Well, sorta... I just recently got out of a YouTube bender looking up eurodance tracks from the mid-90s to mid-00s and this is what came up. If this happens to inspire any discotheque adventures, be sure to bring your best look.
10. "Believe" by Cher (1998)
This is the song that got me started down this rabbit-hole after it was featured in the Stuff You Should Know podcast on Auto-Tune.
9. "Heaven (Bryan Adams Cover)" by DJ Sammy and Yanou featuring Do (2001)
I first encountered Voxtrot while listening to the Smiths' radio on Pandora. Their song "The Start of Something" showed a surprising proficiency in creating an 80s jangle atmosphere with a modern indie pop structure which allotted the merit for the band to be placed in the same playlist as Moz and the gang. That song was from their first release, a 5-song EP in 2005, and it would be another two years until the band came out with their self-titled debut album. Tracks like "Kid Gloves" render the repressed romantic restlessness characteristic of Voxtrot's typical melodic and lyrical composition, which sounds like a page ripped from the diary of a dejected 20-something hipster.
Unfortunately, Voxtrot's fall from indie rockdom was as swift as its rise. After a number of disjointed single releases, lead singer Ramesh Srivastava announced the breakup of the band in 2010 and thereafter began a solo musical venture. As a result, their last recording, "Berlin, Without Return", can be considered the farewell to a journey which began simply as... the start of something. But with a line like "When I see you naked, I see more than the flesh" it's a shame that the music scene is indefinitely deprived of a band that can deliver the pensive and vulnerable poetry of those striving towards authentic love in an otherwise self-centered and relativistic world.
Yes, it's been over two years since my last blog post. With that being said, let's get back to the music.
Thanks to NPR and Spotify I've been able to discover music in a fresh and exciting way. Most importantly, I've been able to encounter new music as it becomes available! Sure, there have always been bands that I would occasionally track to see if their getting ready to release new material or see if I missed the launch by a couple of days (or years...). But now the music comes to me, whether in the form of a podcast hosted by music experts or an artist radio station via music streaming or in relation to other new discoveries. If feels like the old days when television used to air music videos on the regular.
And thanks to this new-fangled technology (new to me, at least), I've been able to listen to A TON of great releases from this year alone. Without further ado, what to listen to from 2015!
Nota bene: To prevent favoritism, all albums are listed in chronological order.
24 Albums I've Listened To So Far
Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love 20 January 2015
I'm actually glad this came first on the list because it's my top discovery so far. Coming out of the northwestern riot grrrl scene of the mid-90s, Sleater-Kinney had an active career in the first decade of their band-ship, releasing 7 albums and maintaining a strong underground fanbase. After a long hiatus, they come back strong with No Cities to Love, making punk fun to listen to again and challenging the notion that indie rock is just for soft acoustic background music in car commercials.
“Bury Our Friends” by Sleater-Kinney
Of Montreal – Aureate Gloom 3 March 2015
To me, Of Montreal always seemed like a band too eccentric for me to get into (like the Flaming Lips, but a lot less coherent). It's still hard to listen to Aureate Gloom from beginning to end without scratching your head, but I'm floored not only by the musical complexity of their experimental pop but also by how funky it some of the tracks are. A little bit of trivia: the title for the opener "Bassam Sabry" is a reference to the Egyptian civil rights activist who "accidentally fell from a balcony under unclear circumstances" last year.
“Bassem Sabry” by Of Montreal
Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves 17 March 2015
My only exposure to Modest Mouse before Strangers to Ourselves was their better-known singles and Good News for People Who Love Bad News, and this unfamiliarity with their erratic sound makes it difficult to give an accurate review. I can say that more than once I felt that the album was unevenly paced, with semi-manic vocals being carried by a slow and steady rhythm. If you're not too familiar with the band, I'd suggest listening to one of their other five albums for a more proper introduction.
"The Tortoise and the Tourist" by Modest Mouse
Chastity Belt – Time to Go Home 20 March 2015
I'm not super impressed by Chastity Belt's latest release, Time to Go Home. Having a post-punk atmosphere and a college rock groove, it was a slow burn for most of the record mostly due to a lyricism that doesn't take itself too seriously. However, there are some redeeming moments when the tempo speeds up.
“Joke” by Chastity Belt
Liturgy – The Ark Work 23 March 2015
I never thought I'd be listening to black metal, but here I am... listening to black metal. Granted, the bandmembers of Liturgy (along with their compatriots Deafheaven) would describe their approach as "transcendental black metal" which have the purists up in arms and screaming "Blasphemy!" (how ironic...). Most of the time their sound is an extreme form of shoegazing, but in any case The Ark Work is a totally different kind of animal. The harsh shrieks are replaced by drone chant, synthesizers make frequent appearances and there's even a tinge of hip-hop (see "Vitriol"). It's a decent listen, but I was expecting something more along the lines of "Tragic Laurel". Their longest track, "Reign Array", is an accurate cross-section of all their trying to accomplish in the record. And if for some reason you find the sound unbearable after a minute of listening, at least try to wait out until the bagpipes come in (yes, bagpipes).
This isn't a usual post nor is it an indication of a return to usual posts, but I just felt that this would be something good to share. Many of you may be familiar with the weekly series The Bible currently being showcased on the History Channel (or History, whatever they want to call themselves nowadays...). Something surprising that was brought to my attention was that since its premiere on March 3rd it has been the number one showin all TV.
As much as I'd love for Christian artists to just go out and express themselves, there's an expectation that the art also be true, good and beautiful (see here). I attended a Catholic conference earlier this year where they showed a preview of the series, recounting Abraham taking his son Issac to be sacrificed, and there's something about The Bible that hasn't sat well with me from the beginning (see what I did there?...). In an attept to "fill in the gaps" (so to speak) of these stories in Scripture, the producers implement over-hyped drama causing inaccurate character developments that lead to theological fallacies throughout the series (don't get me started on their portrayal of the Exodus...).
Granted, I understand the audience they're reaching is vast (not only encompassing believers and non-believers, but even the various denominations of believers), but that's no reason to compliment TV-14 action with barely-age-of-reason-level catechesis. Now, I'm not trying to condemn the series or persuade viewers to stop following it, but I've seen enough of it to suggest that the level of compromise present be watched with a grain of salt.
Before ranting any further, I just wanted to share a discourse on the series provided by Father Mike Schmitz at the above mentioned converence. Having only seen the snippet of Abraham and Issac, he comes to a similar conclusion about the producers' aims.
Abraham and Issac in The Bible - Commentary
from "#GOODGOD #BADMEDIA" by Father Mike Schmitz
Be sure to check out The Bible for yourselves, which will be showing Part 3 of its 5-Part series tonight at 8pm EST on History. And if you liked the commentary above and are interested in 5GB of similar talks and/or related resources, then check out what FOCUS has to offer!
Pax,
Kelvin
P.S. - I'm asking for forgiveness instead of permission as I'm posting this without Fr. Schmitz's knowing =/ ...
It's that time again... the time when I say I'm too busy to keep this blog updated. Not that it's too much of a surprise if you've been following me (or nagging me), but now it's official. I won't go into detail on the reasons why I'm busy because excuses are excuses.
And as always, this is not an end all be all. I'll post some posts when I get the chance, but it will most likely not be on a monthly basis. In any case, I have a back catalog of interesting entries that should keep any newcomer entertained for a while.
But I won't leave you all totally hanging. I did promise to make at least one post in the month of September and so I'll leave you with the stylings of an artist who just won't stop being awesome: Audrey Assad (you can check out a little blurb about her at the end of this).
