Fluxblog 390: Alvvays • Fievel Is Glauque • Elkka • Pixies
Plus a playlist covering the vibes of autumn 1998
This week’s playlist is THIS WAS AUTUMN 1998, a trip back to a period of time I feel sentimental about, an era with a very specific aesthetic in retrospect. Working on this is what led me to want to write about a bunch of these songs last week. The cover photo of Devon Aoki is by David LaChappelle, probably the most late 90s photographer! [Spotify | Apple | YouTube]
This newsletter is free, but the work that goes into making Fluxblog and the playlists and the podcast etc takes up a lot of my time. I don’t like pestering people into signing up for the Patreon or doing one-time donations on Ko-Fi, but I will say that right now would be an excellent time to do this as I’m in very precarious economic situation as I’m still in the market for a new full time job. Your donations are always appreciated, but I can say for sure that right now they’re more appreciated than ever.
Pictures Hanging Diagonally
Alvvays “After the Earthquake”
The guitarists in Alvvays play “After the Earthquake” as if they’re in a competition to prove who loves Peter Buck more, with harmonic tangles of jangle ringing out through a very dynamic composition that sounds like it is sprinting away, except for the one part where it sounds like it’s stopping to catch its breath. Molly Rankin’s lyrics contrast literal and metaphoric sudden upheaval, focusing in on banal details to emphasize the way normal surroundings can look surreal in the wake of disaster. The more personal and emotional breakup side of this song reveals itself gradually, and the line that cuts most deeply is nearly buried as it trails off into a dynamic shift – “if you wake up will you remember the awful things I said at the edge of the bed?” This image is grounded by another detail about hearing Murder She Wrote playing in the background and noise in the hallway, trivial distractions burned into sense memory by association with a traumatic event. The anxiety in the song comes through in that frenetic pace, but I think it’s meaningful that it still sounds bright and light overall. Even if she’s wondering “why would I ever love again?,” she’s moving on and casting off some weight.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
According To God
Fievel Is Glauque “Save the Phenomenon”
“Save the Phenomenon” is an odd bit of indie jazz pop that finds an intriguing common ground between Gaucho-era Steely Dan, Stereolab, and Tom Jobim. The melody is gorgeous and the chords are lovely; it would all sound very relaxed if not for the tempo of the vocals, which speed up against the changes just enough to add some nervous energy to the song. It’s not odd enough to disrupt the more traditional charms of the composition, but it’s just weird enough to come off as lightly playful and vaguely punkish. I get the sense that Fievel Is Glauque is aiming for subversion of their own style, but more in the spirit of bringing a Zappa-like novelty, unpredictability, and mystery to the music rather than undermining their own skills as players.
Buy it from Math Interactive.
Love You Now
Elkka “I Just Want To Love You”
The lyrical content of this song is limited to pretty much the title phrase repeated like a mantra, the rest of the music seeming to circle it as if to get every possible perspective on the emotion. Elkka’s arrangement borrows a bit of John Martyn’s “Small Hours” for ambience, his odd guitar tone adding a touch of tenderness and sadness that fits comfortably alongside the more straight forward ecstatic house elements of the track. The overall feeling is that of excitement, generosity, and an open-hearted willingness to be vulnerable. The song says exactly what it means, but then really lets you feel everything that words would fail.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
Some Say I’ve Never Lived But I Know I’m Alive
Pixies “Get Stimulated”
There are now four post-reunion Pixies albums and it still feels weird. It’s no secret that these records are a matter of practicality – Black Francis is a prolific songwriter and obviously his records will sell better if they’re called Pixies, and if he’s always playing with the Pixies anyway why not just record with them and use the name? It’s all very logical, the math checks out. Black Francis still sounds like Black Francis, the music is full of their signature moves, and Paz Lenchantin does as good a job as anyone could hope to filling in on Kim Deal’s role in the band. Time is the enemy in this situation – too much time since they wrote the original body of work and were tapped into something truly inspired and original; too much time with Black Francis piling up solo records that gave us a sense of what he’s like without the Pixies. These are records that would be considered above-average Black Francis solo albums, but the baggage of the Pixies name makes them feel disappointing, ill-advised, or even sacrilegious.
At this point the most fair way to approach these records is considering them a separate body of work by a different band. Kim Deal was an essential and defining part of Pixies and she’s not on these records, that’s enough of a shift in the basic dynamics to look at this as something else entirely. So what is this band? Well, it’s Black Francis doing the fully matured version of his aesthetic and working with a drummer and lead guitarist he has proven chemistry with, and Paz Lenchantin bringing a similar but slightly different feminine energy to the mix. She’s more ethereal than girl-next-door, her bass playing simultaneously more blunt and more refined. She doesn’t have a level of charisma that competes with Black Francis, and that changes the feel of the songs – “Get Stimulated” is a good example of how well his voice meshes and contrasts with a softer feminine vocal, but you do get the sense that if Kim was the one singing your ear would focus on her presence. But it’s also a good example of something that feels uniquely Pixies with or without Deal, and the song is strong enough that it feels silly to not open up to it because of a concern like “oh no what about your legacy?” If you just let this version of the band be its own thing, it’s easy to just enjoy it for what it is without high stakes.
Buy it from Amazon.
LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS
• I liked this essay by Eli Enis in which they wonder why almost none of the music that people are saying is “grunge” now actually has any of the power and charisma of the first wave early 90s acts associated with the term.
• Tatiana Tenreyro wrote about the ascendence of “indie sleaze” as an aesthetic lane for young artists right now.
• This week’s episode of Pop Pantheon is fantastic, with Louis and guest Rich Juzwiak going deep on the life, music, and legacy of George Michael. I particularly love the parts where Louis finds himself really connecting with the overt gayness of Michael’s later work.