Is there a word for having the urge to share something but it’s too personal to go into detail? I get this feeling a lot even when I have nothing to say, which I guess recently helped develop my reputation for being candid. Despite any candidacy, my details only seep out gradually, like a steeping tea bag; maybe it’s from initial overconfidence in what I know or a neurotic search for anticipation in the audience before my next move. Or it’s all disconnected jest, as I applaud language unfolding from its clown car and refold into a jumping frog, the strings I puppeteer invisible to my squinting moons which orbit just above it.
What I actually mean is the urge to share something like drama (shoshimin-eiga at its most interesting) bubbling up from your coworkers: you rest the bubble on the tip of your finger to marvel at the pink shimmering spiral that waxes and vanishes in the light before you realize the bubble has bounced from your apathetic ear and drifted away. To share a fight with a friend or partner that appears in an instant with thunder, but you keep your iron umbrella-for-one above your forehead as the lightning strikes its stitches; With the stitches out, the pair loosens to become just two stacks of yarn with different patterns—when the storm passes, you each pick up the steel knitting needles. To gloat about the protected encounter you had with the odd drifting spirits aboard the train between your two homes. (And you know something’s happening here, but you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mr. Jones?).
It’s hard not to think about this when I have the license to write whatever I want here, and over the last month have discarded all forms of social media. Wading through their golden river of comments, I once again found that the deepest basin of the stream contained no stones, but only sand, and when I lifted my head from the shining water, the mob of teen souls at the shore pointed their arcs of urine at me. So I lost any joy from skimming comments and the impulse they instigate in you to respond. The New York Times comment box seemed pretty fun at first as an alternative, because they send you a nice message when your comment gets approved, “you are now published in the Times and the journalist may respond to you.” But then I figured, is this democratic order or bread thrown to ducks to keep them in the pond at the retirement community? They know the importance of that urge to share, but through this platform format regard its value as nothing more than a means to distinguish hierarchy.
Cynicism aside, of all the noises our ears voraciously consume, these shared drifting thoughts trusted onto us uncertainly are among the best of our troubles. Secrets are best hidden in plain view anyway. And, we can at least wash down the words with some music! Here are a few of my top picks for new music we received during November and December to close out the year:
KXLU’s November & December New Adds:
Stiletto by Gut Health
Gloomy dance punk with killer grooves. They know how to keep each of their songs spontaneous and fun, reminding me of a combo between Au Pairs and Cheekface. A debut album that deserves love in all its veracity and free flowing energy.
Lift by Hunger Anthem
I might as well put it into writing: I hate one-word titles in modern media. It often feels so amateurish. I feel like it’s so arrogant to give a work a name that suggests the piece encompasses all qualities the word contains, and lazy to suggest at the same time the piece is only worth being denoted by a single word. There’s a lot of power in a single word, but if it doesn’t land by the end of the piece then you’re out of luck. Fortunately, Hunger Anthem is neither arrogant nor lazy. I’m not sure if the album earns its encyclopedic title, but I’m having too much fun listening to their diverse 12 tracks of fuzzy old school indie rock to care. So many influences converge here to make every track an engaging joy before you find it tugging at your heartstrings. The title track has a skate pop punk melody to it with these lovely backing vocals popping in that are both cheeky and earnest, while the GBV-like guitar pulls you back and forth. Get your fix of power pop for the year and go check out this album!
Pure Gluttony by Brutus VIII
Scary original industrial synth punk. It feels like MSPAINT but if every band member had the menacing magnitude of the former’s singer—they’re locking eyes with you the entire performance—except for their singer who’s just a stretched shadow shifting across dusty, fluid-stained corners of the abandoned room. The electroclash-like synths ebb and flow and explode so nicely around the spooky lyrics and vocals. On “Doomer,” the gloom of the album’s first half is broken up by an ardent hymn reminiscent of Xiu Xiu’s soft prowess (i.e. Suha, Sad Pony Guerilla Girl, etc.) before orchestral parts pass over it like a crucified Yazoo. A very complex and authentic dark work.
Kassie Krut (EP) by Kassie Krut
Electronic release of the month(s)! The production has the mechanical complexity of Autechre with the spunky dense layers of Iglooghost, all standing firmly in a salute behind playful vocals. Put this deconstructed club record on and you won’t turn it off. Tone transforming to effortless tone, the tracks describe immense structures spiraling out of violet crystal worlds but you’re never quite sure where you are. It takes your hand in its warm palm and drags you through the stagnant cold air and muted light. This is a group to watch. I need to go check out their previous project Palm which others may know.
So you like Slippers? by Slippers
17-minutes of classic twee pop anthems. They adorned the vinyl art with cute doodled characters. Deviating traits like a third eye stacked onto the side of one’s head gives them an existential angst in their poise that the music comforts with an ice cream date (yes, they will be adding toppings to their order). A camera snaps the picnic party you’re having with your two friends at the cemetery on a cool, sunny, autumn day. A tear falls to the cement on the walk home but nothing can stop you from skipping between the cracks. Peeking through the pages of your book in an empty classroom, a sweet voice seems to ask, “Hey do you remember that promise we made?” The sun comes out from the fluffy, distant clouds.
Archie by Main Era
Look up Glenn Branca solo 1978. They do that at the end of the first track. This modern indie college rock band carefully constructs a slower emo winter atmosphere then warms it up with upbeat distorted guitar rhythms. The songs often feel disorganized, but this only adds to their expression as it captures the spontaneity of their youthful passion. It’s slower than my usual taste sure, but it’s chock full of energy and artistry.
Heavy Metal by Cameron Winter
The album cover depicts a young guy, but the album sounds like an old man. I turned it off after the first minute. Then I came back. It’s called Heavy Metal, but the album sounds like melancholic folk with americana sentiments. Whatever, Dean Blunt. I turned it off after two songs. Then I came back. This time I listened all the way through. Apparently, Cameron Winter fronts the indie rock band Geese if that means anything to you—the two projects are completely different, simply united by Winter’s commitment to traditional styles and suddenly interrupting them with passionate accumulated clusters of noise.
Heavy Metal includes ten tracks of digressing, raw confessional stories that make intertextual references to each other. It’s unclear on first listen where one story ends and another begins, or whether it’s even supposed to be the same narrator despite the repeated references. Either way, Winter captures a bounty of rich experiences in a heartbroken tone. He invites deep introspection with the lethargic pace and then expansive extrospection with the bright layers that emerge as he heaves up the song. Every note and motion conveys how hard the artist Winter is trying, as the person Winter rambles on with self-centered ease and self-loathing bravado. This craft draws out a symphony of feeling from your vulnerable form, but contains it in the immediate experience of listening to the work.
Holiday Pick: A Peace of Us by Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom
Festive indie rock songs with the variety, solemnity, and emotional grace of The Magnetic Fields, oh yeah!
Oh yeah, and Father John Misty’s Mahashmashana came out too I guess :p.
Do you want a chance to have your music played on the radio? Send us your music submissions!
Physical submissions (vinyl, CD, cassette):
KXLU 88.9FM
Attn: Music Director
One LMU Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Digital submissions: brettkxlu@gmail.com
Brett also co-hosts A Fistful of Vinyl every Thursday from 9:00-10:00pm PST on KXLU 88.9FM.