November ’18 Favorites
You’ll have to forgive my tardiness, all one of you who reads these — everything was neatly in order until The 1975 dropped an album on NOVEMBER 30TH, effectively ruining everything.
- A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships — The 1975
What did we ever do to deserve such a phenomenally eccentric band? The 1975’s newest album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, harnesses and revolutionizes indie pop rock in a way that challenges the very directionality of modern pop music. I am, undoubtedly, here for it.
When the band’s first LP, The 1975, debuted in 2013, Rolling Stone published a single paragraph review that concluded most bluntly, “…the LP mostly forces unconvincing emo lyrics into a bloopy 1980s package.” The band took that critique and ran with it, so it seems, as every project they’ve released since builds onto the initial album-deep commentary that Rolling Stone so tragically missed in The 1975.
I oftentimes find myself reminded of The Picture of Dorian Gray while listening to The 1975’s music on account of their widespread fascination with aesthetics. They wrangle with acknowledging a culture that is self-possessed while being themselves, in many ways, very self-possessed. And, they continue to beg the question: What does it fucking matter anyway? It’s quite neo-dadaist if you ask me, but that absurdism, that utilization of bad boy Tumblr tropes to their advantage, is what makes their projects so intricate. Each experience reveals another layer of raw feeling and disdain for norms that too quickly categorize art.
Now, I want to be frank in that it’s perfectly understandable, even easy, to struggle with an affection for the The 1975. The very names of their projects (i.e. I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful And Yet So Unaware Of It) are enough to dissuade listeners. When Matt Healy sings, “It’s not about reciprocation it’s just all about me / A sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic junkie wannabe / There’s so much skin to see / A simple Epicurean Philosophy,” it can be exceedingly difficult not to roll your eyes. On the other hand, when Healy addresses his battles with depression and addiction in “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes),”it reminds us that outward facing appearances, whether hyper-intellectual or seemingly shallow, need not distract us from our shared human condition. Everybody is shallow, everybody is intelligent, and everybody is capable of both pain and joy. So while The 1975’s music can easily be construed as unconvincing, that’s just part of the point.
This idea weaves itself into the technicality of their sound as well. While the band has always clutched onto the synth-y dream pop and pronounced electric guitar that makes music theirs, they have over the years also incorporated influences of R&B, blues, and even gospel. They actively resist being funneled into the “mainstream” category both by welcoming other genres and insisting that pop, too, possesses as much meaning as anything else. What is mainstream?
The album begins with “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME,” a catchy song complete with an upbeat melody and vague lyrics — warm, casual, unattached. But as the album moves forward, Healy gets more bold, singing “I’m scared of dying / Is that on fire? / Am I a liar ? Ooh / (I can’t be quiet) / I’m scared of dying” in “I Like America and America Likes Me.” The song is heavily influenced by R&B, and Matty’s voiced is almost entirely disguised by a synthesizer as he drapes the album in a darker mood, suggesting that while pop is certainly a place for love and heartache, it is also a place for loss, confusion, remorse, hope.
It’s that kind of deep self-reflection and honesty that allows The 1975’s music to transcend its genre — and its makers. I highly encourage everyone to give the album a go, keeping in mind the fickleness of first impressions.
2. Revelation — Troye Sivan, Jonsi
Troye Sivan, Saunder Jurriaans, Danny Bensi, and Jonsi have ever so gracefully joined forces to create the Motion Picture Soundtrack for Boy Erased, a must-see-and-cry-your-eyes-out film now in theaters. Boy Erased follows the story of Jared Hedges, a 19-year-old pastor’s son who is sent to a gay conversion therapy program after being outed to his parents. The accompanying soundtrack echoes the elements of the movie that constitute its brutal beauty: liberation, deliverance, the possession of a strange and powerful hope. Troye Sivan, who is himself a prominent queer icon, sings, “It’s a revelation / There’s no hell in what I’ve found / And no kingdom shout / How the tides are changing / As you liberate me now / And the walls come down.” The song is uplifting but atmospheric enough to be utterly haunting when considered in the context of the movie. One finds oneself in tears by its completion, amazed at how something so heart wrenching can be so achingly elegant. I have nothing to offer but praise.
3. Follow My Girl — The Japanese House
The Japanese House is my one true love. The production, the delivery, Amber Bain’s impossible vocal texture all neatly presented in one package, by a SOLO ACT no less, is truly what I live for day in and day out. I will fight to protect this woman at all costs.
Bain’s newest single is positively commandeering, lyrically and otherwise. She begins, “Different people have their different ways of living / I chose mine and it was unforgiving.” These off-putting first lines are contradicted by a musical backdrop that is clear, inviting, sure of what it is. The duality established here permeates the rest of the song in classic Japanese House fashion. Amber Bain struggles to place herself in her own life, but her music is a consistent place refuge for people who just need somewhere to hold space or feel truth. “Follow My Girl” marks an exciting milestone for The Japanese House, and you don’t have to look too closely to see that Amber Bain is on the cusp of something extraordinary.
4. EP III — Yumi Zouma
I’m going to snatch the opportunity to shed light on Yumi Zouma’s third EP because its density deserves the recognition. I failed to include it in last month’s review because its release date was September 28th — not ~technically~ an October release — but then I realized that I make the rules here.
I discovered Yumi Zouma on a recommendation from a dear friend and have had the privilege of seeing them live twice. Even without Christie Simpson’s electric vocals, the band pulls in its listeners with intricate production and smooth finish. While this album follows classic Yumi Zouma sound and doesn’t necessarily offer anything biting by their terms, it makes you stop, sway. Consider the moment that you’re in. By my measure, that is the way of good art.
5. Space Jam — Louis the Child
Perhaps the most criminally underrated song on Louis’ new EP, Kids at Play. CAN’T STOP DANCING!!
And now, I am so excited to announce the CHRISTMAS EDITION! Please do not feel in any way obliged to contain your excitement.
1. Christmas Time is Here — Khruangbin
A twist on a holiday classic with the unmistakable Khruangbin guitar? You could play this song at a family Christmas party or in a Baby-It’s-Cold-Outside setting if you catch my ~drift.~ Ha. Alright moving on.
2. Lonely Man of Winter — Sufjan Stevens
The most surefire way to burst into tears is to play Sufjan Stevens, even if you have the emotional depth of a teaspoon. Holiday originals are a dangerous game, but Sufjan pulls it off gracefully. And this one’s only a little bit melancholy!
Honorable Mention:
Worst Nites — Foster the People
This song is not Foster’s best work, but it does stay true to the band’s irresistible charm. Two long-lived motifs of their music present themselves yet again (and we must always respect the motif): our tribulations are oftentimes our triumphs and it’s up to us what we do with each day. We can change our lives, we can continue on as we are, and both options are valuable in their own right.
