Fluxblog #276: 80s College Rock • Electroclash • King Krule • Chemtrails • Gimgigam
Two new playlists this week!
The first is WHAT WAS COLLEGE ROCK? 1986-1990, which completes a trilogy started by the WHAT WAS INDIE ROCK and WHAT WAS ALT-ROCK playlists. This one covers the period when the foundation for "alternative music" is created, and features a lot of beloved stars alongside a lot of acts who've fallen into obscurity. [Spotify | Apple Music]
The second is FUCK THE PAIN AWAY: ELECTROCLASH SOUNDS 1998-2005, which covers the raunchy, abrasive collision of electronic music and punk around the turn of the 21st century. This also features some music that isn't quite electroclash, but was sort of adjacent to the scene. [Spotify | Apple Music]
August 13th, 2020
My Lemon Honey
King Krule “Stoned Again”
“Stoned Again” moves along on the slow drag of a grungy bass riff that serves as the numb, deadened center of a song that’s otherwise expressing extreme depression, paranoia, and grief. The arrangement sketches out multiple levels of awareness – the guitar and sax parts fill in a melancholy atmosphere that’s like a dimming perception of the bleakness of the outside world, while Archy Marshall’s vocals cover conscious thoughts and feelings. He splits his vocal into two overlapping parts – the first a semi-rapped stream of conscious ramble contrasting memories of innocence with a pathetic and desperate present, and the second mostly wordless screams of anguish. The effect is similar to superimposing in film, and it’s up to the listener to decide whether it’s meant to evoke a collapsed timeline of emotions or the feelings just under the surface of the coherent thoughts. Marshall’s voice is unrestrained in both performances but particularly impressive in the foregrounded part where his words seem to tumble out of his mouth and verses end with him shifting his phrasing into a bark of disgust.
Buy it from Amazon.
August 11th, 2020
Regrets And Cholesterol
Chemtrails “Slag Heap Deity 1”
“Slap Heap Deity 1” comes in upbeat and bright, bopping along as it comes to a big chorus in which Mia Lust cheerfully sings about the inevitability of failure. “We try our best, we are unsuccessful,” she chirps, “our hearts get filled with regrets and cholesterol, then we all just die yeah yeah yeah yeah!” I think normally this sort of peppy negativity would be considered a subversion of the form, but I think in this case it’s more about finding joy by rearranging expectations. The energy and drama of the song is not ironic, this isn’t about some sardonic wink to the audience. Lust and her band sound like they’ve found freedom in letting go of a lot of nonsense, and of throwing themselves into these chords and these melodies in the moment. And is insisting that we’re not special actually the same thing as nihilism?
Buy it on Bandcamp.
August 10th, 2020
The Great World
Gimgigam featuring Takara Araki “Dunia Kuu”
“Dunia Kuu” seems to introduce new musical ideas and textures every 20 seconds or so but never feels busy, cluttered, or disjointed. It’s more just a steady lateral progression through different sensations, all held together by a steadily bouncing groove, quasi-tropical instrumental motifs, and wordless vocals that are just shy of Donna Summer-ish moans of pleasure. The contrast of negative space and busy percussion through this track feels very humid to me, but not necessarily in the oppressive sense – it mostly just sounds like the way the air feels just after a flash rainstorm in the summer.
Buy it on Bandcamp.