Fluxblog #300: Alt-Rock 97-99 / Early Alt 83-85 Playlists | Black Country, New Road • Jazmine Sullivan • Apifera • Glass
Two playlists this week, filling in the gaps of the indie/alt-rock history I was laying out in previous playlists. As of this week, I have six playlists covering this history from 1980-1999.
What Happened to Alt-Rock? 1997-1999 - This is a real "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" playlist in which the musical ideas that carried through the first half of the decade resolve, evolve, or devolve. [Apple | Spotify]
Radio Free: Early Alternative 1983-1985 - This is the transitional period between the post-punk era and what became the "college rock" era. A lot of beloved classics in this one! [Apple | Spotify]
This week's episode of Fluxpod features Maria Sherman, the author of Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS. We talk about boy bands, K-pop, how BTS blew up in America, Alabama, Iceage, and more. You can find the episode on all the podcast platforms or on the Fluxblog Patreon.
January 12th, 2021
All Of My Greatest Hits
Black Country, New Road “Track X”
Every aspect of “Track X” comes across as deliberate and refined, but not so much that it ever seems stiff or precious. It wouldn’t be too hard for this song to tip in those directions, particularly as it’s essentially a solemn spoken word piece set to an arrangement that includes strings and woodwinds. It’s careful where it counts – there’s no clutter to the track despite how many instruments are on it, and as much as the music is lovely and cinematic it never gets sappy or sentimental. Isaac Wood’s vocal performance resembles the style and tone of The National’s Matt Berninger, but he’s not quite as stoic and ponderous, not even when he’s ruminating on a complicated relationship with his father. The song feels like a minor miracle for the way this young band sets themselves up to make something that ought to be a bit unwieldly and overbearing but end up with something that’s rather light and elegant.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
January 13th, 2021
Tell Me Why You Deserve It
Jazmine Sullivan featuring Ari Lennox “On It”
Jazmine Sullivan plays a supporting role in the first third of this song, giving a lot of space for Ari Lennox to set the tone for this very lusty slow jam. It’s generous, but it’s also sorta like having a very good opening act – once Sullivan takes the lead on the second verse she raises the stakes with a performance that’s twice as filthy, more emotionally raw, and impressively nuanced in terms of phrasing. I love the way she delivers the line “cause baby it’s not that easy to please me, yeah I’m needy,” stressing the internal rhyme of the “y” sound with notes that flatter the high end of her range while also conveying a bit of eagerness and desperation. As the song reaches its climax the two singers support one another beautifully, with each showing off and emoting without getting in the other’s way. They don’t sound like they’re competing, they sound like they’re comparing notes.
Buy it from Amazon.
January 14th, 2021
Timbres And Temperatures
Apifera “Four Green Yellows”
Apifera sound like they’re going for a mid-’70s Herbie Hancock aesthetic here, though the loose swing in his classic recordings is just beyond their collective reach. But the tightness of their playing isn’t necessarily a problem as it nudges them a little closer to electronic music, particularly the sort of approximations of jazz fusion artists like Luke Vibert and Squarepusher were playing with around 20 years ago. “Four Green Yellows” has a nice relaxed groove, but the best bits aren’t exactly chill – a high keyboard part with a staccato attack that makes it sound like it’s blinking in the shape of a square, the way the bass seems to suddenly start fluttering around the two minute mark.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
January 15th, 2021
How Do You Sleep When Your House Is On Fire
Glass “Mosie’s Mood”
“Mosie’s Mood” sounds as though the music is somehow backlit, like we’re just getting a dull haze of light off the back of its alt-rock groove and surfy lead guitar parts. The darkness of the music feels imposed on the form, like this really ought to have a bright and crisp sound but there’s something blocking out all light and joy. It’s a good tonal match for the lyrics, which seem to grapple with a lack of motivation and a surplus of anxiety in a time when possibilities are limited and mostly are bleak. There’s a sense in the music and the words that there’s an attempt to get out of a feeling of hopelessness, but there’s only so much that can be done.
Buy it from Bandcamp.