Fluxblog Weekly #234: Beabadoobee, Kate Bollinger, Jennah Barry, Mauno
October 21st, 2019
Blue Haired Phase
Beabadoobee “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus”
I can only look at that song title and go “yeah, same.” But given that the writer of this song wasn’t even born until after Pavement broke up, I wonder what Stephen Malkmus means to her, in semiotic terms. What kind of aspiration is this – to write rock songs as well as him? To have his casual confidence and coolness? To somehow create emotionally moving art while always seeming like nothing ever bothers him? She doesn’t seem too interested in imitating him, since the guitar tones in this song are all very un-Malkmus, and the dynamics come a lot closer to hit-the-pyro-on-the-chorus bombast of Weezer.
But given that the song is more about dyeing your hair blue to mark a change in your life, it seems like the title is a bit of a self-deprecating joke, calling back to the opening line of “Cut Your Hair” – “darling, don’t you go and cut your hair, do you think it’s gonna make him change?” She knows it’s sorta silly to think a superficial change of style is going to make a big difference, but also gets that the smallest changes can give you enough of a charge to fake it til you make it something bigger.
Buy it from Amazon.
October 22nd, 2019
From Tight Kept Mouths
Kate Bollinger “No Other Like You”
Kate Bollinger’s songs always feel so soft and cozy, like every sound in the arrangement is meant to make the listener feel as relaxed, comfortable, and welcome as possible. There’s a friendly generosity in her voice and in her melodies that makes the low-key confessional quality of her lyrics feel like you’re just listening to someone you care about open up about what’s going on in their life. “No Other Like You” is a love song in which she expresses deep gratitude to someone who has been very good and supportive of her, but she’s worried about what to expect of other people now that they’ve raised the bar so high for what she can expect. There’s a bittersweet feeling to the music, but the sound mostly conveys warmth and love. She’s still in the glow of the good feelings to get lost in the fear of what happens without them.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
October 23rd, 2019
A Whole Life In A Tiny Box
Jennah Barry “The Real Moon”
“The Real Moon” seems to be about the space between feeling close to people and things while actually being quite isolated. Jennah Barry’s music is delicate and precise without feeling particularly fussy, and she evokes melancholy without getting maudlin or depressing. It’s a very specific mood – lonely but satisfied in solitude, peaceful in the natural world but vaguely intimidated by its mystery. The sound is crisp, cool, and distinctly autumnal, and feels like a scene in a story that ought to be romantic but ended up being lonely.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
October 24th, 2019
Predict This Stuff
Mauno “Expectations”
The mood and lyrical concerns of “Expectations” are fairly low stakes, but it all still conveys a tightly-wound low grade anxiety as Eliza Niemi parses the hidden meaning in thoughtless gestures and runs the cost-benefit analysis of a relationship that is steady and reliable but not particularly thrilling. Mauno’s guitar parts are crisp and dynamic, clicking around like a finely tuned machine in some parts, while thudding dramatically for emphasis in slightly unexpected ways. The music doesn’t move far outside of set expectations but still builds a sense of vague suspense, like you’re always just waiting for some other shoe to drop even if you don’t really want it to.
Buy it from Bandcamp.