Music, to me, is the ultimate expression of feeling, seconded only by writing. Combined together, music and writing can do amazing things that a lot of other things can't. Surprisingly (or not), they are also the two forms of art that I create the most of.
I've had many a song (or even whole albums) just absolutely shake me with how beautiful the sounds are, the melodies, the writing, or even all of them combined. I am suddenly struck with a desire to talk about them in-depth (or just put words together without forming any coherent sense of a sentence). So, here it is, in no particular order!
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Fax Gang have hit this niche trifecta of music tastes in this song, combining glitch rock a la Sweet Trip with distorted emo rock and electronic production to create something intensely unique and chock-full of emotion. Hidden behind the grainy distorted sound are the bitcrushed lyrics, a peak of depressive thought (Nothing to lose I got nothing to lose / Yeah I got the whole crew but I'm still feeling blue / I got red in my eyes, I got green in my food, but the world's staying grey in my view what to do). The absolute highlight of what this song has to offer is one of the most candid and straightforward ways of putting into words every issue I have had in my personal attendance of church (Mother says it's been years since I've sat in a pew / Yeah it's true but just being in church made me puke / What's the point of a god if he's not sending clues). Throughout the track the production is fast-paced, culminating in a climactic build all the way to the end of the song, where it simply falls apart like a toddler knocking blocks over, glitched-out sounds scattering like dust into the wind. It shook me so intensely with just how easily it put into words what I couldn't for years.
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I have been an devoted fan of Nurture ever since it released to tremendous acclaim. The beauty of the album lay in the inherent soul-searching done throughout each track, every lyric culminating in a lesson learned and an admiration of the beauty around; an acknolwedgement of the amazing things that love can do in your life. Even though the album ended spectacularly with the calm closure felt in Trying to Feel Alive, there is an almost euphoric rebound in the lyrics and the instrumentation of Everything Goes On. If Sweet Time was the clarity with realizing that you don't want to die anymore, then Everything Goes On is the logical progression to the clarity of knowing you are dying. The lyrics (But if I was gone tomorrow, won't the waves crash on? / Is it selfish that I'm happy as we pass the setting sun?) become a sort of treatise on the passage of time and the knowledge that the inherent beauty of the world will still be there for years to come. Love is stored in the memories of what once was, more so than what will be. And to really hammer the message home, Porter, ever a subscriber of the Owl City "sad lyrics to happy music" approach to composition, sings all this over one of the most uplifting, chipper and sunny instrumentals I've heard all year. It's, in all forms of honesty, the sound of the summer. A beautiful, colorful summer, one where the end is ever-approaching, but the days pass along just as slowly. It's an idealized summer (California heat is marvelous).
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Many a beautiful song makes a name for itself on the debut album from French producer, singer and DJ, Oklou. But none more powerful to me than the title track of her debut mixtape, galore. There is a sense of online-ness in the lyrics, particularly prevalent in the era of the pandemic (I pull the phone so close to my chest / Just to feel closer to you), and the simplicity of the production (just a few synths and pads) gives these vocals space to shine and blossom in their own right. Instrumentally, it invokes a sense of hopeful melancholy, with little spikes in the semi-prominent usage of a reverbed pipe organ melody. And the closing lines (If I knew at the time / I wouldn't change a line) tie it together and justify the soft, faded-out end to the track. This is a prime example of an artist making use of their space; this song is very short (2:28), and yet the prominence of the world it builds in such a short amount of time is staggering -- and beautiful. It's seated firmly in the world of 2020, the Internet, and love online. There's something to be said here -- in the vast expanse of the Internet, one person can find true love among the streams of data numbering in the multi-millions. Throughout the mixtape, Oklou sticks to a minimal production ethos, using mainly soft synths, light drums, and softer vocals throughout. Here, it's pared-back even more, till it's just Lou and her synths, lighting up the streetlamps on a snowy walkway with every synth stab. Truly a masterpiece, in my opinion, and there are other tracks (such as girl on my throne and another night) that are just as, if not more, beautiful and heart-wrenching.
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Harpsinger (and Sakuraburst by logical association) has been an instrumental force in the opening of my music tastes. Her music opened my eyes to the world of sound design, and soon I became enthralled with the wide realm of possibilities that electronic music production offered. Songs like Glacierfall, Self Destruct, Glass River, Roof of the World, and Verdancy were some of my first introductions to music beyond the Monstercat-Disciple-NSD trifecta of Shitty EDM Dubstep Music. There was this whole possibility of sound that was not just loud and abrasive, it was thoughtful and introspective (well, as much as abrasive can be, really). It twisted and writhed in the audible hearing spectrum like a snake in the talons of a bird, and it enthralled a wide-eyed 12-13 year old little svntax. But it was while re-exploring this album in the year of our Lord, 2022, that the title track suddenly made an imprint into my conscious. The titular harp and singer, combined with a beautifully wistful violin, takes its time with building this altogether beautiful fantasy world (The sky that surrounds you is now your kingdom / The heavens around you are your place to sing from), before jumping into the chorus with an electronic kick in its step (Hello open skies / Did you miss shining down on me / Hello dragonfly / I think I missed your serenity). At the climax it builds into this beautiful beat, one accompanied with flutes and violins, that can only really be described as "if the Disney animals discovered how to make electronic music". 5 minutes in, it fades into a simple, yet beautifully wistful piano solo; the night to the rest of the song's day. This here is at the other end of the spectrum of an artist making use of their space; Sakuraburst takes the sounds she has and runs with them, scattering them around the world of Harpsinger like a flower girl at a wedding. An endearingly bright and colorful result.
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Yvette Young, the masterminding force behind the math rock band Covet, as well as a stunning creative force in her own right, holds a special place in my heart; not only as an artist, but as a goal. I've been playing guitar for almost 2 years now, and the complex, fast-paced stringwork here is what I am hoping I will be able to play someday. Math rock as a genre is one of my favorites -- it's so interesting to listen to and pick apart. But this love had to start somewhere -- and it started with Yvette Young. Blossom is one of the most beautiful tracks I've ever heard. Over the course of 5 minutes, Young's guitar blooms and flourishes, moving like the vines that climb the stone wall at the front of my house. Atop the guitar lies Young's voice, a treatise on vulnerability and self-growth (Tenderness is not a flaw / Don't be afraid of your own faith in / Something, or someone), almost... like a blossom (Be a rose in this wasteland / You could bloom if you opened up your heart). It is by far one of the most genuine, thought-provoking, open love songs I've heard in the 6, 7 years I've devoted to music, and there are many more songs in Young's discography that are just as beautiful and thoughtful as Blossom is.
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And now, here are the albums.
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The content of this album is far different from what's been showcased already on this writeup. Indeed, it's dark, ominous, and foreign to this world of color and sunshine that I've shown prior to this. Yet its sheer technical prowess and its masterful application of sound design put it up there as a top album for me. You can hear Daveed Diggs' talent really shine in songs like Body for the Pile and Something Underneath, where his delivery of verses are frantic, rapid-fire, and utterly addicting to listen to. Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson have their own accomplishments on this album too, such as the John Carpenter influenced Check the Lock, or on the airy cloud rap/harsh noise beat of Enlacing. And on something like She Bad, both of their contributions shine equally as bright, a wild mix of shifting cadence, distorted sounds, and a distinctly minimal and dark production. There's also Secret Piece, originally composed by Yoko Ono, as the ending to the album -- a really interesting composition behind it. It's very simple; it must be played at a specific time and place (the woods from 5am to 8am in the summer), the performer can play only one note, they can choose how long to play it for, and it must be accompanied by the sound of birdsong. An endearingly beautiful ending to an album that is dark and foreboding in every way.
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Planetarium is one of those albums I wish I could've experienced live. It's the definition of space, given waveform -- instrumentals are glittery and mysterious, coated in purple and reverbed out to the cosmos. And Sufjan Stevens' vocals are soft, gentle, made for the vacuum of space, while his lyrics are packed dense with mysterious messages and imagery, like in Pluto (Charon, the fog lifted / Messenger dwarfism / Let's leave evidence to rest). The instrumental on Pluto in particular deserves mention -- its cinematic overtones shine brightly, and bring me back to the Joe Hisaishi summers of my childhood; spent watching movies like My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, and all manner of Studio Ghibli material. Saturn is no different -- despite taking notes from modern dance and being the most energetic track on the album. This could be the "horror song" of the album; an instrumental coated in frantic delivery of lyrics, and those lyrics are bloody (The youngest of children / A cannibal addiction / Innocent victim / Bite marks, body parts). A villanous sound. But my favorite song has to be the simplest; Mercury, with nothing but a piano accompanying Sufjan's voice, letting his voice echo out into the void with the line "And I am sorry". It is a soul-searching song, assigning self-identification to all these descriptors, "desperate", "restless", "gentle", "confident", "evidence". Where do you run to? Even as the song fades away into the vast nothingness of space, the echoes of everything that happens within the 5min span of Mercury are just endlessly left to wander my heart.
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Like many bored and possibly repressed kids on the Internet during the pandemic, I turned to the rising SoundCloud star genre of hyperpop as a way to ease my mind over the constant depression that weighed on me. It so happened that around the same time, 100 gecs had a resurgence in popularity, and the eponymous Minecraft music festival Lavapalooza had announced its massive lineup. I always credit this festival as one of the massive game-changers for my music experience; it introduced to me artists I would never have even given a second glance had I not attended. Acts like 909 Worldwide, yitaku, DSG, Peter Kuli, six impala were all in attendance, but most prominently were the two halves of food house, Gupi and Fraxiom. The two had combined their efforts for a single song, Thos Moser, on Gupi's debut album None, and everywhere at Lavapalooza you could hear that song being chanted like an anthem. That song was probably included in more sets than I was aware of (and of all my favorite sets, it was included quite a few times). There was certainly a niche spot these two inhabited, something they had dug out and occupied to call their own. So a whole album of material from the two was like a godsend. Obviously the sequel to Thos Moser, mos thoser, was a massive hit, as well as the first single ride, but personally my favorite song has to be the house-y 8 now, because only Fraxiom could rap about Sonic the Hedgehog in 2020 and make it sound cool... or about kissing Skrillex. And of course, there's the sub-2-min pharmacy, which begins with a timeless producer tag (This Gupi and Fraxiom beat makes me wanna bust open my sbussy!). At the end of the album, though, is this double-whammy of an ending, beginning with the abrasive, distorted, Ronald-Reagan-hating metal, that explodes into the almost 6min long, dystopian-esque foresight, which is full of emotion (Surface tension, we'll never mention / How long it took, how slow it was / The moisture released when you let me rot), and after an explosive climax sweeps up into something almost deadmau5-esque. It should be noted that Fraxiom can really nail the emotion and still throw in lines about baby boomers in taxis and make references to Cartoon Network shows from 10 years ago (which they do, all in this one song), and this is why food house just continues to sit in my mind at every possible moment. Gupi is an immensely talented producer, throwing in Gecs-esque breakdowns at the end of the song and revisiting aesthetics from old 2010s electro house to whatever the hell dubstep is doing now, and Frax's lyrical ability makes them one of the brightest in the scene at the moment; lyrics for a generation that grew up solely on the Internet.
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So now it's time to get to the real deep albums. These next two are the ones that have occupied/currently occupying the most space in my head, and have had an immense influence on me as a person.
It was only after SOPHIE's untimely death in early 2021 that I began to appreciate her debut album OOEPUI much more. Of course, that was a sign of things to come (though I certainly didn't know it at the time). At first, I sorta dismissed this album as just a kind of novelty, something that sounded cool but ultimately wasn't all that enticing. But the morning that we all found out SOPHIE died, I left the house and put her album on while going about and doing whatever I needed to do. I was quickly greeted with the opener, It's Okay to Cry, which in the face of what had just happened, was very much a too soon moment. But I think that all of us who put the album on that morning found some odd catharsis in the constant repetition of "It's okay to cry". And beyond that, looking at it now, the messages of finding identity through gender are prevalent even this early (And I knocked on your front door / That was you I'd never seen before). But then, of course, comes the dark, screaming, sexually charged Ponyboy right after. The lyrical content of sexual music, as an asexual, comes off as more amusing to me than anything else (though honestly, that might just be a side-effect of any music like that). Throughout the album, however, one thing becomes very clear; SOPHIE's sound design talents are almost a mirror to the gender fluidity she possesses here. Even before OOEPUI, she was described as making sounds "out of thin air" and more than capable of harnessing sound synthesis at an stunning level. It is so easy to see the parallels today in music; what SOPHIE made, in 2013 all the way until 2021, changed the way many people look at and listen to music forever. From her compatriots in the UK-based art label PC Music to the aforementioned Gupi and Fraxiom, pop stars like Rihanna, Vince Staples, and Charli XCX (all of whom SOPHIE produced for at one point), and even what I'm terming the new wave of electronic, pioneered by trans artists such as underscores, Moore Kismet, Akeos, nuphory (fka Volant), and Vylet Pony (whom I'll talk about in a second), there is simply 10x more experimentation and brash openness in the pandemic-era of the Internet than there has been before. It's almost magical to see; a whole thriving underground that has put emphasis less on making song after song after song and more on personal growth and self-expression. And so you have albums such as OOEPUI, released 5 years after SOPHIE's debut single -- the music is far and few between at times, but what there is can stick with you forever as a genuine product. I think that out of all the songs here on OOEPUI, the song I can say stuck with me like that would be Immaterial; one of the most popular Internet-culture-based transgender anthems. I mean, c'mon (I was just a lonely girl in the eyes of my inner child / But I could be anything I want and no matter where I go / You'll always be here in my heart). Its lyrics can only really be described as "fluid" (You could be me and I could be you / Always the same and never the same / Day by day, life after life), in the character's self-identity, their body, and everything in between.
I came out as non-binary in June of 2021. The labels have changed, sure, but through it all this album has stood constant. Make of that what you will. I know I have.
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This album is my current AOTY 2022.
It is, and I hope to sell you on this, one of the most beautiful, complex, and genuine pop albums I've heard this year. The album is partially a Fuck You to the RateYourMusic attitude towards her music, one specific example being her pitched-up vocals on prior albums. But it also weaves in a story about finding true identity and shining in your own space. It starts out in a dark place, but not without some quirks -- the first track, you're not a real musician, starts somberly and introspectively with piano and violin, before exploding in a colorful rock music explosion, angry and shining brightly right from the get-go (Every move I make is scrutinized / And when I sleep I feel their eyes on me / Spare no comfort for the comfortable / I think I wanna piss you off). telephone includes influences from math rock and jittery drum & bass to create the gossip anthem of the century, with a hint of depression (Did you hear what she said, she said? / Couldn't stand to hear anymore / I just know that it's all about me). the yak song is quite possibly my favorite single of 2022 and definitely among the top 10 of all time -- combining chill and groovy electropop passages with thrashing, abrasive rock and lush, warm ambient soundscapes, and one of the hardest hooks ever to be written (I'll never sing that song / Like my father before me) (I'm still the Yak they raised / But now I'm the devil that they'll face). And don't get me started on the climax (These tears you'll shed, this blood you've bled, will save your soul when all is done and said...). intertwined floats in a lush landscape full of voices echoing out into the stars, with lyrics to match (I just can't contain it all / I'm dancing with you in a bed of stars / I wanna live all my days wrapped all in your arms / And see those beautiful eyes and be all intertwined). the hippogriff festival combines the grand views of 'you're not a real musician' and the math rock doodleyness of 'telephone' into one of the happier cuts on the album (And even if you're drowning / You can hear the song above the sea / You can reach it if you try). good grief! becomes a sunny and beautiful anthem for the sea, drawing a comparison to the aforementioned Everything Goes On above (even bringing on a cheerful, laidback ukelele harmony and a soft, non-intrusive harmonica for the bridge), fish whisperer starts off sweetly, a night-time vibe for the dreamers who stare into the night sky. I'll quote what I wrote in my initial long-ass review on RYM:
"The intro to this song brought me back to this place in my head, elicited after listening to Kori's Laniakea -- soft piano and a somber melody left to wander and flourish on its own. But while Laniakea danced in the rain, fish whisperer reflects inward to its own value and evolves beyond simple piano -- it turns into synth stabs, then blossoms outward into a guitar, violin, and Moog-like soundwaves. Then, just as it begins to stagnate, it fucking explodes. I felt a literal comparison to Queen come to my mind as I was thrown backwards in my seat by the sheer force of the guitar."
And then just as soon as it disappears, soundscape diary, a 6 minute, 3 movement masterpiece, blossoms in its place. It moves upwards, creating the colors of the sky and the birds that fly within its limitless bounds, and glides forward, breathing life into the fauna and flora, creating new species and colors as it goes. In its second movement, symphony for a dulcitone, it sits back and admires what it has created, both in the metaphorical world I've described and in the sounds it has mastered so plainly and beautifully. It then drifts into some of the most profound lyrics on the whole album in the third movement, audile ardency (Still the sea foam splashes on your smiling face / There's a magic only you can tell / All your greatest art should satisfy / Nobody but yourself). It was hard to pick any single stanza or even line; there's only 4 in the whole song (minus the chorus) and every one is absolutely filled with... that almost indescribable feeling. It's realizing the absolute extent to which you can create for the very first time. It's listening to the wind and watching the grasses weave and shimmer with it. It's the light from a lone building just outside of town, the air filled with raucous laughter and a joyful presence. It's seeing the beauty in the world for the very first time -- either in your head or in the reality we inhabit. And going back through Vylet Pony's discography (one that spans almost a whole decade and practically the entire expanse of pop and electronic music, just diving in to everything it can find), it has a very prominent and very well-deserved standout in 2022 as an album that stands a whole head above everything else. You could create something beautiful, but you'll never be Vylet Pony's can opener's notebook: fish whisperer. And if I'm being honest, I think that's how it's supposed to be. Canni has taken every feeling from the journey to find your own identity and your own space, specifically as it applies to an Internet experience, and crafted a sound that will appeal to so many, even those who don't know it yet. I have a LOT of strong feelings about this album, and if I ever had to give a recommendation to anyone looking for anything at all, I would 100% hand this album out like candy. Hands down easiest choice of my life currently.
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So those are my recommendations. I never have any idea of what to write to close something out, LOL. But somehow, I don't think it needs too much.
Today's my birthday. Having been chipping away at this writeup since July, I wanna put something out instead of getting something like I usually do. I hope that you find something you like among the music I've listed here!
Much love on this Thursday evening. The rain's finally coming to Southern California. It's a happy evening. The rain, the rain, the rain, thank God, the rain...