Hi there! How’s your summer been? Oh! Mine!? Well, thank you for asking. It’s been a great summer for me. I got a summer job at a day camp looking after people who are mainly less that 4 feet tall and less than 6 years old. Here’s a picture of me with some of my new friends:
Oh wow. Look how adorable I look. But enough about that; let’s talk about music instead.
I suppose you have been keeping up with your prolific music cannibalism, consuming as much as you can on a regular basis. It’s important to meet your daily recommended values y’know. Quavers, semibreves, bar lines, clefs, diatonic scales, atonalisms, etc. – they’re all essential (and delicious). Well, in case you didn’t, I present to you this 3 part series of summer songs to gorge yourself on. If you need to vom, remember to step back from the computer… Seriously, the smell never goes away once it seeps between the gaps in your keyboard.
Summer Playlist 2010 (Part 1): Emotional Dudes
1.1) “Wolf River” – Denuo
Can Tom Mason’s Denuo really be described in such paltry terms as words and sentences? Apparently not. Information about the Cardiff based one man band is hard to come by, especially if you’re like me and spend less than 3 minutes researching the topic. But what really stands out in “Wolf River” is a sullen sound of empty, echoing landscape. There’s an introversiveness (not a word) to Mason’s acoustic strumming, and a pensivity (also not a word) to his voice. It’s as if he’s a man that has all the time in the world to think, and getting lost in thought has given “Wolf River” a unparalleled beauty and simplicity.
1.2) “Whirlwind” – Death In Plains
“Whirlwind” excites me in the same way Passion Pit’s Chunk of Change EP excited me when it was released more than a year and a half ago. It has the same synth-pop peppiness and multitudinous confusion of sound. Don’t let that mislead you in to thinking that this track is a hubbub of unlistenable noise – far from it. The complexity of layered sound is still firmly held in place by structure. What you have, then, is something interesting yet fun.
1.3) “Ray Gun” – James Yuill
One of the gems on James Yuill’s album Movement in a Storm is “Ray Gun” – it’s a soft-synth dream! Combining love and science fiction Yuill’s deadpan British vocals decry “[n]ever was my ray gun on you, if it was you some how slipped through,” with notable tones of regret carrying through the unwavering, inelaborate melody of the chorus. There’s something fantastical listenable about the track however, the lightness with the compunction and loss is mesmerizing with the merest hint of agonizing remorse, and certainly devoid of the droning of heartbreak songs you usually hear.
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Some things are just naturally awesome. The original "Wait Up (Boots In Danger)" - a ASPCA fundraiser from Tokyo Police Club - is one such example of supreme joyous wonder. And, just like all the coffee flavored derivatives sold at cafes, basing a remix on such a good original song is bound to produce desirous (and/or delicious) results. RAC are a little unorthodox. They seem to remix for the mere sake of it - a philosophy I can get down with - rather than to add discotheque appeal to a track. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against drunkenly dancing to my favorite tunes sped up and overlain with a defibrillator-esque bass, but the at-home (and sober) listenability is generally lacking. That's where RAC come in; they rehash songs in that special kind of way that doesn't make you feel silly playing them whilst sitting alone in your room at your computer.
