It's been a month since I last wrote this column! I bet all of my fans have been wondering why. Well, I'll tell you! I have been busy and no one cares! Great!
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992)
I've been a casual fan of Aphex Twin for a while, even though the "Come To Daddy" video traumatized me as a kid. The Richard D. James album is incredible and I don't remember anything about Syro (I think it was good? People seemed to think it was good.). Anyways, this record is gorgeous. The beats are more propulsive and engaging than one might guess from the title. While it can be a passive listen, it deserves better. The soundscapes demand to be heard and provide an incredibly compelling case for themselves.
Iceage - New Brigade (2011)
I first got into Iceage over the summer, listening to all three of their albums. They were solid; I moved on. Recently, the band announced a new album with a great new single. Next came the inevitable album announcement and a Sky Ferreira-featuring second single. Both songs conveyed the dark vibe I remembered from their earlier albums, and mother of God this stuff is furious. Songs initially register entirely on a primal, unconscious level. Listening to this album on headphones is like the band is in the room with you, shoving and howling at you. But, like, it's awesome.
The Hotelier - Home, Like NoPlace Is There (2014)
The undisputed emo classic of the past decade. Holds up every time. I cannot name a song more emotionally demanding than "An Introduction to the Album." Every time, it grips your heart and squeezes till it's all you can feel. Fortunately, it barely lets up for the next 40 minutes. The instrumentals convey as much emotion as the lyrics, and it's all uncomfortably heavy. This album's burden is worth taking up.
Julianna Barwick - Sanguine, Florine, & The Magic Place (2006, 2009, 2011)
I've been on a bit of modern classical/ambient binge lately (see above and below), and I finally got around to listening to Julianna Barwick. Vocals twist like smoke, looping a halo around the listener's head. I'm still on my first listens to each of these records (her first two EPs and debut full-length, respectively) so I can't entirely speak to why they're so beautiful yet. That's entirely because the beauty is so overwhelming, not because there isn't anything more to her music.
Soccer Mommy - Clean (2018)
While I dig this album and Sophie Alison's music in general, I don't quite understand the hype. It's a great indie rock album with effortless hooks and sad lyrics. So far, it hasn't struck me as much more than that. It's certainly not as revolutionary as some seem to make it out to be. I'm happy that Alison is getting attention and I hope to see her on tour later this year, but a Best New Music from Pitchfork, a Rolling Stone interview, and a New York Times feature? Based off some Bandcamp EPs and a decent singles collection? The music publication machine is a fascinating and confusing thing to behold.
Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets & Ambient 1/Music For Airports (1974, 1978)
Regardless of whether you believe that Eno "invented" ambient, he certainly made one of its best albums. Eno definitely didn't invent glam rock, but he certainly one of its best, weirdest albums. These albums showcase completely different sides of Eno. Here Come The Warm Jets presents an experimental, near-psychedelic side, complete with some fantastic vocal performances and a whole cast of collaborators (including almost all the members of Roxy Music and King Crimson's Robert Fripp). This makes sense, given his recent departure from Roxy Music. Music For Airports sounds more like what the modern listener expects from Eno - spacious, textured piano and a lot of atmosphere. Almost all of his recent albums have sounded more like this, which makes Warm Jets that much more surprising. Both sides of Eno are utterly worth exploring.
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