 

2. Riding Bikes at Night

This is a favorite of mine off the EP. Since I’m not usually one for lyrics in songs, this was a change of pace for me because I found myself more partial to the words than just the melody. It’s the layering she does with the instrumental making a perfect compliment to her voice. An absolute beauty.

 

3. Little Bruises

This is a quieter song off the EP and probably one of the saddest songs she bequeaths onto us. I can’t help but stare out the window and fall into a quiet flood of memories of past people I’ve dated. This is another favorite of mine because of how adept she is at writing lyrics. Must be all that Australian air going to her brain. Instrumentally, the guitar stands out the most for me, with the drums adding a nice nostalgic mood.

 

4. Marigold

“Marigold” is the most folk-oriented song Barter gives us. It continues with a quieter feel that “Little Bruises” introduced to us. It’s a sweeter song, thankfully taking away from the sadder qualities of the EP as a whole. I say this with a grain of salt because it is still a melancholic song in general. The highlights here are the guitars with Barter’s soothing voice over it.

Thrupence and Ali Barter are just adding to my desire of adventuring to Australia. Maybe that will be my treat next year.

-jo.

spectre waltz – affirmation

In the last few weeks of stagnant summer heat slowly changing into my favorite season, fall, there’s nothing quite as refreshing as baking desserts for the school year. I noticed a significant decrease in the amount I was churning out this past summer due in part to being at home and not having any of my designer baking tools at the ready. Yes, I spend weekends perusing Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table in pursuit of new gadgets to add to my growing collection.

Right now, I’m avoiding Japanese homework like the plague and have instead baked a batch of homemade brownies which will soon be sitting in my stomach happily. Nom nom nom.

This past weekend, I spent time back in Chicago to see Amon Tobin perform who is now one of my new favorite performance artists. That stage. Those effects. Legendary. While at the show, I noticed Mister Lies post about a song by Spectre Waltz called “Affirmation” and I’ve been waiting to play them on my main speakers. Let’s do this thing.

FIRST LISTEN

We open with some static noise like putting on a new record. It begins layering echoing synths on top of an entrancing female vocalist singing inaudible words. Then, the bass drops and it turns into a very out-of-body experience. I feel like drifting at sea among ethereal mermaids and schools of fish. It changes tone and goes into a grimier place, with a calm drift turning into a raging storm. It’s a subtle shift from the rest of the song, but it is still sensual as all hell. Goodness me, my body is shaking because of this bass.

SAS

In anticipation of Nosaj Thing’s upcoming album (three years since Drift is far too long a time), I’ve started making night drive mixes again, and “Affirmation” is going on those, for sure. It’s a gem.

The song is up for free download off Spectre Waltz’s soundcloud and I’ve already started following him. Superb work, good sir.

-jo.

TNGHT – TNGHT EP

I’ve always been the kind of person who doesn’t care for natural light in apartments. The more cave-like the place I’m living in is, the happier I am. This year is a big change of pace for me, since not only do I have many windows (three in total), I also have a street view; this makes my favorite pastime, creeping on people, a complete and total win. Despite having to deal with sunlight and general life-related noises (hah) I get to watch bros and their female counterparts do what they do best – exist.

What did you think I was going to say, eh? Get your heads outta the gutter.

Just the other day I go to watch five guys sit in a row at the bar with their MacBooks out, most likely trying to beat the Korean student population in StarCraft. The beers helped, I’m sure.

Having my own place again means that I can listen to the strangest music in my archives without anyone (roommates, neighbors) pestering me to turn it down. An even bigger perk? I have a corner apartment meaning I can be as loud as I so desire and can redecorate whenever the feeling comes to me.

A friend sent the self-titled EP by TNGHT my way and I haven’t been able to stop playing it repeatedly.

1. Top Floor

It’s like the start of some adventure movie set in caves. Rattlesnakes, echoing voices, and seamless transition into one of the sexiest drum beats I’ve heard in awhile. I like the eerie vibes the song puts out from the get go setting the stage for a heavy EP.

2. Goooo

#*$(&#@*_#$. I couldn’t stop freaking out the second the drums kicked in coupled with overloading synths. This became a fast favorite of mine because of how the song sounds so grinding. Goodness me. It’s got such a dirty feel to it and makes me want to take my shirt off. Okay, done, now I feel more at ease.

3. Higher Ground

Fun fact, as the VMAs are going (not watching since I’m devoid of cable), Calvin Harris tweeted that he played this song for all of 25 seconds. Can you blame the guy? It’s reminiscent of Damu vocal play with heavy synths, bass lines, and kick drums going strong. This is the clear stand-out track TNGHT intended for and it makes me all sorts of warm inside.

4. Bugg’n

Okay, I have a fear of children making noises that I can’t see. I was instantly creeped out by the opening baby gurgling but I still enjoyed the song. Not a favorite off the EP but still a solid track throughout. The water drops as a beat served as a nice surprise from the rest of the song, kind of reminding me of Diplo production. He likes that watery kinda sound, ne?

5. Easy Easy

Another banger which TNGHT cleanly delivers for the EP. It ties together all the previous songs, bringing in production elements from each track making for a holistic sound. I really enjoy the song, even though it isn’t as strong of a sound as “Goooo” or “Higher Ground.” It’s got a great driving factor, though, which makes it worth putting on my fall playlists.

I wasn’t as quick to post about this EP as I should have been but that’s okay – better late than never, deshou?

-jo.

kenton slash demon – ore

A couple of weeks ago, the kind Midwestern mosquitoes decided to give me the gift of West Nile. If you ever wanted to know what it feels like to have it, it’s kind of like being in a feverish hell. Luckily, my case was mild but it left me with a bad case of meningitis, a bed-ridden fever, and an inability to even eat Chipotle.

I KNOW, THE HORROR OF IT ALL.

After a somewhat speedy recovery, I heard that Kenton Slash Demon, the futuristic club duo from Denmark, released their latest song, “ORE.”

We open with a bass line over train-like synths. The initial buildup breaks into an almost Eastern European melody that makes you want to be traveling through a city. It definitely feels like a Kenton Slash Demon song even though it’s a different route than the duo has usually taken, like off “Matter” or “Daemon.” It’s noisier but fits well with their dark dance music. Old fans may feel it’s a step in a strange direction but, for me, this shows the versatility the pair have in production. “ORE” is definitely less of a banger than their other songs but it still holds its own very well against their previous releases. It’s absolutely stunning and it’s up for free download off their soundcloud (link is in the picture above).

For a couple of my other favorite KSD tracks as well as a reference point to older tunes, here’s “Matter” and “Daemon.”

-jo.

no gold – no gold LP

A few weeks ago, I got to go and adventure through Vancouver for just under a week, as a kind of  test run to see if I’d want to live in the city next year. It was the first real trip I’ve taken on my own and I spent the majority of time roaming through the streets listening to music, as per usual.

The music scene there seems very promising. On one weekend, Beirut and Gold Panda were doing separate shows in the city, and quite a lot of acts go through Vancouver on the regular. It’s kind of a necessity that whichever city I end up choosing to live in (a toss up between Vancouver, Tokyo, or somewhere in California), it must have some sort of vibrant music culture to satisfy my craving for live music.

I try to acquaint myself with artists in cities all over the world mainly because there are so many fantastic, untapped sounds to choose from. For Vancouver locals, I really only know of Grimes and Felix Cartal so I was pretty pumped when Mapzzz highlighted a trio called No Gold, who happen to be from the same city. After listening to “Hollarp” I decided to take a look at their bandcamp page and bought their self-titled LP.

 

FIRST LISTEN

1. Rainforce

We open with an onslaught of synths, noise, and Kevin Shields-esque production style. It reminded me of a mix between two of my favorite songs from the Lost in Translation soundtrack – “Goodbye” and “Sometimes” (I realize “Sometimes” is a My Bloody Valentine song). It sets the stage for a dramatic, avant garde album.

2. Rainforts

This opens as a clean transition from the intro track, continuing the rainy feel to the album. “Rainforts” is a strong track off the album because even though it opens with undercurrents of sad tones, this song introduces warm elements the previous song was missing. It’s a good song for a live performance where I think No Gold can alter it based on crowd appeal. The guitars and beat are head bobbable, for sure.

 

3. Weird Week

DANCE TRACK. I want to see this group perform live because of this specific song – it’s catchy, has a driving beat, with such happy sounds that you want to boogie down. The lyrics are funny to boot, making you miss college and being young. It’s short, sweet, and perfect.

 

4. Council Jam

“Council Jam” takes a bit of a detour from the vibes set by “Weird Week.” From the beginning of the song, there’s a reminiscent quality to it, with quieter vocals and a prominent bass line. The ‘hoos’ and ‘haas’ also help set this mood in motion, even as the song picks up within the first two minutes. Buck up though, because like the title suggests, it’s a jam song making the over all running time sit at eight minutes.

5. Mood Hut

This track is noiseish as it opens though it quickly breaks into a deconstructed melody. It has really cool vocal play and an interesting synth/guitar overlay. They do a good job of featuring every instrument in the band with the drummer having a sped-up spotlight than the other instruments.

 

6. We/Be/Do

I feel like I’m on an off-kilter safari listening to this song. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad track – quite the opposite, actually. It does a good job of keeping a flow going for the overall LP but still slows down the album to push it into a more ambient, funkier direction. It’s shorter which adds a nice flavor change from a few of the longer tracks the LP has to offer.

7. Resolver

We’re back to an alternative, noise pop song à la Kevin Shields/MBV. It’s complete flip flop from the beginning vibes of the LP even though it’s a nod back to “Rainforce.” One of my favorites overall ’cause the beginning guitar and synths are darker but it still keeps a finger snapping beat. I can’t say the bass line is sexy, even though we know how I love the sexy bass lines. It’s dirty in a funk sorta way, which is the best kind of dirty.

 

8. Puluti

No Gold’s closing track has a fun feel to it, keeping with the quieter vibes of the latter half of the album while still tying it together with the earlier, upbeat songs of the LP. I’m a big fan of the guitar conversation and the ‘real-life’ sounds of normal life with developing synths coming just underneath it.

 

SAS

After thinking about what ties the album together, I came to the conclusion that the drumbeats make this a cohesive album. Usually, having the same beat drives me up a wall from extreme boredom, but in No Gold’s case this works out fine. They do a good job of vocal play, synth work, and poppier guitars creating a well-constructed album. “Rainforts,” “Weird Week,” and “Resolver” remain to be my favorite songs off the album, while “We/Be/Do” is probably the most interesting track the band put out for No Gold.

Overall, I’d sit the album at a 7. “Hollarp” is a solid example of the growth and potential No Gold has for the future, so I’ll keep them on my list of groups to watch out for. Good job, Vancouver.

-jo.

k.flay feat. felix cartal – rest your mind

This year’s summer weather has made me so angry, not only because of the incessant heat, but also due to it depriving me of my favorite pastimes – night drives in the rain. It’s one of the only times I’ll willingly go outside, take a walk, then drive around for a couple of hours listening to music. For some reason, music in a rainy car has a bittersweet, romantic quality to it. Maybe I stand alone, but next time it’s raining, do yourself a favor and grab your keys, a coffee, and a few  playlists and take a solo drive.

Something about K.Flay reminds me of summer nights and long drives. It’s not because she delivers that type of music all the time, but from the vibes I get from the girl, she just seems like a chill person who digs driving around listening to music.

The first time I saw her perform was a couple of years ago when she did a college tour with Passion Pit. I always get to venues early to catch the openers because if I like the headliner a lot, I’m bound to dig whoever they chose to tour with them.

I remember watching her get on stage, put down a few beats, and rap the crap out of the microphone. One of the best friends had an instant crush on her, only to turn into all out fervor when he discovered she studied psychology and sociology at Stanford. This girl is a complete bad ass.

She recently collaborated with Felix Cartal for their song “Rest Your Mind” which was released yesterday.

FIRST LISTEN

It opens with some heavy bass and “whoops” seamlessly seguewaying into K.Flay’s husky rap. There are still some distinct Cartal synths he throws in, making for a sexy hip hop beat. It showcases K.Flay’s flawless rapping style with cutting lyricism and clear delivery. She’s got mad wit. Cartal uses elements from popular hip hop composition to create a catchy  as all hell instrumental for K.Flay to rap over. Good god I’m geeking out.

SAS

I’ve already started dropboxing this to friends of mine who aren’t as familiar with either artist as it’s such a killer track AND promotes dental hygiene. It’s going on my next fall mix for 8tracks, that much is a certain. I kind of gauged how much I liked the song based on the amount of time I spent smirking throughout it. The longer I have a slightly sadistic look on my face the more I like the song. What? I never said it would make sense.

Link to download is in the picture above. Grab her free EP as well, titled Eyes Shut.

-jo.

shortcircles – remember me EP

My sister recently asked me if I considered myself ahead of the curve when it comes to finding music to listen to. It made me quiet for a moment and I told her it was kind of difficult these days to be truly ahead of the curve with music, what with social media and the easiness of sharing songs. As a rule, I try not to think about those kinds of things because it makes for a more narrow-minded music listener. Even three years ago I would have labeled myself as a music elitist – the moment anyone listened to an artist who had been around for ages I’d be quick to call them out on it and say, “I listened to this way before you knew who they were.”

In the last couple of years, though, I’ve made a concerted effort to listen to, literally, all types of music. Even the genres and artists that I usually can’t stand, I will give every song a chance. I’ve noticed that with my most music obsessed friends, only two or three of them have overcome the dismissing-music-genres phase and have instead worked to listen to everything. It’s a hard move to make, but I think that’s what has made me a better music listener. Now I don’t care about being ahead of the curve – at the end of the day it’s about the songs themselves, amirite?

That being said, I still feel so much joy when I find an artist or song very few people have listened to – how can I not? All of us get that giddy feeling over finding gems.

This ties in perfectly to my love for the Oakland producer, shortcircles, who is a master at genre blending. He released a brand new EP just under a week ago called Remember Me.

FIRST LISTEN

1. Remember Me (feat. Miss Kia from Parentz)

It opens with a trip into space and distorted vocals repeating “remember me” with Miss Kia adding her actual lyrics. The initial vibes of the song reminded me of Rimar and an overall nostalgic element to it. The best songs are the ones which are most familiar to you, and this was an instant pleaser. There are some truly dirty synths on this track creating a very rich sound.

2. Take Flight (feat. Tiana Vallan) 

At first the song reminds me of an elevator, well, a very sexy elevator. The drum lines and bass are sensual beyond belief. This is a perfect late summer jam – makes me want to DJ so badly. It’s not dancey by any means, but for those who have DJ’d before, you’d understand what kind of gig this would be perfect for.

No, it is not lounge, stop saying that.

3. Find You (feat. Tiana Vallan)

This has some serious Asian vibes to it. The opening guitar and subsequent strings make me feel like I’m in a salon in old Kyoto. Gorgeous. Vallan’s vocals pair so well with the instrumental and makes it a stand out track.

4. Love My Man (feat. Miss Kia from Parentz)

From the get go, this feels the most like a traditional shortcircles track with the bassline and drums. It’s got a glitchier feel to it mixed with his penchant for melodic buildups. This was easily my favorite track off the EP because of it’s quieter, humbling elements to it. I love nighttime, and this was the first song that made me want it to be dark out. It’s got a similar Asian feel to it tying it well into the previous track. There’s a definite flow to the EP as a whole which makes me love this song even more.

5. Searching for a Reason (Glenn Jackson remix)

HOLY CRAP. In the first twenty seconds I fell for this song, hard. It’s sexy, glitchy, and has undertones of a darker melody. It’s a perfect late-August, summer drive kind of song. Damn. This is going on repeat for awhile.

SAS

Like I mentioned before, “Searching for a Reason” is still going strong on repeat. After putting the EP on shuffle, I noticed that “Remember Me” reminds me of the LASERS song, “3027” (this is a different LASERS than the one I blogged about before). In general, I have to say that all of these songs can stand on their own and work well in context. In most EPs and albums, that I’ve noticed at least, it’s hard to get every song to work cohesively and still be okay on their own. shortcircles once again proves himself as a competent and diversified producer. Keep this guy on your radars, please.

-jo.

submerse

It’s not uncommon for me to have crushes on inanimate objects, cartoon characters, cities, or anything which cannot be turned into an actual relationship (like a flesh and blood human). Back when I was a kid, I went to Georgia and fell so in love with the state (not that weird – I used to also run around saying I was a reincarnation of a T-Rex to my first grade class) that I told my parents I was going to marry Georgia.

Georgia is not a person. Georgia cannot give me any physical love in return. Georgia can, however, give me peaches and Forrest Gump quotations.

Fast forward to 2012 and you have a somewhat older and better traveled 20-something who now has a massive, all-consuming crush on Tokyo. This doomed love affair encompasses people who have a similar affinity for the city and Japan, especially musicians.

Cue in submerse. Around half a year ago, Rob Orme, the mastermind behind fusing Japanese pop, garage, and an onslaught of various sub-genres moved from his home country of the UK to Tokyo. Some, like myself, would say it’s one of the smartest moves he could have made.

Since the move he’s released vinyl EPs through Apollo and Project: Mooncircle. His songs are full of life, from sampling day-to-day sounds of the high-pace Tokyo lifestyle and the breath of the city, you can feel what Orme is experiencing as his music plays in your headphones.

Having been to Japan a couple of times now, I’m right there with Orme. I walking through Yoyogi Park, meandering through Shibuya, ogling the shufflers in Akihabara, and spending hours riding on the subways.

I’m not that well versed on garage music as a whole but from what I’ve heard out of this guy (young man, rather) is impressive. The female vocals are fairly common in garage from what I’ve read and heard in the past, but they’re familiar to me in all the haunting music I have in my library. One of the best examples I can think of is Myrkur’s “Why,” with its brooding, terrifying video game quality to it. Not necessarily bleepy, just the vibe of it – kind of like going into the End of the World level of Kingdom Hearts, y’know?

“Never Again” has a very different feel from a typical submerse track because it’s more of a sub-genre than a garage-centric track. This song has been a long time favorite of mine by submerse because of its depressing quality (noticing a trend here?) and of how lush it is. He really is a Midi wizard and you can hear how much time he puts into each song, even if they come off as something fairly simple. Brilliant.

Submerse started popping up on my radar after Nakata Yasutaka released “Pon Pon Pon” by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Submerse remixed it on his soundcloud page and I found myself bobbing along to it and began hunting through various tumblrs trying to pick up more of his heavy-handed Japanese inspired music. I quickly discovered, however, that his darker music was equally entrancing. His “Mix About You” made me cry immediately after he opened with one of my favorite Stars of the Lid song, “A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(less) Process.” It’s not too often a mix tape is so well done that I listen to it over and over again, especially at night.

I realize this post is not as heavily focused on the breakdown of individual submerse songs as I typically do with other artists. This is mainly due to Orme’s extremely well-executed production style. One soundcloud comment remarked that his drums were so clean that you can eat them. Yes, it’s absolutely true. You can literally taste how beautiful each part of a submerse track is on its own, and as a full product. Delicious.

I recommend hitting up his soundcloud page (linked in the image above) and listening to more of the songs he’s put out this past year while he’s in been in Tokyo. Even if you’ve never been there, any appreciator of night walks and introspective cities will find a comrade in his music. I’m looking forward to hearing more city oriented tracks from him  – he’s going to be in Tokyo for another year before heading back to the UK, and by that time, you’ll be able to hear his growth and thoughts on living abroad spread out in all of his releases.

An interview Orme did with Factmag, which is a personal favorite he’s done so far, can be found here. It’s one of the best written interviews I’ve read in a long time, and does better justice in explaining Orme’s thoughts on J-pop, garage, and what his music actually is than I ever could.

Also, for added reference, here’s a link to Myrkur’s “Why” so that you may add an older, glorious song to your night drive playlist.

-jo.

mister lies

There’s something about summer nights in Chicago that puts me in a funk. Maybe it’s my distaste for the heat mixed with perfect circumstances for night walks that makes me all moody yet excitable for music.

Such is the case when listening to Mister Lies.

This kid (yes, a child, he is only 19) is a wizard with ambient music, down tempo, and something he and Different Sleep coined ‘ambient gospel.’ He’s a Chicago local with a penchant for dream making.

This past Wednesday was his official debut in Chicago as a producer at this dive bar/music venue in Wicker Park called Empty Bottle.

Holy goodness.

That kid knows how to build a solid set list, not to mention listening to any Mister Lies song on massive speakers is a very humbling experience. The music has a cascading effect on your body – my friend and I didn’t speak for the entire set. That’s a very rare occurrence for us. The only qualms I had about his live performance is the amount of time he spent fiddling with effects. I get that for this kind of music it’s difficult to throw curve balls, but it would’ve been cool to see him deconstruct his songs and put them back together on stage. Baths, Nosaj Thing, Daedelus, Star Slinger, among others, have a similar MO as trigger artists. Having DJed a decent amount and seeing enough electronic shows, I can say that just messing with the effects and EQ’s isn’t enough for me to stay interested.

I’m being hard on the guy, he’s only done a few shows. He’ll figure out a solid groove for himself soon enough.

Earlier this year he released his Hidden Neighbors EP which is absolute gold. I can’t tell you how many nights I spent walking all over my campus at night, or laying in bed losing myself in thought to “Cleam” and “Morgan.” The Jessica Blanchet vocals on “I Walk” are ethereal and yet grounding in the way Mister Lies messes around with them. The music surrounds you rather than something you only listen to.

I don’t know, this kid makes me act a damn fool when a track of his comes on.

Overall, Mister Lies has a very clean production style. It’s minimalistic (which I adore – how very Japanese of me) yet still lush and dynamic enough to keep interest. A friend of mine and I had a long conversation about the way Mister Lies makes music, in that, while it is heavily ambient, the bass lines and drums he sneaks in makes for a more musically rich experience. I find that, while being a big fan of ambient music, songs tend to get wrapped up droning instruments that the song loses itself. It becomes repetitive, boring, and overall a general waste to listen to multiple times.

“Cleam” comes dangerously close to doing this, with it being roughly six minutes long. It’s such a gorgeous composition though, that listening to it alone at night keeps it from falling into the stereotypical down tempo trap. The song has, wait for it, an unbelievably sexy bass line. The vocals make you want to sleep with someone in a destructive way with a man saying to “make a move.” How can you not?

The kid has a gift for composing his music. From the pianos, synths, drums, and especially the bass lines, he proves himself as a natural musician. He recently tweeted that he was heavily considering not making music anymore, not even three months ago, but holy damn is the music community glad that he did not partake in said decision.

We’re just over halfway through the year and Mister Lies has an impressive array of releases on his bandcamp and soundcloud pages. I hope he spends some time working on his live sets ’cause I know there is a lot of greatness coming from this kid in the near future. My spidey senses are going off non-stop about it.

-jo.

empty pockets

I’ve always wondered what kind of criteria someone has to have to become a crayon/ice cream flavor namer. It’s a job I’ve always coveted because equating colors and flavors to unlikely material is one of my favorite past times. Clearly I have too much time on my hands, but in any case, it would be a bomb job to add to my LinkedIn account.

Some of these people, I think, are on the song-naming circuit. Sometimes song names make zero sense when you listen to a song, kind of like a good portion of modern art. Dance music, especially, can piss me off with names. Making the repetitive vocal track as the name of a song is really clever, you know? It never gets old.

That got slightly side tracked, my bad. Back to the main point of this post which is highlighting one half of the beloved James & Evander dyanmic duo, Adam Myatt, also known as Empty Pockets. He branches off from his usual dream pop production pair to create a melancholic downtempo medley of delicious songs. Gosh, nothing makes me happier than downtrodden, depressing beats.

1. Can’t Decide

Like the bandcamp page described, the murky vocals and slithering acoustic guitar is a perfect blend of sunny rain. Not the annoying kind with rainbows and crap, but a constant transition between the two. This had an Iron & Wine feel to it (probably with the vocal bending) but not in a twangy way that can annoy me about the band. This song is riddled with nostalgia and coffee, making for a well balanced early morning tune.

 

2. Jan. 25th, 1982

Sad song. While there’s no clear indication of what the date means to Myatt, there’s clearly an overwhelmingly melancholic quality to the song. It wasn’t as big of a stand out to me as far as the EP goes, but it does make for a song I enjoy thinking to.

Screw grammatical errors.

3. Shipwrecked Shell

The first thing I thought when listening to this track is a Postal Service esque feel to the rhythm and timing of the song. It brought me back to middle school and listening to their music on bus rides home. Maybe I was one of those typical angsty teenagers, but it did bring an onslaught of memories one late night while listening to this song. It’s got this gritty feel to the synths and drums which, not only makes you depressed, but also angry. It’s an interesting composition with the perfect name to go with it. It makes you feel empty and lost just like a shipwrecked soul.

 

 

Listening to all of this James & Evander music, as well as shortcircles and other Oakland based producers makes me want to move out to that city. Who knows – it may join the list of prospective cities I move to after Vancouver and Tokyo.

You can download the free Empty Pockets EP off Myatt’s bandcamp page which is linked to the photo above. Go have fun and stuff.

 

-jo.