Staff Pix 2/13: Short-N-Sweet
“Swallowed Alive” by Mount Eerie
“Swallowed Alive”, off Phil Elverum’s Night Palace, is at once shocking and entirely unsurprising. The fourth track on the album, Swallowed Alive follows an impressive starting three of the tracks “Night Palace,” “Huge Fire,” and “Breaths,” each of which are simultaneously subtle and sweltering, drenched in delicate ambience and atmosphere, atmosphere which is brought to a hard stop with the wrench “Swallowed Alive” chucks into the album. Cymbals crash introing rampant noise and distorted screaming, spanning the whole of the track, only dipping to allow three spoken lines to bleed through at the end, “You get swallowed by the lion, you get swallowed alive, and you live to tell the tale.” His daughter’s voice! An outro which simultaneously recontextualizes and contrasts the body of the track as well transitions perfectly into the following “My Canopy,” a more tender number dedicated to Elverum’s daughter, featuring only softened drums and acoustic guitar. The whole sequence shocks but is still entirely typical of Phil Elverum/The Microphones/Mount Eerie, who has always stood for unrelenting experimental creativity, going all the way back to their first release, Tests, in 1998, an album which for the majority of its runtime lacks any traditional conception of what would be considered “music” whatsoever. “Swallowed Alive” then serving not so much as a shock rather than a continuation of the very form which has made Phil Elverum so exceptional across all his many styles and pseudonyms. — Declan Ireland
“bloweyelashwish” by loveliescrushing
In the midst of winter, that stultifying sheet of never-ending stratus, a clear sunset feels nearly technicolor. Its colors seem enhanced by the cold, a hearth that startles your longings out of their numb hibernation—not at all like the haze of summer, when the sky seems to suffuse the very air like a heady perfume. The ephemerality of these wintry sunsets, only 30 minutes once or twice a week, makes them all the more potent; they are invitations to slow down and project your feelings onto the plumes of smoke fading away into carnelian and fuchsia skies. It just so happens that “bloweyelashwish” by Loveliescrushing is the titular track of my favorite album for just such occasions. An entire stratosphere of ambient shoegaze sound—unintelligible murmurs and shimmering drone—swells across the short track. It sounds like the sky speaking back. — Christian Jones
“Summit Song” by Nicole Dollanganger
On January 6th, 2023 Nicole Dollanganger released her fifth and most recent album, Married In Mount Airy. As a whole, the genre of this body of work is difficult to pin down; it can be described as art pop, dream pop, slowcore, gothic folk, singer-songwriter, or a blend of all five. Like the rest of Dollanganger’s discography, Married In Mount Airy is characterized by its macabre lyrics and melancholy sonic atmosphere. The juxtaposition of the artist’s high-pitched, child-like vocals with the grim lyrical themes of her music makes for a deeply haunting listening experience. “Summit Song” in particular is track ten of the twelve on this album, and it deviates slightly from the artist’s usual style because it’s an instrumental. The song opens with a quiet melody played on a synthesizer that gradually builds up to a sweeping, almost cinematic score over the course of its one minute and 55 second runtime. Dollanganger’s vocals can be heard about a minute into the song, but her typical dark lyrics are replaced by a gentle, rhythmic humming, which leaves the song feeling somber and reflective. Overall, “Summit Song” is a beautiful lo-fi ambient piece, and definitely worth listening to if you like your songs “short-n-sweet.” — Emeline Chopin
“All I Wanna Do” by The Beach Boys
Although “Glass in the Park” by Alex Turner was a close pick, there is no voice that can match Brian Wilson’s honesty. It’s hard to listen to the 2:34 without feeling a twinge of longing for someone who could be close (or already is). Written for their 1970 album Sunflower it is important to notice the reverb and layering of vocals used over the track. Being such an early point of release for these tools, its foundation in the dream-pop genre is solidified. “All I Wanna Do” is a pledge of loyalty. I can be a cliché most of the time. But I can’t help it! There is no better feeling of solidarity in another. That unspoken feeling of connection. Call me vulnerable, but what is the point of a love song if not literal? I believe attraction can be solved in less than 42 hours if one half of the party is ballsy enough, so why teeter on confirmation? — Salem Ross
“Some Strange Angel” by Car Seat Headrest
Forget acute desperation. Forget self deprecating pleas of forgiveness. Forget the death of dreams and the inability to remain in a moment full of tumultuous hesitation. On “Some Strange Angel” Will Toledo breaks from reality, entertaining a surprisingly optimistic vision of what it might be like to embrace domesticity. “I don’t feel the fear anymore / Carry me through your door / When it’s too late to go home / We won’t have to be alone // We’ll keep the world on repeat.” Toledo croons so delicately his voice almost quivers, balancing between the reverberations of a singular backing bass guitar. The fighting, between both himself and the subject of this song, has reached a point of exhaustion leading Toledo to reject his fatalistic tendencies. There’s an initial fragility to the instrumentals which eventually transforms into a wall of distortion, mirroring his hopes for an internal change moving forward. The final lines of the song are cried out with a mixture of apologetic collapse and pure desire: “When it’s all gone, I love you / When I’m done, I love you.” It’s a hopeful close to the song that declares this to be an everlasting love. This love is invaluable, untouched by both Toledo’s and the subject’s past, it will outlast external pressures and be sustained by a newfound sense of devotion, one separated from self-serving cycles of desperation. — Sophie Parrish
“Skips A Beat (Over You)” by The Promise Ring
Often overlooked lyrical genius comes from whiny, emo bands. They’re usually abstract and very much rely on the sense of touch. They can be optimistic or nihilistic, and if written abstractly enough; both. The Promise Ring is no exception. On 1999’s ‘Skips a Beat (Over You),’ Davey von Bohlen proves himself to fit this ‘emo lyrical genius’ niche by singing “So wouldn’t it be nice / If we could live twice in just one life? / Then we’d know what to do when I’m shaking in my shoes / And my heart skips a beat over you.” With the song barely over two minutes, The Promise Ring exudes ‘cheap, thoughtful, handmade valentines day gift.’ It’s straight ear candy! It doesn’t matter that van Bohlen can’t sing, his geeky charm and romcom-esque lyricism mixed with the jaggedy guitars and hooky synth is what makes the song catchy and without it, it would just be another whiny, emo song. — Mario Sierra
“Carnival” by The Cardigans
My dentist told me if I wanted to avoid cavities then to stop listening to this song. With a confectionary mouth and sugar swelling teeth I simply cannot stop singing, “Carnival,” by The Cardigans. It’s catchy. It’s vibrant. It swells your tongue with that pop-rocky yearning burst that just fizzles with a lingering excitement. I cannot think of a song that encompasses that swirly, butterflies in your stomach sensation that this song pulls out of you. The main, repetitive lyric (Come on and love me now /), grows and swells with the thrill that you only encounter when someone catches your eye for the first time, or when you’re itching to see if those lingering stares and easy grins are reciprocated. As the song progresses, the love depicted could be interpreted as requited, and maybe it is. But that rush, that ‘carnival’ -esque spin layered and layered upon and underbelly of desire, leaves you with a giddy, lovesick swell regardless. Not only that, but the instrumentals within the chorus spin you off your feet in a dizzying, enchanting beat, that you can’t help but dance, sing along, and relish in that naive yet universal feeling to ask to be loved. — Gabrielle Finucan
“I’m Gonna Love You Too” by Blondie
Originally recorded by Buddy Holly in 1958, Blondie’s cover of “I’m Gonna Love You Too” on Parallel Lines (1978) is nothing short of a flirt-turned-confidence-boost. Every second of the song is sure of itself; Blondie’s playful cover energizes the slow country drawls of Holly’s recording, shaving off six seconds by pepping up the tempo. And if Debbie Harry isn’t enough to make you weak in the knees, her cockiness might just be, “I don’t care what you told me / You’re gonna say you’ll hold me / And you’re gonna say you love me / ‘Cause I’m gonna love you too.” — Heather Thorn
“Bye” by Starry Cat
This song is the musical equivalent of a childhood bedroom—perfectly messy, sheltered by posters and pictures and rainbow Christmas lights with stacked magazines and a cheap school trophy. It’s sitting on your roof in the summer, or laying on your carpeted floor putting stickers on a jewel CD case. One of the many short-lived side projects of Teen Suicide member Sam Ray, Starry Cat is the fuzzy lo-fi corner of his mind, destined to be uploaded to indie archival accounts on YouTube. Like many of Ray’s tracks, “Bye” is syrupy sweet with a lingering sense of utter adolescent sadness, with lyrics that sound like they were ripped from a teenage diary; “When I don’t have you, I’m losing my mind / I wish I was with you all of the time.” Ray’s shaky soft vocals combined with buzzing acoustic guitar and distorted keyboard make the song sound like a short, somber lullaby with all the bittersweet charm of a first love. — Julia Schramm
“Washington, D.C.” by The Magnetic Fields
Just what I need! The 37th of The Magnetic Field’s iconic “69 Love Songs” is a love letter to the shortest major U.S. city, Washington, D.C.! Home to eighth grade field trips, motorcades, monuments, and a whole lot of security details, the city can feel a bit uncanny. Maybe it’s the humidity or the leaden weight of democracy, but there’s a certain tension in the air. This track perfectly complements that spirit. Commanded by Claudia Gonson’s vocals, it’s punchy, profound, and a reminder to see through the haze of plaques and parades and appreciate what’s in front of you. — Madison Decina
“10x Stronger” by Dominic Fike
“I pretend I’m ten times stronger for you” and that’s all he had said. The rest of the song consists of strings and harmonies that fill a space where unconditional love tries to find middle ground with self-preservation. — Serenity Holland
“0181 000 0015” 00110100 01010100
This instrumental is hauntingly beautiful. This entire album is so fun and blends so many interesting abstract styles. Kiera Heiden does it again with her ominous symbolic music and aliases. Just a little bit over a minute long, this song feels like solving a mystery or haunting a house as a ghost. — Katie Lew