As you enter the infamous chasms of the House Of Leaves home, you find an immense, hypnotic peace instead of the chilling, creeping self-destruction that others who traverse its black catacombs undoubtedly unravel into.
AIM LOW is a band from Montreal that love to dabble in the dark arts of shoegaze, drone and experimentalism. Basically taking the guitar & all the gear that comes with it and making it all sound like the choirs of the damned, the horns from the heavens, or the wails of a forbidden technology that mankind should not dare tap into. It’s all quite cosmic sounding, despite being made by human hands. But let’s not let the human side distract you, unless you really would like to know that for your listening experience.
“Low Hanging Fruit” is the masterful centerpiece from their record Scratched Out, which was released earlier this year. It achieves what I think all perfect drones should do, which is to have a low, hypnotic refrain that hums as a meditative guidepost underneath the more active, hi-end chaos unfolding throughout the song. You can have all the dissonance and destruction you want in a drone song, or even the most minimal of melodies and chord structures – but if your song doesn’t have somewhere I can plant my feet and rest my head to watch everything unfold, then I’m not sure what to think of it. Some of my favorite ambient tracks also achieve this, like Eluvium’s “The Unfinished” and Preslav Literary School’s “Francis Servain Mirkovic.” But unlike those two songs, which are mostly soothing and featherlight, “Low Hanging Fruit” is heavy and gnashes at the senses.
Here, AIM LOW delight itself with shrieks of feedback that drift in and out of frame amongst other powerful sounds. Buzzsaw-like guitars actively dismantle some sort of establishment throughout the track. There’s the occasional low grumble of a fictional behemoth lurking in the darkness. Overall, the sound never stops – it just stretches its long limbs out into the sky and occupies as much space as possible. It’s as if you’re sitting under a punishing waterfall, but embodying a muted peace. The recording process itself took place in a church and pretty much all the reverb you hear in the song is natural, so the setting is fitting. One can find solace from the deluge of real world pain in a church. All the anguish still exists, but in this space it takes on a numbed-down quality.
This here’s the first installment of Recommended Albums where I bring in the “new format” from my previous few list posts. I have a lot of fun with it and people seem to enjoy it so there we go. June was a pretty OK month that was greatly overshadowed by the brilliance of May. There were a few solid gems from this month, along with the incredible new Kedr Livanskiy song “Ariadna.” Take a look below and find something you like.
A child looking into a telescope slowly learns the cosmic knowledge of the universe.
Incredibly talented composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is set to follow up her breakout 2016 album EARS with The Kid, coming October 6, 2017. I couldn’t be more excited. EARS was one of my top listened-to records of 2016 and her show earlier in 2017 was absolutely transcendental. She’s truly one of the most exciting and skilled talents in my listening zone and will gladly place my ears upon anything she puts together.
Upon first listen, this track is a lot more vocally-focused compared to her previous work. Her knotty, intricate synth work is still intact, but here her voice is the lead storyteller instead of the entire portrait of sound demonstrating its intent. Immediately it reminds me of Fever Ray, something I never got on EARS or Euclid. I’m very excited for the LP and her upcoming show at The Good Room in BK.
Keep checking here for new Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith-centered content.
The existence of anchoring responsibilities and earthly desires are immediately filtered out of existence upon sight of a scenic lagoon at sunset.
Why does Scandinavia always make the best tropical pop music? Something about the icy climate must make the musicians especially good at recreating that balearic sound. Boat Club is from Gothenburg, but they make music that’s suited for a vacation town by the ocean. Truly blissful summer music. The whole mini-LP, Caught The Breeze, is special, but this song is my favorite.
Omni, the ATL dudes who made one of my top favorite records of 2016 are back with a new one this year called Multi-Task, coming in September. This new track “Equestrian” is a both a reminder of why I loved their debut so much and a perfect hype fire-starter for this upcoming new one. It has the killer, bold edges that their debut had, while also adding in smart quirks to make this new song stick out from the old ones. The warbly synth that comes in later is great, as well as the galloping hi-hat that’s totally apt for its name of “Equestrian.”
Be sure to check here in the future for any further Omni-related material.
I’ve done a lot of thinking about A Long Bow and Warm Visions as a whole. In a way, I’ve realized that Warm Visions is a better blog name than I had originally thought. Ok, think about it: I really only focus on music that I really like here, right? Meaning I think of the music with warm regard. So, this is a blog of warmly-regarded things for people to read about. Eh? Sounds good right? I tried to nab “An Empty Bliss” as the URL but for some reason it was already taken. That also works in two ways, since it’s the name of an album I like a lot, and it’s also a nice descriptor for writing about music. It’s blissful, but not inherently so. Also, A Long Bow is definitely just a “music appreciation” post rather than a full on album review. I’m bowing in appreciation. I’m worshipping the subject. I like what I like, that’s for dang sure. And wow, just wow, do I like this EP here a whole bunch.
Cole M.G.N. is the artistic alias for Cole M. Grief-Neill, a producer, engineer, musician spectacular from LA. He’s been in the funk zone for a good while now through his own group The Samps while also having a hand in projects from artists like Ariel Pink, Julia Holter, Nite Jewel, NxWorries and Beck. To my knowledge, this self-titled EP from 2016 is his only solo work out there under more or less his own name. It’s quite the doozy of an EP, too. I can’t say I’ve heard anything like it.
Here are forty of my favorite songs from 2017, ten of which are ranked and 30 listed alphabetically. The top 10 all have little descriptors with them similar to my 2017 So Far :: 30 Albums list I posted earlier. It went over well and I like writing like that, so here we are again. I hope I don’t wear out my welcome. At this point in the year, my favorite song is Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia,” which is also my ‘song of the summer.’ Listen to all of these songs and more on my Spotify playlist.
Kedr Livanskiy is putting out her debut LP in September and I could not be more excited. Her 2016 EP was one of my top favorites that year and I have been fiending for new music from her since that came out. This is the title track and it is so smooth and delicious and has me bobbing around like a buoy at my desk. I’m unsure if there could have been a better track to get me excited for this upcoming album.
This is a snapshot of what my favorite albums of 2017 are on June 19th. I don’t have a far and away 1st place finisher at this point in the year yet, but I do feel pretty confident in my Top 10. Right now, the undeniable juggernaut Kendrick is at the top, but I can see that potentially falling as the year progresses. Out of the records on here, I can see Aldous Harding or Chino Amobi topping the list at the end of the year if my favor for Kendrick wilts. There are also many albums I haven’t listened to yet that might blast their way to the top, aside from everything else coming later this year. Everything will change. Probably. Either way, here’s my Top 30 with a little descriptor for each album – a goofy little thing that I wanted to be creative with. I hope you like it and find some records that you enjoy, or that you find some weird happiness knowing that we share opinions on music.
Welcome to May 2017’s edition of Recommended Albums, or as I’ve heard some like to call it, “Every Single Album Released From That Month, You No-Taste, Indecisive Loser.” Well, May 2017 isn’t going to repair my reputation of supporting every single release under the sun, because there was a whole bushel full of records that I just loved and just needed to talk about. Maybe two bushels. At least three records on this list have comfortably situated themselves in my Top 5 of 2017 and the rest are sitting pretty inside the Top 20. The other notable albums below my favorite ten are also to die for. Can you believe that? I’m sure you will after reading what’s in store for you. There’s some top-notch, real good stuff on here. If you disagree, maybe you should find whatever else is left from May that I didn’t talk about. Think about that.
Aldous Harding – Party [4AD]
I immediately got on the Aldous hype train after I saw her open for Deerhunter back in October. Her folk-leaning songs carry so much more weight thanks to her simple theatrics, like contorting her face and making intense, lasting eye contact with members of the audience. The songs on Party naturally hold that live energy, as heard on the shrill, alienating chorus of the title track and the sharply-delivered lines of “Living The Classics.” However, even without a previous mental picture of her live presence, her voice still conveys a deep, intense spectrum of emotion. We can see Aldous as a brooding lounge singer on “I’m So Sorry” & “What If Birds” or more of a Vashti Bunyan troubadour type on “The World Is Looking” & “Swell Does The Skull.” But Aldous really becomes something special on tracks like “Horizon,” “Blend” and “Imagining My Man,” where her voice and persona become something completely unique, free from comparison to other contemporaries. The whole album is something to marvel at, but there are certain moments on Party that completely blow other records of 2017 and beyond out of the water. This is truly a special, bewitching record that deserves your immediate attention and an artist who you should definitely see live if she comes to your town.
Chino Amobi – Paradiso [NON]
Let me fill you in on one important note before going into this: the name Paradiso is a misnomer in the case of this album, unless your version of paradise is a cacophonous, blistering hellscape. I’m not joking around here. Paradiso is an album that, while listening on the subway, made me feel like the world above ground was coming to a fiery end, only for me to remember that it was actually a gorgeous day upon coming above. It’s a gory meat grinder, brutally mashing together a heap of guest musicians with spoken word, poetry, harsh noise, industrial, hip hop, radio drops, abstract electronic, and pop music. It uses these ingredients and makes a massive world out of them, immediately placing the listener in this decrepit, lawless wasteland to watch events unfold. The centerpiece of the record is the hallucinatory title track, which plays out like a cumulative final exam. It brings in elements that the record touched on previously and throws them all at you in a dizzying fury. There are multiple points in the song where the level of chaos and unrest gets so high it reaches feelings of euphoria. It’s one of the best songs of the year and a perfect summation of this grand statement of a record. And what is that statement exactly? Well, I can’t parse something out completely, but it truly feels like one of the first great Tr*mp protest records. The apocalypse. Bringing to light a series of injustices. A form of resistance. True destruction.
Demen – Nektyr [Kranky]
Imagine a mad scientist’s lair located on the top floor of a spooky stone tower perched on a steep cliff. Dark storm clouds billow around the top. Angry waves crash at the rocks below. Inside, Demen is filling in values on the machine to make her luscious debut record, Nektyr. Proportioning the amount of elegant, gossamer vocals of Cocteau Twins. The appreciation of patience and silence of Grouper. The sonic depth and mood of Chelsea Wolfe. The slowness of This Mortal Coil. It’s a legion of influences, immaculately conceived in a den of darkness. It’s an arduous labor of love. A goth confession. It is devoid of hope, a flickering light lost in a sea of ink. A woozy heartbeat trapped in a maze. On first listen it might feel like a bit amorphous, a swath of dark ambiance with no arc. But the more you return the more melodies start to click together and the process becomes highly intoxicating. As sad and hopeless as it is, it sounds terribly beautiful.
Hundred Waters – Particle [OWSLA] It’s always great when a surprise release from one of your favorite bands turns out to be a sweet treat rather than an unfortunate flop. On Hundred Waters’ new EP Particle, their biggest-sounding project yet, it’s a buffet of the sweetest treats for a fan like me. On their previous full-length, The Moon Rang Like A Bell, we saw Hundo drifting more towards a completely electronic sound rather than one with synthetic and organic elements mixed, as seen on their self-titled debut. This electronic framework is maxed out here, with a song like “Jewel In My Hands” utilizing an understated drop and “Particle” and “Currency” becoming two of the poppiest songs the band has made. But like always, the main draw to Hundo is Nicole Miglis’ graceful voice. It doesn’t even matter what’s underneath her; she shines on every song. In Particle‘s case, she pirouettes and sashays through the propulsive electronics surrounding her, igniting sparks and shooting arcs of lightning across the shifting digital landscape. I have yet to find one fault in this dang band for five years now. How is that even possible?
Land of Talk – Life After Youth [Saddle Creek]
I’d say that Life After Youth is the most unassumingly great record on this list. At first glance it might seem like another indie rock record from a band that was more notable seven years ago. On the contrary, it’s an indie rock record with some of the best songs of the year. Songs like “This Time,” “Loving” and “Heartcore” have been three that I’ve revisited time and time again. They’re songs that seem pretty plain compared to a lot of other records on this list, but have been stuck in my head multiple times this month. Something about this album, but especially those three songs, just feels so good. Something sounding good is easy, but when something feels good, that’s another story. This album hits the bullseye of “sounding good, feeling good.” Put this on and look cute, feel cute.
A stream of consciousness music blog, active since 2010. Established in Ann Arbor, MI, currently in NYC.
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January 9: Dry Cleaning – Secret Love SAULT – Chapter 1 Winged Wheel – Desert So Green
January 16: A$AP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb Jana Horn – Jana Horn Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore – Tragic Magic SASSY 009 – Dreamer+
February 6: Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Laughter in Summer Daphni – Butterfly Elori Saxl & Henry Solomon – Seeing Is Forgetting Fabiano do Nascimento – Aquáticos Joshua Chuquimia-Crampton – Anata Mandy, Indiana – URGH Puma Blue – Croak Dream Ratboys – Singin’ To An Empty Chair
February 13: Charli XCX – Wuthering Heights Colin Stetson – Nethering Danny L Harle – Cerulean KMRU – Kin The Olympians – In Search of A Revival
February 20: Altin Gün – Garip Apparat – A Hum of Maybe
February 27: Buck Meek – The Mirror Fabiano do Nascimento – Vila GENA – The Pleasure Is Yours Gorillaz – The Mountain Gus Englehorn – The Broken Balladeer Heavenly – Highway to Heavenly LB aka LABAT – Feel So Good Around U Maria BC – Marathon Mitski – Nothings About to Happen to Me Nothing – a short history of decay Shane Parish – Autechre Guitar
March 6: Hater – Mosquito Natalie Jane Hill – Hopeful Woman Resavoir – Themes For Dreams Scout Gillett – Tough Touch Shabaka – Of The Earth Tomu DJ – Antagonist waterbaby – Memory Be a Blade
March 13: Alexis Taylor – Paris In The Spring Bill Orcutt – Music In Continuous Motion Crack Cloud – Peace and Purpose Cut Worms – Transmitter ELUCID – I Guess U Had To Be There James Blake – Trying Times Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds – Mutiny After Midnight Kim Gordon – PLAY ME The Notwist – News From Planet Zombie Ora Cogan – Hard Hearted Woman Tinariwen – Hoggar
March 20: Avalon Emerson & The Charm – Written Into Changes Chalk – Crystalpunk Colleen – Libres antes del final Grace Ives – Girlfriend Green-House – Hinterlands Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl & Macie Stewart – BODY SOUND
March 27: ADULT. – Kissing Luck Goodbye
Buzzy Lee – Shoulder to Shoulder
Fcukers – Ö Holy Fuck – Event Beat Irreversible Entanglements – Future Present Past José González – Against the Dying of the Light King Tuff – MOO Konradsen – Hunt, Gather Lauren Auder – Whole World As Vigil Lone – Hyperphantasia The New Pornographers – The Former Site Of Pan•American – Fly The Ocean In A Silver Plane Robyn – Sexistential Shinchi Atobe – Silent Way Snail Mail – Ricochet Tom Misch – Full Circle
April 3: Arlo Parks – Ambiguous Desire John Andrews & The Yawns – Streetsweeper Makthaverskan – Glass and Bones A Place To Bury Strangers – Rare and Deadly Sunn O))) – sunn O))) Thundercat – Distracted Wendy Eisenberg – Wendy Eisenberg
April 10: Alex Zhang Hungtai – Dras Cactus Lee – Lee’s Dream Flore Laurentienne – Volume III Jessie Ware – Superbloom My New Band Believe – My New Band Believe Squarepusher – Kammerkonzert WU LYF – A Wave That Will Never Break
April 17: Hollie Cook – Shy Girl In Dub!
Tiga – Hotlife Yaya Bey – Fidelity
April 24: Angelo De Augustine – Angel In Plainclothes Friko – Something Worth Waiting For Gia Margaret – Singing Hrishikesh Hirway – In The Last Hour of Light Miss Grit – Under My Umbrella Quiet Light – Blue Angel Sparkling Silver White Denim – 13 White Fence – Orange
May 1: Ana Roxanne – Poem 1 Hiss Golden Messenger – I’m People Lip Critic – Theft World
May 8: Broken Social Scene – Remember the Humans Chinese American Bear – Dim Sum & Then Some Cola – Cost of Living Adjustment Lykke Li – The Afterparty
May 15: Kevin Morby – Little Wide Open Telehealth – Green World Image
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