“Talking Heads” — Black Midi
“Talking Heads” has all the rhythmic rabbit holes you’d want from the little you know of Black Midi. A brighter, sunnier song than the previously released “Crow’s Perch”, it serves as an easier opener to discovering the band. It’s still more interesting and complex than most music being made today (drumming is next level, what are time signatures, song structure is a construct, I’ve never heard a voice like that in my life), but in a way that’s accessible. Just don’t listen when you’re anxious cause it’s a roller coaster.
“Happy Again” — DEHD
The video for “Happy Again” is a trip. Between stop-motion that almost looks like claymation, the unexpected green screen usage, slicing open a “brain”, and some singing sunflowers, the level of absurdity is not being called into question — it’s blatantly apparent. That doesn’t make the video any less watchable though. It’s actually the opposite. The brief beachy tune has you hitting replay to do it all over again. It reminds me of some of the more laid back Twin Peaks songs with the vocal stylization and harmonies. It’s like a rare dose of vitamin D in the frigid winter reminding us that there is a light on the other side.
FOAMMM — FOAMMM
FOAMMM’s debut album is a refreshing, dreamy escape from the trials of day to day life. Music is made to fit a certain mood, some songs pump you up, some songs make you dance, and then there is FOAMMM, the ideal band to listen to as you wake up to a lazy weekend morning, or as you fall asleep at the end of a long day. Featuring their single “Rollerblades”, FOAMMM is stoner music for every moment when you just need a break from it all,
“Play House” — Skating Polly
Skating Polly somehow managed to put LSD and blanket forts in the same song and not make it weird. “Play House” cleverly combines the band’s punk edge with reverting to a childlike state of uninhibited recklessness, making lead singer Kelly Mayo’s tantrum that we join along with her a very tempting offer.