THE LI$T: 2.11.14

The LIST

Derek Moore

Welcome back, LI$TNERS. Though only a week has passed us by, it feels like it’s been too long. Maybe that’s just because last week seemed particularly long. Something about this weather can stretch a day to twice its length, which is why it’s even more important to keep your ears satisfied with a massage only music can provide. Ready? Let’s delve.

  • Easing us into this week’s playlist is an expectedly nostalgic feeling track from Bibio’s latest, “The Green EP.” The EP stays in this genre/feel throughout, so if you’re enjoying the comforting waves rolling into your head from this track, give the whole thing a listen.

  • Next up is Brooklyn based girl group Habibi. The song’s about as simple as they come, but something about the guitar hook halfway through has kept me coming back for more.

  • Quilt* is one of those bands that somehow managed to find a name for themselves that fits their sound nicely, which can be quite a feat, as most anyone who has been in a band can tell you. Their songs are a patchwork of soothing pieces that unfold in an enjoyably gentle fashion.

  • Keeping it simple and grungy, Night Sun bounces through a quick two minutes of guitar-driven rock in their latest single “No Pressure.” The band’s currently at work on their first full-length, which will be released by Burger Records at some yet-to-be determined point in the future.

  • Now that we’re halfway through this LI$T, it’s time for a blissed-out interlude, courtesy of Julie Byrne. Reflect, recoup, and prepare to enter the second portion.

  • With this newly harnessed sense of refreshment, we can jump right into CYMBALS’s signature brand of dance rock. Something about this song’s chorus is infectious. I’ll let you determine for yourself what that certain something is.

  • Gem Club makes beautiful, cinematic soundscapes with sparse instrumentation. It’s a genre that’s hard to do right, and this band has it down to a science. If you want to dig into your internal sadness while simultaneously trying to wrap your head around life’s undefinable beauty, give their latest album In Roses a spin.

  • “Lessons” by SOHN is a remarkable song of restraint. Starting out with a simple looping pulse of arpeggiation, it slowly and steadily builds to a point, which, right as it feels it’s about to break, instead unleashes a small army of harmonies that somehow feels even more tactically planned than the consistent buildup that brought us to this point. Basically, it’s really good.

  • I’m going to have to ask you to look past the ridiculousness of this next band’s name. Though sounding like they could come off as a joke, Snakadaktal is anything but. By the end of this song’s epic six minutes of build-and-release, I think you’ll agree.

And now, nine songs later, our time together comes to an end. I hope you enjoy your weekend that will either be full of time spent enjoying the company of your better half or full of loathing anyone that’s somehow managed to find another person that doesn’t drive them crazy in this battlefield we call human attraction. See you next Tuesday!

 

 

 

*Editor’s Note: I said it before and I’ll say it again:  Quilt – le, swoon – will be at Austin Psych Fest this year. If all goes according to plan, we may just have an interview lined up with them as well as some others on our “to-watch” list.

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