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New Album Review

Soundbites: “Electric Honey (Encore)” – Tanerélle

I’m not entirely convinced that Tanerélle isn’t a celestial being from a far-away Afrofuturist utopia. She brings to Earth her intergalactic take on R&B and neo soul in her newest album, “Electric Honey (Encore).”

The album features some beautiful artists like Machinedrum, who specializes in elegant breakbeat and IDM, and Sabrina Claudio, who has got the sense for sensuality on lock. Drawing from both worlds is something Tanerélle does often, so they seem like perfect collaborators for her vision.

I actually first heard Tanerélle on a Machinedrum track two years ago, called “Star,” and was transfixed. Spellbound. Bewitched. Her voice is like a thick silk velvet against the track’s delicate ambience, and there’s no shortage of that feel in “Electric Honey.”

The first track on the album is “For Her (Chemtrails),” featuring Machinedrum and IMANU. The very first synths sound Ark Patrol-adjacent (an IMANU staple), setting the stage for a lighter dance track that burns out like a blown-out birthday candle: we’re left with the kiss of smoke from its wick.

One of my favorite tracks on this album is “Let Me In – Cosmic Orchestra Ver.,” where Tanerélle takes a standard R&B melody and makes a spectacle of it. The strings are utter drama as she begs a lover to let her in: “Under your skin / Yearning for softness / No need for caution / I’ll be your saint.”

The grandiosity continues with the album’s title track, “Electric Honey.” It’s more of an interlude, bridging the gap between the longing of the orchestral version of “Let Me In” and the neo-soul-voltage of “Blink.”

A final favorite of mine from this album is “Overflow.” It starts off more somber than the others and is at points, more IDM than R&B. At others, it’s sacral like a call through a cavern, accompanied by sober clarity in the lyrics:

I close my eyes as I spy for relief

I sneak away in the night while you sleep

I beg the sky for some love and some peace

And a forever, one for you and one for me

But there’s never getting what you want

It’s an all-too-familiar surrender to truth, after trying to deny that something once complete has since succumbed to decay. I think the track does well the weird back-and-forth between the lightness from relief, and the weight of memory in those moments of realization.

Overall, I think “Electric Honey (Encore)” is a sweet little release with some versatility; I could both dance and cry to some of the songs, depending on the day. It’s slightly experimental, but it remains in the realm of easy listening.

I may play something from it on a set soon..

love & disco,

dirty chai

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Concert Review New Album Review

Nothing But Blue Skies, Do I See

For nearly three years, he’s been a veritable ghost within the music scene, spending his time on an “eat-pray-love” adjacent journey stretching from Europe to Thailand following a nearly career-ending injury while touring with Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Festival.

Sturgill Simpson may have taken his bow, but Johnny Blue Skies follows strongly in his wake.

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New Album Review

Soundbites: “Got A Story To Tell” – Thee Sacred Souls

Thee Sacred Souls has got a story to tell in their new album, one with tales of self love, longing, sorrow and gratitude.

“Got A Story To Tell” is Thee Sacred Souls’ second album, released on Oct 4, 2024. The band’s work has a distinctly aged sound despite coming together in 2019: other than the beautiful mixing and production, it’s like heartfelt memories and family heirlooms made into song.

Here are some of my favorites.

The very first (and possibly my favorite) track on the album is “Lucid Girl,” a song about a girl choosing to traverse life on her own, and being content with it. It’s equally soft and triumphant, and a celebration of such a fundamental revelation.

Josh Lane, the band’s vocalist, does it justice with a hint of a smile in his voice; I can’t help but do the same as I think of my closest female friendships and our collective exploration of our time here together.

The next track on the album is “Price I’ll Pay,” which takes the perspective of a character willing to put the work in for love. It’s a refreshing take on a love that works, bringing to mind songs like “Ride or Die” by Durand Jones & The Indications. Lane sings like melted butter, with catchy little breaks in between.

Another track I really love off of “Got A Story To Tell” is “My Heart is Drowning.” It’s slower and a little more tart on the tongue than the others. The lyrics are tainted with regret as Lane sings, “With the power of the sea / Your absence washes over me.”

According to the band, their two inspirations for this track were Jamaican rocksteady and 60s girl-group pop. Somehow, both sounds combined to make me feel like something of a heartbroken cowboy, but I have no complaints.

The very last track on the album is called “I’m So Glad I Found You, Baby,” inspiring the sweet feeling of coming home. It’s a Sunday morning song to my ears, something to sip on coffee and window-filtered sunlight to. The track is a lovely note to end on, with the same gentle jubilation as “Lucid Girl.”

“Got A Story To Tell” is a truly beautiful addition to Thee Sacred Souls’ discography. I don’t typically consider myself an “album person,” but this one is definitely one I can listen to the whole way through; I can tell it’ll be an autumn favorite of mine this year.

love & disco,

dirty chai

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New Album Review

Finally Talking About The Garden’s Newest Singles

A sin perhaps more grievous than my admission of being a fan of The Garden is that I’ve waited almost a month to sit down and consume their latest singles.

The Garden, an experimental (that’s one way to put it) rock band hailing from Orange County, defines itself with punk-infused, eclectic sounds that continually push the bounds of genre, a concept the band refers to as “Vada Vada,” the name of the “universe” in which all The Garden tracks diegetically exist.

The band got its start in 2013 with the debut album “The Life and Times of a Paperclip,” and has continued to develop its sound since, gaining massive popularity — and some infamy — in the alternative scene.

Cover for "Mirror Might Steal Your Charm" by The Garden
Cover for “Mirror Might Steal Your Charm” by The Garden

Although labeled by many as a “TikTok music,” The Garden’s work has great artistic merit. Earlier releases like “Call This # Now” and “🙁” (from the album “Mirror Might Steal Your Charm“) are instrumentally and aesthetically robust, towing the line between garage punk and straight-up avant-garde.

While The Garden has played with various flavors of “strange punk music,” their most recent album, “Horsesh– On Route 66” represented what I consider to be an archetypal “The Garden style,” laden with bizarre soundbytes, silly sound effects and grunge-tinged vocals.

Cover for “Horsesh– on Route 66” by The Garden

I’ll be honest: after soaking in the release of “Route 66,” I wondered if The Garden had already reached the extent of its capabilities. The Shears brothers’s respective side projects, Puzzle and Enjoy, were comparatively more prolific than The Garden. I wouldn’t have been surprised if The Garden announced a split after the completion of their “Route 66” tour.

Thus, it was a great surprise when the band dropped two singles — teasers for another album titled “Six Desperate Ballads” — within a few months of each other.

“Filthy Rabbit Hole”

Probably the closest The Garden has gotten thus far to capturing the classic punk sounds of the 80s, “Filthy Rabbit Hole” is laden with vigorous, distorted guitar.

The California-tinged vocals of Wyatt Shears ground the track in nostalgic, almost beachy garage-rock and the simple and repetitive lyrics — “I’m blacked out/ I’m back down” — are fun and rhythmic. While not a particularly “inspired” song, it’s got a catchy and danceable beat.

“Ballet”

My favorite of the two releases, “Ballet” is something of a club anthem: electronic, upbeat and hypnotically syncopated.

Vocal duties shift between Wyatt and Fletcher, with various soundbytes woven throughout. While “Ballet” and “Filthy Rabbit Hole” differ drastically in style, they have complementary elements — a similarly gritty, grunge-filtered quality — that makes them work. I’m interested in seeing where these two tracks fit in the full album.

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New Album Review

Soundbites: “Break Me Down” by Yukimi Nagano

Yukimi Nagano, best known as part of the experimental indietronica/R&B gorgeousness that is Little Dragon, released a track called “Break Me Down” on October 9, 2024. I love Yukimi Nagano (my car is named after the woman), so I’m pretty thrilled about it.

It has the same quirky blazing synths and piano notes Little Dragon unique to Little Dragon’s sound, but it’s just the slightest bit edgier—the track almost reminds me of something off of Jim James’ “Eternally Even.”

“Break Me Down” is sweet and triumphant like a revelation of capability, as Nagano sings, “[E]very day I’m reborn like a new reveal.” Another line, “[E]very day that I wake and I let in love / And I hope that you know my heart’s enough,” is something to be written on a sticky note, posted on a bathroom mirror to see in the mornings.

I will admit I’m not as intrigued by it as I am with some of Little Dragon’s other work, like “Rush” or “The Other Lover,” featuring Moses Sumney — for context, Little Dragon often has off-the-wall elements that make their songs peculiar at first listen, and completely charming by the third — but maybe Nagano’s simpler approach to her solo debut has a purpose as something foundational. Her voice is still as beautiful and summery as ever, and the track is sunny; I’m excited to see the direction she takes on her own.

love & disco,

dirty chai

Categories
New Album Review

What’s New in Music: Recent Releases

I’ll be honest: I haven’t been doing a great job scoping out new music. As I wade deeper into what will hopefully be my final year of undergrad, I find comfort in returning to the classics and playing the same three songs by The Smiths over and over again just to feel something.

I’ve managed to drag myself away from “Hatful of Hollow” long enough to compose an assortment of sick new releases by various much-beloved artists to kick off the start of the fall season.

“Infinite Fear Jets” by IAMX

Formerly of the acid-tinged cool kids band Sneaker Pimps, Chris Corner’s newest release continues to push IAMX in a vivid new direction.

Infinite Fear Jets” maintains the moody seduction typical of an IAMX track, but Corner leans heavily into mesmerizing electronic beats infused with r&b rhythm. The track’s bright and gyrating, landing closer to pop than darkwave on the musical spectrum.

Cover for “Fault Lines²” by IAMX

I totally dig this release. It’s got the kind of energy that pulls you in and leaves you to revel in an expanse of fun and danceable music, and Corner’s penchant for experimentation and the evocation of intense moods really shines through.

“Something is Wrong” by Melted Bodies

Grungy, nu-metal-ly and purely raucous, “Something is Wrong” is a track infused with foreboding, angst and absolutely sick guitar.

I’ve always been intrigued by the incongruous and eccentric sounds of Melted Bodies, and “Something is Wrong” proves to be just that — incongruous and eccentric; a song in multiple acts, weaving in and out of genres with seamless precision. And that guitar — chainsaw-sweet and growling like a wild animal — ties it all together.

“Kiltro” by Kiltro

There’s always an undercurrent of sadness in the music of Denver-based alt folk band Kiltro. The reverberating acoustic quality of their music is rivaled only by the work of vocalist Chris Bowers Castillo, whose lyricism weaves together a brilliant musical tapestry.

Cover for “Kiltro” by Kiltro

Kiltro,” though written before Kiltro’s inception, captures the core essence of the band. An homage to Castillo’s hometown, the song is tinged with nostalgia so intense it hurts, conveyed so beautifully there are few words to truly capture its impact.

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New Album Review

Soundbites: Montell Fish – “Don’t You Love Me?”

“Don’t You Love Me?” is a song for when there is nowhere else to go.

Montell Fish originally posted a demo of it on his YouTube channel November 2022, but it had never officially been released.

August 15, 2024, he performed the song on COLORS, a well-known music platform in the soul and R&B scene… and it was breathtaking.

Montell Fish, real name Montell Frazier, is known primarily as a Christian artist. He draws inspiration heavily from his faith when creating music, his pure devotion phrased like lyrics of a love ballad. Songs like “Crumble,” whose lyrics are doting and unshakeable in their disposition, are ones I love even as someone who ascribes to a different faith.

“Don’t You Love Me?” is another beast entirely.

The chorus wastes no time, coming in desperate and swinging before anything else can take stage. The lyrics have a hint of something wavering, and Frazier’s voice tells me he’s on his knees:

“Know I get crazy / But don’t you love me anyway? /

And I know I frustrate you / But don’t you love me anyway?”

Like most of the music I love the most, this track found me at the perfect time.

Truthfully, that’s probably why I find it so moving: communication in my own relationship with the Divine exists substantially through sound.

So to come across a song that captures a familiar struggle so eloquently is truly special, especially if it’s not authored by someone with the same beliefs.

Also like many of the songs I hold closest to my heart, “Don’t You Love Me?” is relatively uncomplicated and somewhat repetitive, only breaking the prayer for a bridge in between; the devotion is apparent, however unadorned the track may sound.

After I’ve had it on loop for an hour or two, the song becomes a chant, of despair, of fear, and of faith in something unknown, but only because there is nowhere else to go.

– love & disco,

dirty chai

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New Album Review

Theatre’s Kiss Unleashes Darkness, Desperation and Despair with Newest Album

German darkwave artist Theatre’s Kiss has once again cultivated an astoundingly gothic post-punk album. Let’s talk about it.

An Artificer of Atmosphere

Since I first stumbled upon Theatre’s Kiss in 2020, I’ve remained entranced by their atmospheric melancholia.

Everything about the musical project is intentional, from its black metal-inspired aesthesis to its esoteric lyricism. While separate albums retain a distinct “vibe,” there’s a characteristic Theatre’s Kiss flair throughout — a flair for the enigmatic, emotional and elaborate.

Logo for the artist Theatre’s Kiss

“It’s all about atmosphere,” is the artist’s adage. “Nothing else matters.”

It’s clear that the project, headed by the corpse-painted Fassse Lua, comes from the heart. And its newest installment is no exception.

Suppress Your Memories

Marie / Chronicles of a needful being,” is the official second chapter of the Theater’s Kiss musical universe and, according to Fassse Lua, a passion project.

Described as a tribute to The Cure — specifically the album “Faith” — “Marie” is about “the fear of being alone and dealing with yourself.”

Photo by Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

The story of “Marie,” a character teased in the March EP “II,” is that of a girl’s descent into addiction.

“From that moment on,” Fassse Lua says in an Instagram post, “there’s no turning back. In her addiction, she longs for the moments that allow her to forget everything.”

This idea comes to the forefront with the album’s first track, “Fluch,” or “Curse.”

Into the day
Masquerade mode on
Routines that push me into…

Inhale the death

Supress your memories
Embrace the agony

“Fluch” by Theatre’s Kiss

What I find interesting about this release, as opposed to albums like “Self-Titled” and “Liedensmeloiden,” is the volume of information presented to the audience.

I’ve always been intrigued by the mysterious and borderline-elusive nature of Fassse-Lua, the unnamed — and basically un-faced — progenitor of such trancingly woeful beats.

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

For the most part, the audience is expected to infer the meaning behind various tracks.

For “Marie,” however, we’re granted not just context, but a storyline. And for me, that completely transforms the listening experience.

Endless Sorrow

Constructed so as to give the impression of a single, continuous song, “Marie” represents a waxxing and waning of misery as the album’s titular character struggles to reconcile with her declining mental health.

Some tracks are moody, laden with drums and despondent strings (“Pillows of Repression”) while others are light and airy, reminiscent of the soft sadness seen in “Self-Titled” (“Numb”).

The more prevalent use of drums also gives the album a distinct post-punk edge, as opposed to the darkwave vibes of earlier projects.

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Reading through each song’s lyrics adds another layer of intrigue. For example, we learn in “Peer Pressure” that it was Marie’s romantic partner who served as her entrypoint into drug use.

Our first try ruined everything

We gave up on ourselves
We thought of nobody else
What we had in common
was the painful urge

“Peer Pressure” by Theatre’s Kiss

There’s simply so much to talk about with this album. To avoid writing a dissertation, I’ll finish with an assessment of my favorite track off the album: “Deceased Dreams.”

Alternating between jangly, ethereal energy and the utterly dour, “Deceased Dreams” represents the sudden crush of hard-hitting reality. But rather than deliver a barrage of punches, it presents an esoteric dance.

What I really love about this track is its sudden deluge into German — the first instance of its kind across the span of Theatre’s Kiss — and the perfectly sweet vocals of Fassse Lua to go along with it.

Final Thoughts

While I’m not sure “Marie” is my favorite project by Theatre’s Kiss, it’s certainly the most interesting.

The album’s development of a diegesis through lyricism and imagery is exciting in a way not many artists can deliver.

I find myself playing detective, piecing together bits of information to try and uncover the bigger picture. Perhaps that was Lua’s intention, or perhaps the true enigma of “Marie” comes from its personal roots.

Either way, I look forward to traversing more of this lyrical world.

-J

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New Album Review

Girls Who Are Wizards: An Album Re/Overview

Vylet Pony (she/it) is an artist both prolific and eclectic, her work effortlessly spanning a sometimes baffling array of genres, sounds, and themes.

For those unfamiliar with it (which is very likely), for over a decade it’s made music based on the show “My Little Pony” and its art is inextricably tied to that fandom.

Some listeners suggest this is an unfortunate self-limitation, but she clearly finds deep creative power in it, made evident by the sheer amount and quality of music she’s released over the years.

“CUTIEMARKS (And the Things That Bind Us),” released 2021, marked her first real breakthrough into a broader audience outside the MLP community.

Now its new album “Girls Who Are Wizards,” the long-awaited ‘Vylet Pony EDM Album,’ continues its intently playful musical tradition with sample-heavy, rapidly-progressing EDM tracks that never go quite where you expect them to on the first listen.

Part roleplaying game session, part transcendental heart-to-heart and part celebration of ‘cringy’ EDM, this colorful chimera of an album is a fun listening experience all the way through.

Many of Vylet Pony’s albums have a unifying sample used throughout, and “Girls Who Are Wizards’” titular first track introduces us to its own with the soundbite “The music never stops, no!”

This bright, chirpy and reverberant kickoff to the album features lots of wub, synthy strings and piano melodies accompanied by Vylet Pony’s airy vocals and emotionally evocative lyrics.

The album continues into “The Story of DJ Goober,” which I enjoyed listening to when it was released early as a single. At times heavy and at times light, this track indulges in its bass when it gets the chance and near the end builds up to an utterly satisfying drop with the help of some raw, pleading vocals.

The third track, “The Queen is Back,” carries on the heavy drops until later mellowing out into a growly beat over which Vylet raps. The end of the song has some really neat moments as it’s taken over by artificial, machinic noises.

I don’t have as much to say specifically about the album’s middle chunk, but I do like tracks 4 and 6, “The Wizard of Wubz” and “Musicians of Ponyville.” They’re all solid, but not all my style.

Skipping forwards we arrive at what’s likely my personal favorite track on the album, “Sacred Dragon.” When the second chorus hits, the layers of energy built up throughout the song are cut through by stunningly clear vocals and give way to gorgeous rolling mesas of synth. It’s a confident, hallowed, fast-moving song that definitely evokes the feeling of soaring through a story.

The penultimate track “Facing Oblivion to Become the Lode Star” is another of my favorites, calling on similar energies as “Sacred Dragon” and following the chorus with these incredible cool squeaky synths that almost sound alive. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything quite like them before. The song is at once relaxed and energetic, steady and out-of-the-box, personal and cinematic.

The final track is “In the Name of Friendship,” a fitting sendoff to the album and what seems like a look back on Vylet Pony’s entire creative history with bits from many of her past projects.

I interpret the lyrics as reflecting on the nature of fandom and community as a whole, both its beautiful and uglier sides (“O’ the things we’ve done/In the name/The memories soiled In the name”).

For such an indulgent and referential album, an ending that touches on these themes is perfect; the adventure the listener has gone on has now come to a close, and play winds down.

Overall, I’m still not sure how “Girls Who Are Wizards” holds up for me against classic Vylet Pony releases like the incredibly stacked “CUTIEMARKS” (the difficulty that comes from an artist consistently releasing great stuff), but it’s a very enjoyable new step with very high peaks and strong character.

I’m excited to see my feelings towards it evolve as it becomes less and less ‘new’. Whether you’re already a Vylet Pony fan or someone who’s never heard of her, I recommend checking out “Girls Who Are Wizards.”

-DJ Tullykinesis

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New Album Review

Parannoul Gives Fans Everything They Wanted with “Sky Hundred”

Parannoul is an artist that needs no introduction. Over the past three years, he has made a name for himself in the growing indie scene.

He has helped bring Korean shoegaze to the West, with heights it has never quite seen before. The artist has three incredible solo albums, incredible collaboration projects, and one of the best live albums of all time. He also recently released a groundbreaking album with Fax Gang, bending the worlds of rap, indietronica and guitar music to their very limit.

It is easy to say that Parannoul has become somethinf of an indie darling. Parannoul creates atmospheres like no other and constantly pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.

This sentiment continues to shine with Parannoul’s new album, “Sky Hundred.”

What sets this apart from other Parannoul records is how much more noise there is. Peaking cymbal crashes and gritty dissonant guitars are a trademark of this entire album. The harsh analog instrumentation complements the smooth, hypnotic flare of the piano melodies and electronic synths.

Not only does this create bold and crushing moments, but gorgeous and jubilant ones, too. Parannoul shared some of the albums that inspired him for “Sky Hundred” on an Instagram Story. These include Brave Little Abacus, Walrus and Seam, a band from the early 90’s based in Chapel Hill.

Best Songs

The opening track, “A Lot Can Happen” displays a middle ground between “After the Magic” and the rest of “Sky Hundred.”

The song leads with abrasive, peaking drums, sugar-sweet vocals and cute piano parts. It’s a prime example of Parannoul’s ability to put the listener into a revolving, blissful trance.

The vocals grow and grow, getting louder with more energy and distortion than ever from the artist. Boosted by the sparkly electronic sound effects, the distortion makes it harder and harder to discern the instruments from one another. This is one of the most emotionally high, electronic-filled Parannoul songs ever, and easily a perfect opener for this album.

Lights Off Repentance” is one of Parannoul’s most experimental songs. Driven by a classic Parannoul whistling chiptune melody, every strum on the guitar and every beat of the drums clips. You can feel the distortion almost rattle your brain. The song grows more and more distorted in the bridge, with elements glitching in and out of the mix. It almost was trying to convey that the song was so heavy and loud that the program couldn’t comprehend it, which was honestly really cool.

Evoke Me” is Parannoul’s longest song out of all of his mainline albums. At fourteen minutes long, Parannoul stretches out the climactic moments of this song to make them as satisfying as possible. The first climax of the song right after the five-minute mark might be considered one of my favorite moments by him. The melody is slowly pitched up by the driving piano and crashes with his life-altering scream. At this moment, I feel the music wash over me with the pure euphoria it creates.

Backwards” is Parannoul’s most sonically uplifting song. With an upfront piano section, the song is a sweet and nostalgic piece of power pop. The uplifting nature feels very reminiscent of something like “Bodys” by Car Seat Headrest — not caring about any problems, just living in the moment. That sentiment carries over into the lyrics as well, as the song ends with the nihilistic-yet-optimistic mantra, “We all live knowing we disappear.”

Conclusion

“Sky Hundred” solidifies Parannoul as an artist who shows no creative boundaries. Being able to channel his emotions so precisely into creating beautiful music is so unique to him. Parannoul has given listeners the ability to create a utopia of peace in their heads, with “Sky Hundred” as the soundtrack.