February 2024 – Music recap.

Howdy!
February has come to an end, and just like i did at the end of January, i will provide a small recap of the albums i have listened to. My first thought back in January was for these recaps to just be about new releases that i listen to, but i figure i might as well add albums that are new to me, like stuff i have never listened to before. This month i listened to quite a few EPs.

Let us dive right in.

Dreamfear/Boy Sent From Above [EP] – Burial
Burial is one of my favourites. Since i was introduced to his album Untrue a while back, he’s always on my radar, i wasn’t the biggest fear of Antidawn EP, but i appreciate that he evolves and tries new things.. There’s something so fascinating and magical about his music, and the way it’s produced, with the samples and groove. Dreamfear/Boy Sent From Above is no different from many of his other things, it’s a 2 track EP with a total length of 26 minutes and 16 seconds. With his latest releases i think that he has come back to the sound that i like and love, and this new EP is a perfect example of the magic that he creates. As written above, this EP only contains two songs, but those two songs feel like they each contain five different songs, because there’s so much happening, and so many breaks and changes taking place.
9/10.

Drop 7 [EP] – Little Simz
My first introduction to Little Simz was when she featured on a Gorillaz song, and then she was the warm up act when i saw Gorillaz perform in Stockholm back in 2018, and i fell in love. Little Simz has since then released three full length albums that i’ve been bumping ever since, and many of her songs are part of my main playlists. For me, i very much enjoy the lyrics of her songs, and i really like how she masters the flow and lyrical presentation. Drop 7 is a bit different from her earlier works, and it has a more electronic/industrial focus – something that i often enjoy. My first was that i did not really like it, but it also intrigued me, and challenged me. Since the album has been out for about a month now, i’ve spent some time listening to it several times and it has grown on me.
7/10.

Loss of Life – MGMT
MGMT released a new album that i was looking forward a lot to. I’ve been a massive fan of MGMT ever since they released their first album, Oracular Spectacular, back in 2007. One thing i do enjoy about MGMT is that they evolve and change their approach and sound a lot – and their albums tend to have a ”red thread” that brings the album together as a whole entity. And that is what i did not like about Loss of Life, i could not find that red thread that brings the album together, and creates the magic that you can find in an MGMT album. No doubt about it, the production is great, the instrumentals are great, the song is great – but they are not working together as i would expect.
6/10.

Birthday Girl – Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon is the moniker of Mark Kozelek, who was in the band Red House Painters. As Sun Kil Moon he has released 13 studio albums. I have over the years listened a lot to Sun Kil Moon, with my first introduction to Sun Kil Moon was with the release of Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood which opened up my eyes for his work. The songs are often very downtempo, with melancholy lyrics often describing very ordinary and mundane things in a beautiful way – and that is what i have enjoyed from Sun Kil Moon. Birthday Girl somehow misses the point completely, something just does not work here. The lyrics might be melancholy, but something is just off. I don’t know how to describe it – but i did not find this album intriguing or good, at all.
2/10.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

New music recap – January 2024

I always listen to music, and i listen to a lot of music. My Spotify wrapped 2023 put me down for 163 000 minutes which is a lot. But i am not very good at actively seeking out new releases. So, that is a thing i will try and do more of in 2024.

For January i have listened to four albums that was released in January 2024, and below i will list them, give some of my thoughts about them, as well as a 0-10 score.

ORQUÍDEAS – Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis has become a house hold name over the last years and she has put out a lot of fantastic music and featured on many more. This is my first time listening to one of her albums from start to finish, as i’ve mostly heard heard her in different features with artists such as Bootsy Collins. The titles of the tracks are all in spanish, and the lyrics are mainly being sung in spanish, with some english. As i only know a few words in spanish, the lyrics made little sense to me – but the production is very good, and the instrumentals are very cool. My favourite track of off this album is No Hay Ley Parte 2. I read an article the other day about how music sung in spanish is making a big impact, and has been on a steady increase these last few years.
5/10.

People Who Aren’t There Anymore – Future Islands
I stumbeled upon Future Islands when the festival Coachella was streaming concerts on Youtube a couple of years ago. I had never heard of Future Islands before, but since then, i have often returned to them, as i fell in love with their catchy yet smooth melodies, and intriguing lyrics. This new album is no different, it sounds like a Future Islands record, and i’ve really been enjoying it thus far. My favourite track off of this album is The Tower.
7/10.

Saviors – Green Day
As a 90s kid Green Day has been a big part of my musical journey, eventhough, i haven’t been as into them as many have. My first exposure to Green Day was when they released American Idiot in 2004. This lead me to finding their 1994 album Dookie, which holds a special place in my heart, that i often come back to. On this new album, Saviors, they really are trying, for which i give them kudos for effort – but something really is lacking, badly. I do however think that Dilemma is a genuinly good song.
2/10.

Wall of Eyes – The Smile
The Smile is one of Radiohead front man Tom Yorke’s many different projects. Wall of Eyes is the second album from The Smile, and my first exposure to this particular Yorke project. I went in without any thoughts about how this might sound, as i really had no clue. I was floored, and according to my Last.fm-statistics i’ve already listened through it 8 times this wee, not bad for an album that was released a week ago. I’d describe the sound of this album as a slower, and somewhat easier to digest, compared to much of the Radiohead stuff. My favourite track off of this album is Teleharmonic.
8/10.

I think we have some good stuff to look forward to for February. For example, Burial released a new EP yesterday!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

LORN – YESTERDAY’S PAIN / CUT THE ANCHOR

LORN has released two singles that are found on his bandcamp page, they’re called YESTERDAY’S PAIN and CUT THE ANCHOR. I fell into the music produced by LORN by accident, as it was recommended to me by a friend, he recommended the track called Acid Rain from the album called The Maze To Nowhere. I really like the gritty and dystopic sound of the tracks that LORN produces and i’ve had Acid Rain on heavy rotation ever since it was recommended to me.

These two new singles follows the kind of patented LORN sound, with that dark, gritty and dystopic sound that reminds you of some kind of haunting of the soul. I love the sound, and you can sense that LORN has been influenced by Burial and his earlier sound, from Burial and Untrue. I am writing a text about the new EP released by Burial, it should be up any day now.

I got very happy when i saw on /r/ElectronicMusic that LORN had released two new singles and i went to check them out as soon as i could. As i wrote earlier, the sound follows the classic sound that is almost to be expected by LORN. The sound is almost atmospherical and eerie and it builds a tingle and a sense in your body. Some parts of YESTERDAY’S PAIN made me think of some tracks by Oneothrix Point Never. I really like these two new singles, and hope that there’s more to follow in the same direction. Looking forward to the future of more LORN.

Until next time, take care.

SLQT.