SINGLES: “I Didn’t Tell You I Was Slowly Morphing”
So I’ve been doing this thing - tell me if you can relate - where I build myself up to make this amazing piece that’ll blow everybody away. and then my filter gets too tight and I don’t end up putting anything out. That’s been the case for me for a while. That, and the burnout I got from picking up way too much work at the same time, is why my output here has been pitiful IMO.
I wanna start doing some casual coverage about groups of singles that I hear or that get sent to me. It’s tough to keep up with local releases sometimes, but I’m getting better at it!
Here are a few songs that I’ve been digging lately. I’m not gonna hold myself to a deadline for these, but I’m gonna try to do these once a week.
Also, if you have music you want to maybe see covered here, send it! Our email is washmusicmag@gmail.com. If we like it, it might show up here. But try not to hate us if it doesn’t. We’re just doing our best!
Dining Dead - “Wavelength” (May 11)
Dining Dead are so freakin busy. It feels like I see them on bills everywhere, sandwiched in between acts of all sounds and styles. It shows that they, and their music, work well in a lot of contexts. They also aren’t afraid to stretch the boundaries of their sound, if “Wavelength” is any indication.
This song slays, y’all. It’s openly ambitious in a way that I don’t think we’ve heard yet from this band. The tempo changes come frequently, and the strings(!) that slowly emerge behind Sammy Skidmore’s quavering vocals are a surprising but very welcome touch. “Wavelength” isn’t terribly long, but it still feels like an epic — though I haven’t heard the full record yet, I can imagine it functioning like a centerpiece or a closing number.
Mt Fog - “Slowly Morphing” (May 23)
“Slowly Morphing” is the second single off of the act’s soon-to-be-released ultraviolet heart machine, and like “Drifting,” it reestablishes Mt. Fog in earthbound terms. The dry thump of Andy Sells’ drums and the round bass of Casey Rosebridge’s bass live in the space that Carolyn B.’s wispy synths originally carved out. Though Spells of Silence had plenty of acoustic instrumentation, the presence of real committed members playing those instruments makes them so much more of a vital element here. For the first time, Mt. Fog sound like just as much of a live act as a recording one.
Carolyn, meanwhile, performs her musings with even more maniacal confidence than before, mewling and growling like she’s the subject of an Animorphs cover. “Focus on my energy,” goes her refrain - I don’t know if I could turn away even if I wanted to.
Hurry Up, Snufkin - “kitchen sink diaries” & “gubbwave” (May 18)
I love this band. They really do it for me. It’s not necessarily novel to mix guitar music with chiptune, but Hurry Up, Snufkin mix some really complex instrumentation into the mix. Jordan Brawner is an incredible guitarist; Matt Anderson is an incredible drummer; new inclusion Jazper showcases some incredible vocals. The talent just drips off the music.
Both of these tracks are great; Jaz’s vocals are a great match for the urgent energy of “kitchen sink diaries,” and “gubbwalk” leans into the band’s math rock side with dueling chip melodies that play like adaptations of tapped guitar lines. It’s been a rough time for the band - Jordan’s house burned down last year - so go support them by purchasing their music!
Manatee Commune - “Faulted” (May 24)
Manatee Commune is, I assume, one of innumerable local acts that slip under my radar. I’m only just now learning about them, but it’s never too late, you know?
Grant Eadie is the name, and atmospheric electronic bops are his game. This one is courtesy of Bastard Jazz Recordings, a single called “Faulted” off a record coming out in July called Simultaneity, and I dig it a lot. Tracks of this nature have a tendency to fade into the background, especially when they cross the five-minute mark, but this one stays engaging throughout thanks to just enough fresh elements drip-fed throughout its runtime. A new texture here, a new melody there, some mysterious filtered sample emerging on every final measure; it’s really well done.
FEM du lit - “Dead Mama” (May 10)
It’s fitting that the first outing for Francesca Eluhu’s La fem records, other than Day Soul Exquisite, would be her own solo project. FEM du lit, in French, loosely translates to “woman of the bed,” which is a play on the notion that this is meant to be a sparser, more intimate project than her main band.
That’s definitely what this debut single is giving me, at least. Recorded at Mysterious Red X (the studio that gave us Sanguine & Cardamom) “DEAD MAMA” feels like a stripped-back version of what Eluhu is already known for. No less ambitious though, given that the song is a three-part satirical screed about Tesla mining for lithium and cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Her guitar and voice, plus Lillian Minke Tahar’s bass, make up all the melodies; everything else is rhythm, John Pehrson’s drums colliding with Thomas Arndt’s percussion. Bottom line: if you like Day Soul Exquisite, you’re going to like this.
CHINESE AMERICAN BEAR - “Feelin’ Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉)”
Sometimes, I have to admit, it takes me forever to find out about bands. I was in Massachusetts visiting family when RUB did their album release show - otherwise I would have found Chinese Amercian Bear a little sooner. But I’m here now, and I’m on board, because this song rules.
It’s just a humble, charming lil bop: twin guitar lines in both ears, an itinerant bass line, warm drums and Anne Tong’s voice meringue-like voice bouncing contrastively between a carefree English hook and the stern, plainspoken Mandarin inspired by her upbringing.
The band uses the word “infectious” when describing their music, and that is certainly the right word. “Feelin’ Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉)” may have a specific perspective, but it’s a song that literally anybody can enjoy.
I’ll write about some more later!
I promise