Song of the Week: Irresistible

I probably came across the shoegaze band Whirr from the noise rockers Nothing, but in any case I tuned in to the former artist's radio station on Spotify and up came this song from post-metal act Deafheaven. This short instrumental comes in the front end of their 2013 sophomore release Sunbather and serves as a testament to the band's eclectic approach to songwriting and their unwillingness to be pigeon-holed into one musical genre, even as broad an umbrella term as "hard rock".

"Irresistible" by Deafheaven

Simply irresistible,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

This week's pick is not from the 2010's but the 1910's! After hearing the hymn "O God Beyond All Praising" at Mass some time back, my girlfriend pointed out that the melody is actually borrowed from a movement in the middle of an orchestral suite. The Planets, Op. 32 was composed by Englishman Gustav Holst and has seven movements, one for each of the planets other than Earth in our Solar System (Pluto was not considered a planet at the time... nor now). The mood of each movement matches Holst's interpretation of the astrological / mythological character of the planet's namesake, and "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" makes me jolly every time I hear it.

"Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" by Gustav Holst

For we can only wonder,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Hollow Body

My Spotify "Discover Weekly" playlist, where every Monday the site curates a selection of songs I'd enjoy based on my listening history, is slowly becoming an All Songs Considered playlist (it's as if my podcast history is recorded also...). One song from there that stuck with me was "Hollow Body" by Many Rooms off of their 2015 debut Hollow Body. This song was used at the beginning of a November episode of All Songs and though I didn't think much of it the first time around this time I was captivated by the slow build in this hauntingly beautiful and bittersweet folk single.

"Hollow Body" by Many Rooms

You put your breath in me,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Fired Up

I recently came across "Fired Up" and was reminded of the KEXP Song of the Day feed and how this song was my introduction to this podcast nine months ago, making Titus Andronicus my introduction to the newest wave in modern punk. In keeping with the theme of their Shakespearian namesake, last year's The Most Lamentable Tragedy is a 90-minute and 29-song rock opera that melds the brashness of The Clash with the heart of Pulp to convey an image of the modern anarchist burning all the bridges of his past, making sure the baptismal font gets evaporated along the way.

"Fired Up" by Titus Andronicus

I call it an emerging scene,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Cleveland Rocks

I spent this past Memorial Day weekend with friends riding the world-famous roller coasters at Cedar Point and Kings Island during an amusement park run in Ohio. Though I enjoyed my time at the parks, I can't say the same for the endless wheat fields that was the view for our commutes. I'm not bad-mouthing the whole state, however, because I was aware of one of it's great exports: "Cleveland Rocks". Originally written by glam rocker Ian Hunter for his 1979 album You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic, the song is better known among younger audiences (like myself) for being covered by the alternative act TPOTUSOA and used as the theme song to The Drew Carey Show from 1997 onwards.

"Cleveland Rocks (Ian Hunter Cover)" by The Presidents of the United States of America

Listen to the original here

Rent is due,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: A Thousand Years

I'm not one to listen to pop ballads in my spare time, but some songs stand out when they're added to a playlist my girlfriend shares with me and when they are the sole slow dance at the reception of a wedding at the end of that same week. "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri is one such song, a beautifully composed ode to faithfulness. It's so good that I can (almost) ignore the fact that it's featured on the soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.

"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri

Heart beats fast,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Far From Any Road

Some time ago I spotted that Spotify had added a new playlist called "Southern Gothic" and I got around to listening to it today. I enjoyed this walk down the darker side of Americana and was elated to hear a song I recognized. "Far From Any Road", off of the 2003 album Singing Bones by The Handsome Family, served as the theme for the first season of True Detective which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The song creates a tension between the sultry and the sorrowful that reflects the mood of the show, set in a land of temptation and dissatisfaction where the justice exacted by the legal and moral law never seems enough to undo the evil pervading the living hell, exterior and interior, in which each of the characters exist.

"Far From Any Road" by The Handsome Family

The wind will be my hands,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: You Said It

I first encountered Beverly (not to be confused with The Beverleys) on this year's Austin 100 and was instantly enchanted by "Victoria", a powerpop revival gem that served as the lead single for their upcoming album. Last Friday, the band released their sophomore record, The Blue Swell, and my favorite from the collection of jangle-dreampop tracks was "You Said It" which perfectly unites Beach Boys surf cred, Pixies fuzz and Metric crooning to form an indie masterpiece of B-side proportions.

"You Said It" by Beverly

You can't unsay it,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: I Was Home

One of the songs featured on last week's KEXP Song of the Day podcast was "I Was Home" by Sunflower Bean. Starting out seemingly harmless, the call-and-response indie punk gave way to an intense garage-psychedelia and then back again. I replayed the song again before I checked out their debut album which was released this February, Human Ceremony, and then realized that I had heard one of their songs, "Space Exploration Disaster", a couple of weeks back on an All Songs episode. All I have to say is, eat your heart out Black Keys.

"I Was Home" by Sunflower Bean

I was home and then I wasn't,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Body on the Tracks

Feeling some SXSW nostalgia, I went in search of performances of artists I admired who I wasn't able to catch during that week. In the process, I stumbled upon the video below of a Mississippi show by Deep Sea Diver, the solo project of Jessica Dobson who had worked with the likes of Spoon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Shins. This track comes from their sophomore album Secrets, released earlier this year, whose songs brush the fringes of synthpop, shoegaze, progressive rock and post-punk revival in a way that doesn't delve headlong into any one of these genres but instead uses them as cardinal directions for a musical compass with its center in indie rock.

"Body on the Tracks" by Deep Sea Diver

I carry you from one day to the next,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Easy Lover

Last Friday my favorite 1985 album, No Jacket Required by Phil Collins, was reissued with remastered tracks and bonus material including live recordings. One hit which was played live but not included in the original album was "Easy Lover", which Collins sang alongside Philip Bailey from Earth, Wind & Fire on the studio release. Encountering this was a most enjoyable listening experience, and though I can't find the right live version I figured I'd just link the original music video in all its 80's glory.

"Easy Lover" by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

She's the kind of girl you dream of,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Visions

This week I started checking out some of Spotify's public playlists and was pleasantly surprised by the expertly curated mixes in "Deep Dark Indie", "Epic Wall of Sound" and "Young Punks". From the latter I discovered the following song by The Beverleys off of their 2015 debut Brutal, which I have been replaying in my head since I first heard it.

"Visions" by The Beverleys

Saw my friends and my enemies,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Like Moths to Flame

On this solemn day, when statues are covered and tabernacles are bare, my mind turns to a song from 2005's Vheissu, the fourth album by experimental / post-hardcore band Thrice. Frontman and songwriter Dustin Kensrue is no stranger to weaving Christian themes into his music (during the band's hiatus he even served as worship leader for Mars Hill Church) and this song recounting St. Peter's betrayal of his Master is a testament to that. Coupled with some of the most intense scenes from The Passion of the Christ, the fan-made video below offers a meditative springboard into contemplating the mystery of the Via Dolorosa.

"Like Moths to Flame" by Thrice

Top of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (Latin for "cock-crow")

The fire's gravity compels,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Car Radio

I was quick to brush off Twenty One Pilots after hearing their hit single "Tear in My Heart" everywhere I went. I'm very suspicious of any song with a catchy hook that the general public enjoys and plays constantly, so I tend to disregard artists who write these songs as pandering to masses and having little creative value. Well, I was proven only half right.

After reading enough blogs (here, here and here) and having enough friends vouch for them I gave them a try and as I started listening I was struck not only by the seriousness with which the Columbus duo crafted the music and lyrics of their non-single tracks but also by the way they subtly layer these same themes into the songs that people mindlessly sing to. Through an aggressive and masterful melding of rap, rock, reggae and pop, TØP tackle topics as grave as suicide, maturation, identity and existential affirmation. In trying so hard "to make people think" and get their message out to as many individuals as possible, they become the most reluctant pop act I've ever known.

I've listened to three albums by Twenty One Pilots and connected very much to 2013's Vessel. Below is one of my favorite cuts from this record.

"Car Radio" by Twenty One Pilots

Sometimes quiet is violent,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Caricias

I first heard of Carrie Rodriguez a couple of weeks back from Alt.Latino showcasing a song from her upcoming album, Lola. Said album dropped two Fridays ago and it is a very heart-on-the-sleeve portrayal of the struggles of love, family, identity and acculturation that comes with being a Hispanic immigrant to the US communicated through a poignant melding of Texan americana and Mexican ranchera.

"Caricias" by Carrie Rodriguez

Las quiero más que tus palabras,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Tibetan Pop Stars

I was so enamored by last week's discovery of Basement that I wanted to hear more of artists like them and discovered Hop Along. With a very eclectic and idiosyncratic approach to freak folk, the band's 2012's Get Disowned delivers an unparalleled listening experience that melds the pronounced hard-and-soft dynamics of the Pixes ("Gigantic"), the layered sonicality of Dinosaur Jr. ("Feel the Pain") and the accentuated vocal intonations of Fall Out Boy ("The (After) Life of the Party").

"Tibetan Pop Stars" by Hop Along

My love is average / I obey an average law,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Un Si Y Un No

Ironically enough, I caught a nasty cold following the blessing of the throats for the Feast of St. Blaise. During the long hours of recovery I was able to listen to a CD loaned to me by a good friend of mine, 2011's Tu Es Christus which is a compilation of speeches by Pope St. John Paul II coupled with the backdrop of sacred chant and world music. It seemed a perfect and timely prayer companion at a point where I would have rather sulked in my own debility.

"Un Si Y Un No" by Pope St. John Paul II

Es muy sencilla,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Lost Weekend

While listening to PAWS radio I rediscovered this dance punk single from the very eclectic and very erratic 2013 record Blowout by the So So Glos. With a style reminiscent of Generation X, it serves as a perfect addition to a long head-nodding weekend playlist.

"Lost Weekend" by The So So Glos

When the work week's through,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Lone Star

In honor of the 500,000+ individuals taking part in the March for Life (amidst the most intense blizzard in a while), the theme of the following song revolves around the consequences many would rather ignore from the ugly reality of abortion. With spare instrumentation and straight-forward, no-nonsense lyrics, The Front Bottoms depict a fictional account of a young couple coping with the aftermath of their decision in this track from their 2013 folk punk album, Talon of the Hawk.

"Lone Star" by The Front Bottoms

Not just preparing for nightmares,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Anchorage

I assume the rest of the music blogosphere is replete with coverage of the lives and influences of Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister (who passed away shortly after Christmas) and David Bowie (who passed away this past Sunday), especially with the latter's release of Blackstar the Friday prior which is thick with themes of death and life hereafter. So instead of adding more to what better minds have already tackled, I'll share a simple discover from one of my favorite bands. Australian post-punk powerhouse The Church released their 23rd album, Untitled #23, in 2009 which featured this song with simple, poignant poetry and somber, abrasive melody which was the closest I've ever heard the band getting to "mainstream" alternative.

"Anchorage" by The Church

Living here in the future,
Kelvin