atomicules

Push propelled program tinkerer and picture maker.

Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center

Asides from spelling center incorrectly this could be my sleeper album of the year. I’m 100% in love with it.

I can’t remember where or when I first heard of Phoebe Bridgers, but it was probably 6music. I gave Stranger in the Alps a listen (I love it; It’s utterly depressing, but I love it) and then moved onto Better Oblivion Community Center. I probably didn’t like it as much on first listen, but the more I listen to it the more I love it.

My favourites are (most of it):

  • Didn’t Know What I Was in For - Sets the theme for the rest of the album. This is perfect Sunday evening listening and I mean that in the best possible way. If I was still a teenager I would have been all over this.
  • Dylan Thomas - Probably the most upbeat thing on there. But fits right in.
  • Service Road - “Whoooooo are youuu…”. Sing-a-long now. To the Phoebe Bridgers parts when you should be singing to Conor Oberst’s instead. Aren’t you glad you can’t hear me? This song has my heart.
  • Chesapeake - I always think it says cheapskate. It’s just so gentle.
  • My City - If there ever comes a point in my life I learn acoustic guitar I want to learn this album so I can sit and play and singalong. And smile.
  • Forest Lawn - Like a nursery rhyme for grown-ups.
  • Dominoes - No, this one has my heart.

Hands up who wants to stay up ‘til dawn, getting drunk and listening to music?

Yeah, I don’t really have anything to say about it despite liking it a lot, sorry. These aren’t album reviews though. These are feelings

Women Who Drink Champagne

"Women who drink champagne when there is nothing to celebrate can look like that: their straw hats with broken brims are often askew; they nod in public places; their shoes are undone."

— Beloved by Toni Morrison

To my shame I’d never heard of Toni Morrison until her recent passing so decided to read something of hers and Beloved was in the bookshop. Not knowing the background of the book (aside slavery) and that it was based on a true story made it all the better (because I didn’t know what was coming) so ignorance worked in my favour here; As a rule I skip forewards and any blurb until the end for this reason. On it’s own this quote is not at all representative of the rest of the book, but it stood out to me as I was reading it and it wasn’t until someway past this point in the book that I realised this was the pivotal moment.

Scathing. But absolutely true.

You can read news articles or watch the news, but there is something about speech set to music (Shamen: Re:Evolution springs to mind) that works well.

EP of the year: OK Button - Sepia Spectres

I’m still struggling with an album of the year this year despite there being lots of good ones so far, but this presented an ideal opportunity to do an EP of the year in the meantime; Although this is a little bit risky with one on the way from Lucia.

Sepia Spectres is sublime. My favourites being The Message, Beds and Grenade.

Discovered OK Button accidentally a few months ago when looking for gigs to go to; I’m hopefully still going. Wasn’t sure about the name initially, but glad I gave them a listen as they are really good. This is not some scrappy garage band - not that I have anything against those - as the production quality on these tracks is really high. The vocals are to die for.

Other People Were So Far Away

"Most liberating for him was the fact that other people were so far away."

— Perfume by Patrick Süskind

Belatedly posting a quote from this. I read it in January as a result of watching the Netflix series of the same name (and inspired by this book); That Netflix series is GOOD. Picking this quote since it’s relatable - which is also slightly disturbing.

I also read The Pigeon which is just bizarre.

White Laced Branches Dripping Rain Holes In The Crust

"white laced branches dripping rain holes in the crust"

— The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I wanted to read The Goldfinch, but the book shop didn’t have it so went for this instead. There are (probably) quite a lot of good quotes hidden in there, but seeing as how it’s pretty verbose and I didn’t have a pen with me when reading on holiday they are lost below my memories of risotto.

This one is quite apt though seeing as snow features heavily.

There Are More Beginnings Then There Are Ends

"There are more beginnings then there are ends to contain them."

— Everything Under by Daisy Johnson

Holiday reading. Choosing the obvious quote. It reflects both the book itself and the story within the book (if that makes sense?). It’s really good, but confused the hell out of me initially as it doesn’t really have a start, it’s a bit like watching a film half way through and then watching the beginning on +1 at the end. I liked it though - I thought it wasn’t going to wrap things up due to the nature of it, but it actually does so pretty well (pretty grim though).

Chase and Status: RTRN II JUNGLE

Another contender (for me) for album of the year, but also another that’s not quite enough to make me call it yet. I.e. it’s good, but it’s not quite as good as No More Idols.

Best tracks:

  • Heater - Is just awesome. By far the best track on the album. Defines “rinsing”.
  • Murder Music - Nice and bass-y.
  • Program - Nice and drum-y.
  • Weed & Rum - But only because it ends up in my brain as “Cheese and toast”… I don’t know why.
  • Retreat2018 - It was good in 2018 and it’s good now. Bizarre that it was released with Heater and that got no airplay at the time
  • Bubble - Onomatopoeic

April Audio

What was going to lots of little posts rolled into one “big” one

April has been a good month for albums and music in general.

Jade Bird: Jade Bird

Was very much anticipating this album after hearing tracks last year and listening to it went something like this:

  1. Ruins. It’s ok, yeah…
  2. Lottery. Good, yeah, but heard it
  3. I Get No Joy. Same
  4. Side Effects…
  5. My Motto. Holy Shit. Goosebumps. Repeat. Turn up. Repeat, repeat, repeat again.

And that’s probably all you need to know about this album. But you need to listen to it properly: Headphones on in your own space (wherever that may be) or loud on the stereo. It’s so good. It feels like it should have been in A Star is Born.

My Motto, that is, which is now out as a single: It won’t be as massive as it should be.

As I write this I honestly can’t recall what Side Effects sounds like because my memory was overcome with My Motto

Loyle Carner: Not Waving, but Drowning

Woah. This is a proper album. I.e. makes sense as a whole, flows all the way through, should really be listened to altogether in one sitting. For that reason it’s hard to pick out favourites. Maybe Ottolenghi, You Don’t Know, Waving Not Drowning (ok then Loose Ends as long as it’s followed by Waving Not Drowning) and Dear Ben because there is just nothing not to love about that being the final track on an album.

Mammoth Penguins: There Is No Fight We Both Can’t Win

Top marks for the name. Standout track is I Wanna which I had heard before the album and I will hopefully randomly sing to myself at times for the rest of my life.

Radar

I have an idea for a little script that I have no time to write right now. Songkick is a pretty useful service, but in my mind it’s back to front: I don’t want it to tell me which bands I listen to in Spotify are playing near me, I want a playlist in Spotify of bands that are playing near me so I can hear if they are worth going to see. And so I’ve started doing that manually this month with some good results. Discovered these great bands/tracks:

  • Dream State: White Lies. Epic. Marmozets-ish. Love this so much
  • Dancing on Tables: Missing. Love this too. Reminds me of Two Door Cinema club.
  • Connor Clark and the Matador Kings: Stand Alone. From Aberdeen. I’m not sold on the name, at all, but do like this song.
  • Vukovi: La Di Da. Grrr.
  • Spinn: Who You Are. From Liverpool so I guess hard for them to get things wrong.
  • OK Button: The Message. Yes!!!!

Can’t go and see them all unfortunately so picked Spinn and OK Button. Really looking forward to them - don’t want to use our regained freedom just to revisit our “youth”: I want to see new bands too.

She Was In Her Stilettos Phase

"She was in her stilettos phase and had a collection of high heels in black and white and silver and pink and all sorts. She kept them in their boxes with Polaroids of the empty shoes stuck to the front. But when she met Bernard she was wearing his mothers's slippers."

— The Lighthouse by Alison Moore

Recently bought a random book from a bookshop which is something I’ve not done in ages. It was good. I like how these sentences work on your brain: It reads them and goes “fine”, then waits a bit and then goes “Hang on?!”.

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