MILT # 2

Haven’t done this thing for awhile. It’s been a weird year, which feels like a cliché, obvious, overly-stated thing to say. Like, yeah, it was a “weird” year for everybody. Doesn’t that just make mine “not-weird,” or alike to everyone else’s?

Regardless, the weird things about my year, other than the obvious ones like a pandemic, rampant-yet-always-existing injustices, etc. had to include the change in routine to the way that I go about my job and me figuring out where I am at and who I am emotionally. Adapting to a somewhat emotion-numbing med for the blues has been something, and figuring out what I can contribute to the world that will satiate a somewhat selfish sense of fulfillment has been something else.

Music has always been a constant, though. So here’s a playlist of some of the music that I have been listening to during this past weird-not-weird year. If you listen to it, let me know what you think.

Most of the playlist is comprised of music that I’ve discovered on Bandcamp. The lead-off is a warm, meditative drone track by Terekke. It sounds like floating in outer space. It’s awesome.

The warmth is then interrupted by a flurry of poppy, surf rock bands. Surf rock/”surfgaze” has been my recent obsession. Some of the surf bands I’ve been digging that are in this playlist include Grrrl Gang, a fun, pop-punk group from Indonesia; Foliage, which I can only describe as sounding like Morrissey with a surfboard; and Say Sue Me — one of my favorites as of lately.

The playlist is punctuated by a lovely, mostly instrumental piece by Sufjan Stevens (which is actually featured on the Bridgerton soundtrack). Then, the playlist meanders through a playground of emo (awakebutstillinbed), more surf, dreampop (Alvvays and Fritz), black metal (Violet Cold), and is bookended by a beautiful, nostalgic harp piece by Mary Lattimore. The title of her track, “On the Day You Saw the Dead Whale” is as powerful and depressing as the contents.

If you have a short attention span and/or a lack of time, then some of my favorite tracks from the playlist that I’d recommend include “Old Town,” “URL,” and, if you like noise, “Pride.”

Feel free to reach out and let me know if you gave any of the playlist a try. Or, let me know what you’ve been listening to. I’m looking forward to trying to do more of these. Also, I believe you need to log into Spotify to listen to the entire playlist.

Thanks and have a great day.

Fritz Sounds Like the Name of My Cat

I have a cat named Fitzy. Here he is.

Naturally, due to this slight coincidence, I was drawn to the band named “Fritz” that popped out at me one night while Bandcamp surfing. Fritz has renewed my love for shoegaze that really hasn’t been absent for that long. They’re an Australian-based band led primarily by a 21 year old. Fritz’s sound can most easily be described as noise-pop. It’s loud, bursting with brightness, led by airy vocals and backed by a percussion section that’s catchy enough to make you wonder if it is a drum machine doing the work (it’s not). The guitar riffs draw on shoegaze and the synths call back to the 80’s.

The track that caught my ear, “Arrow,” is off their most recent album that came out in February, titled Pastel. “Arrow” is a good representation of Fritz, I think. It’s super poppy, loud, and the harshness of the guitars contrasts nicely with the more gentle vocals and synths.

“Gracie, Forgive Me,” weighing in at a light minute and a half, is another strong track. The lyrics are charming, simple, and honest. A tame introduction then erupts into a siren of blaring synths.

I later discovered some of Fritz’s previous stuff, which leaned into more of a grungy, dark, dreamy vibe. The track below, “Iris,” off of their eponymous album has a gentle, depressive feel while the vocals float effortlessly through the song. The chorus then breaks in abruptly with guitars and yelling that are both harsh and moody.

My cat approves of Fritz, so you should, too. You can support Fritz on their Bandcamp here. If you’ve given them a listen or have some other dreampop/shoegazey recommendations, let me know!

Holy Fawn’s Black Moon: “Loud, Heavy, Pretty Noises”

Holy Fawn is an Arizona-based Bandcamp discovery that do just what they say they do on their page: blend loud, heavy, pretty noises.

Shoegaze, pop, and metal vibes somehow all make themselves known in Holy Fawn’s three track album, The Black Moon. The first track, “Candy,” starts off with loud, dominating guitars, slow crashing drums, with breaks of lulling, echoing vocals and melodious guitar riffs.

“Tethered” serves as an intermission track with its ambient soundscape that creates a feeling similar to that of which the album cover conveys.

“Blood Pact,” is the strongest track off of the album. The song is a plethora of ideas crammed into one package. The guitar melodies layered over electronic-sounding drum beats are dreamlike and whimsical. Eventually, the song erupts into a triumphant burst of energy at about the halfway point with shrieking vocals and aggressive guitars.

You can support Holy Fawn on their Bandcamp page here.

Sadness is the Name of This Band

• 

“Atmospheric depressive blackgaze” is the sub-genre that I’ve seen attached to Sadness, a one-person independent Bandcamp band. It’s a ridiculous, almost comically lengthy combination of four sub-genres… but it totally makes sense.

This seemingly arbitrary sub-genre is a combination of atmospheric metal, depressive metal, black metal, and shoegaze. Simply put, Sadness’s sound on the album I Want to be There, creates a landscape of loud, desperate, depressing yet (somehow?) blissful noise. A type of noise that makes you feel enveloped, or like you are drowning. Melodies and riffs linger for long stretches — creating the aforementioned atmospheric experience.

The album’s opener, “In the Distant Travels,” immediately creates a serene, spacey atmosphere that is abruptly interrupted by a wall of noise with piercing shrieks that somehow manage to cut through.

In the album’s second of six tracks, “I Want to be with You,” the shoegaze side of Sadness dominates. The distorted guitars are harsh, yet there’s a melody and chord progression underneath the noise. It repeats, eventually accompanied by triumphant, chanting, choir-like vocals: a nice juxtaposition to the music that really exemplifies I Want to be There well.

This album is an absolute trip and emotional rollercoaster. The feelings that this album gives off are intense, violent, raw, and melancholy. I admittedly don’t listen to much metal, but there’s so much in this package for people less familiar with the genre. I feel like I could recommend I Want to be There to almost anybody. You can support Sadness on their Bandcamp here.