Fluxblog Weekly #189: Fog Lake, Earl Sweatshirt, Jeff Tweedy, Haley Heyndrickx
December 3rd, 2018
Living So Lonely
Fog Lake “I’ll Be Around”
Fog Lake’s Carousel EP is a post-breakup record that sounds like memories of a relationship that are starting to fade and get replaced by more nostalgic and romanticized versions of the events. The music in “I’ll Be Around” feels like a sample of itself; the main piano part is processed so it sounds like a quote. Aaron Powell’s voice is tinny, fragile, and somewhat buried in the mix. You hear him clearly enough to get the emotion from the melody, but you have to listen a bit closer to pick up all the sad sack details of the lyrics. It’s heartbreaking stuff. This is basically a song about a guy who is accepting that the person he’s in love with doesn’t want him at all, and he’s just throwing himself into loneliness in the hopes that he can…what, become the best at being lonely? This is the sound of a guy who feels lost and defeated, but still feels a very earnest love in vain.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
December 4th, 2018
Imprecise Words
Earl Sweatshirt “Shattered Dreams”
Earl Sweatshirt has an odd sort of charisma. He’s mumbly, surly, and standoffish, and unwilling to do much that would traditionally signal star power in rap. But that distant, withholding quality draws you in, and you end up hanging on his words if just to get a handle on what’s going on in his head. He pushes this to an extreme on his new record Some Rap Songs, often sounding like he doesn’t even mean to be rapping, or like we’re hearing something that isn’t totally meant to be heard. “Shattered Dreams” is the abrupt opening of the record, and it feels like you’re immediately dropped into his personal space without warning. He sounds lost in his thoughts, but aware of your presence. He raps like he’s giving you no more information than you deserve.
Buy it from Amazon.
December 5th, 2018
To Stop The War
Jeff Tweedy “Bombs Above”
In three short verses “Bombs Above” is an apology, then it’s a shrug, and it ends with a moment of regret. Jeff Tweedy sings it all in a raw, exhausted voice, and when I hear it, I just wish I could look him in the eye and tell him to be easy on himself. But maybe this IS him taking it easy on himself – he does sound like he’s making peace with bad memories, and owning his mistakes and pain in a way that eases his feelings of guilt somewhat. And with this song opening his first proper solo album, he’s demystifying himself by essentially telling his audience – “hey, I’m just a guy, that’s all.” It’s not an act. It’s pure humility.
Buy it from Amazon.
December 6th, 2018
Like A Cluttered Garage
Haley Heyndrickx “Show You A Body”
“Show You A Body” sounds like a light, fragile thing caught in the wind. Moments of stillness are punctuated by fluttery parts that sound like piano keys caught in a sudden gust, like chimes hanging from a ceiling. Haley Heyndrickx matches the tone of the music by singing lyrics about feeling “humbled by breaking down” and alluding to moments of incredible intimacy vulnerability. In some moments it sounds as though she could break down in tears – not necessarily because she is singing about something sad, but more that she’s experienced something profound that she hasn’t fully processed.
Buy it from Amazon.