PLAYLIST: 10 songs for December ‘22
10 locally-sourced tracks we’re listening to at WASH this month (along with my commentary, just because).
It’s hard to pin down a standout track from a band that makes each song so naturally distinct from the next. And yet, of all the songs off their latest album, We Tried, to me, most resolutely encapsulates Fruit Juice. The track showcases their ability to adhere to the radio-esque, but in no way gives itself over to it. There’s no stifling the theatrical inclinations and inherent oddity of Fruit Juice, a band with a gravitational pull toward the ever-stranger and sometimes unnerving.
“Rushing Green” is as persuasive and lush as the promise of its name. Is that to say I was plunged into an immediate state of sleepiness? Yes. Did I like it? Also yes. 10 stars. Just kidding. We don’t do that here.
Seacats may (or may not (they don’t seem too sure)) be fading to black, but while we wait on the news, we still have their most recent release, “Battlefield 1942,” to gush over. The 10-miniute tale features a snippet of their first song, a nod or two to Weezer, and a handful of vulnerable childhood scenes rendered reliably quirky, sad, and funny. If you’re curious why the band dubs itself “13-year-old therapy-rock,” this single is your perfect example.
I mean, it’s December, so this is kind of a gimme. Like most of the tracks on Oohs & Aahs, this one has a distinct texture to it. Some might just call it a confusing amount of vocal reverb, but I have grown to like it and say it’s all an extra sound to swim in. So there.
From its opening lines, “Sycamore” has its feet planted firmly in a scene. A Sunday Morning, a vision of Jesus chillin’ in a sycamore (as he’s been known to do I guess), a child sleeping in the glow of stained glass. But the song is loaded with more than the fluff of colorful imagery, begging a subtle, yet rich question about time and belief—“If I were to turn back over the pages, would I sink into them?”
A far cry from what Racoma might’ve released just a few years prior, “Gray,” captures how the pandemic and events attached have transformed them on both a sonic and personal note. For more on the album, read our interview with them here.
Late last summer, Salt Lick shared what quickly became one of my favorite local albums of the year. This lovely 5-minute piece earns its spot as the title track.
Acting as an entrance to 10000, “Entryism” is a perfect stage setter for the introspective and sometimes political themes of the album. With an easy thrum, a healthy coating of guitar effects, and understated vocals throughout, the song highlights why Versing’s music is so naturally subsumed into (and celebrated as) the quintessential indie rock sound of the PNW.
A Seattle-based project, Sealife is the a source of some of the city’s most polished psych pop music. This spooky little track from A jazz features a warm, warbly voice effect, some synth magic, and possibly a recorder? Maybe? I’m not really sure what that is. Regardless, this track is one of my current favorites.
Another favorite of this year’s Seattle releases, Sam Parkin’s With Friends has a lot to praise, but “Through a Wall” is the track I keep finding myself coming back to. I would say more nice things about it, but we’ve already got a sweet little review out on the whole shebang that you can check out right here :)