The Music Box.
Entries about the music I like.
12 RODS – My Year (This Is Going To Be)
12 RODS sit high on the list of all-time favourites I never expected to hear from again; in fact, until a week ago, they perhaps sat atop that list. A week ago, that is, when they released their latest single, My Year (This Is Going To Be), and announced an album to be released later this year, their first since 2002’s Lost Time.
Weezer – Weezer (Blue Album)
The thing nobody seems to ask about the boy who cried wolf is why Bubby would do such a thing. What would prompt an otherwise standard-issue ten-year-old – likely even-tempered and straight-laced – to, on seemingly unconnected days, run through his village screaming about a wolf he’s seen? Aesop blames it on boredom and naughtiness but eventually faults the kid.
Omicron Records // The Velvet Underground, Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
Nothing related to the Velvet Underground will shake me like the first time I heard 1967’s Velvet Underground and Nico. The introductory celesta notes of Sunday Morning leading to the frantic shuffling of Waiting for the Man. The hands on the shoulder and shake-shake-shake of Venus in Furs, and the slightly-adjacent-to-pop stylings of Run Run Run and There She Goes Again.
Slow & Steady // Music of the Week / WS 17-May-21
This week’s playlist has served as a soundtrack to my efforts to count my blessings, name them one by one, and stay the course, to just keep going: be it with Stranger Fiction, with work, or with life. It starts with the nightchill downtempo of A Forest Mighty Black’s Duo Trippin’ and ends with Kendrick Lamar telling you 'we’re going to be all right.'
Hope • Reset // Music of the Week / WS 21-Mar-21
It’s hard for me to talk about the last two weeks from a musical perspective because so much has happened in my life outside of music. I’ve alluded to the personal and professional changes in my life, so I won’t go into the tacticals here. I will, however, take this time to reflect on what those changes have meant for me emotionally and psychologically.
Various Artists – Simla Beat '70 and '71
The idea that a battle of the bands competition like Simla Beat even existed, with bands coming to Shanmukhananda Hall from all over India is proof of three things. One, that where there are teenagers, there will be idealism. Two, that those who braved incredible odds to form rock bands are indeed worthy of respect. And three, that psych rock really transcended cultures.
The Weather Station – Ignorance
Much of the album serves as a great example of how exceptional lyrics, when supplemented by able instrumentation, elevate good music to very good or even great music. You can sing about emotions without being mawkish. You can speak about fundamental issues without being pessimistic. You can address wrongs without being angry. After all, what goes around, comes around.
Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
Musically, Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight is purely about simple, unobtrusive, but catchy vocal and melodic hooks. What makes it stand out in the fairly competitive playing field that is heartbreak indie is its sincere lyricism, delivered with unvarnished authenticity by Scott Hutchison (RIP). a perfect breakup album. A classic of modern Scottish music.
The Supersonics – Maby Baking
Apparently, when I had seen the Supersonics play live at NH7 with what was, in my opinion, too small a crowd, they had just gotten back together. I was impressed with their energy and how much they’d honed their post-punk revival sound. Over the course of a 45-minute performance, a crowd of sitters and standers became, almost entirely, jumpers and dancers.
System Of A Down — Protect The Land / Genocidal Humanoidz
There’s a time and place for a conversation on how much System Of A Down impacted my preteen and teenage years. There’s also a time and place for a conversation on how much that impact carried into my post-teenage years. The time and place is likely to be soon and here. But for now, it’s enough to say this. System Of A Down has released new material for the first time in 15 years.
Lounge Piranha — Going Nowhere
I was just about still a teenager when I heard this band play live in Bangalore with friends. Three of us chipped in for their CD; fifty rupees each. For a while, this was our soundtrack. For a bunch of snotty elitists to commit to anything like that really is something; proof enough to me that these were great songs.
Waxahatchee — Saint Cloud
Waxahatchee's Saint Cloud is a wonderful alt-country gem. In some ways, it's a throwback to Wilco's classic Summerteeth,
First message in a bottle
At the start of the covid crisis, which, for many people, started at the helm of other crises, I started sharing happy dispatches including a few of my favourite things to make it easier to get through the crisis. These include songs, stories, writings, movies, et al. The first dispatch is a playlist and a colour that I really like.