Column: Regaining an intense love for music
July 15, 2021
Lately my music-listening habits have been absorbing single songs as part of playlists rather than enjoying albums or EPs in their entirety. Some of these songs really stand out and it shows in the number of times I’ve played them. After a long period of not enjoying and obsessing over music the way I used to, this summer sees me starting to appreciate it again, and I’m going to share a couple of the songs that I’ve had on repeat.
Topping the list is a song I found in a Spotify playlist called “Post Punk 2k,” by a band called Yung. The song is called “Friends On Ice” and it is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. The lead guitar is essentially noodling over the one chord the rhythm is playing, with blissful amounts of reverb and earnest vocals. I’d highly recommend this song to any passionate music fan, as I think it transcends its labels and exists as a beautiful work of art.
I’ve always been a casual Mac Demarco enjoyer, never listening beyond hits like “My Kind of Woman” and “Ode to Viceroy.” However, the song “One More Love Song” has been a go-to this summer for its lead synth riff and the piano in the chorus. The guitar here is great as well, but Mac’s falsetto and the piano are what make the song stand out.
Protomartyr is a band I’ve liked for a while, and I recently have been getting into the chaotic beauty of the song “Clandestine Time.” There is the typical post-punk swirling dissonance that, in a moment of clarity, resolves itself into a simple melody that is still post-punk in nature but is essentially perfect in the role it plays for the song, offering a plateau between the mountains of distortion and echoed vocals.
“I DON’T WANNA DIE IN NEW YORK,” by the band SPICE, rivals “Friends on Ice” for my favorite song I’ve heard this year. It just simply goes. The guitars drop out at parts, but the momentum of the song never stops. It has a guitar line that bears some slight resemblance to “Clandestine Time” in its simplicity and amazing use of effects, but rather than offer an escape from the noise, it contributes to it as a melody in the mounting crescendo. The drums are arena-sized and sound particularly massive when the guitars give way in the bridges and pre-choruses.
These are some of my favorite songs that I’ve either heard for the first time this year or revisited with new ears. I’m hoping that they serve as a reintroduction of sorts for going back to enjoying music the way I used to.
Ryan Meyer can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].