F*ck the Algorithm - Issue 003
When I was 20, quite a big part of my self-image hinged on the music I listened to and the fact I could rattle off long lists of bands I liked that few other people I met had heard of. Isn’t that fucking ridiculous? But as a music production undergraduate it sort of went with the territory.
Looking back now, I can see that listening to Hella, Boom Bip, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Boards of Canada didn’t actually impress anyone – and that those bands weren’t even particularly niche. Roygbiv by Boards of Canada has over 51 million plays on Spotify alone!
There’s also loads of music I enjoy now that I’m confident my 20-year-old self would have hated or at least steered away from. Whether it’s from a genre I dismissed, too pop, not heavy enough, too dance-y (I was very late to EDM) or even just played on the wrong radio stations, I was out.
So, as a fat middle finger to my pretentious former self, this playlist is full of new music he wouldn’t have given a chance. His loss is your gain!
Eight tracks in just over 34mins, approach it with an open mind and accept you might not love them all. And don’t worry if this isn’t your bag, I’ll be jumping back into the guitar-based comfort zone next week.
Track notes
1. Yaang – ‘Til Morning Light
This would have been far too synth-laden and regimented for me in my youth although the dark and slightly heavier undertone may have tempted me in. There’s something oppressive and relentless in the way this plugs away at its fixed tempo that I love now, there’s so much tension.
Bridge back: You can take comfort in the post punk vocal and the distorted guitars. It’s like a very dark and grown-up Bloc Party or Franz Ferdinand in a way, too.
2. Lifeguard – Ultra Violence
This has so much poise and control and I’ve have been frustrated by the lack of a proper outlet. Where’s the big chorus? Now I’m impressed by the frugality of the arrangement and the way it takes you on such a journey despite occupying such a small space. The song’s essentially over after 1min56 when instrumental build up takes over.
Bridge back: The angular and dissonant guitar reminds me of At the Drive-In although it’s all much more controlled and tighter.
3. Fuzz Lightyear – White and Green
Another track that hinges around a long build-up of tension rather than a more traditional tension-release-repeat structure. We’re on more familiar ground in terms of instrumentation, though. Now I can appreciate the patience and confidence it takes to put a listener through this.
Bridge back: This reminds me of ASG both tonally and harmonically - it’s less accessible though.
4. Maruja - Bloodsport
There’s a lot in this I’d have assumed wasn’t for me. Modern jazz horns, rapped vocals (that don’t sound like Beastie Boys or Eminem) and a long, linear song structure with infrequent choruses. But now I love the energy and confrontational nature of this and the way the ideas develop in complexity and keep adding layers towards the pay off at the end.
Bridge back: That huge distorted bass and high-energy drum combination puts me in mind of Lightning Bolt.
5. Model/Actriz – Cinderella (Olof Dreijer Remix)
Dance music was for people I didn’t see eye-to-eye with at school so I wouldn’t have given this a chance. But this is far from the big room, pseudo anthemic drivel they used to listen to. I love its sinister, foreboding edge that means you can never fully relax despite it being entirely danceable.
Bridge back: The choppy and heavily processed drums remind me of the joyously irreverent Planet Mu artists that confronted the mainstream in the 00s.
6. Chat Pile – Demon Time
This would have been too slow and non performative for my young ears. It’s creepy, unsettling and devious of an obvious hook. I now love its blending of relaxed, almost meditative clean guitar and bass with that monster under the bed distorted bass that joins in eventually. It’s all over before you get a chance to settle in, too.
Bridge back: The pace and tone of this reminds me of old Pelican tracks.
7. yeule – Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl
Another track that creates tension by blending the familiar with the unknown. The underlying instrumentation on this Broken Social Scene cover could be used to accompany flurries of bright balloons, tree frogs and desertscapes on the demo reel of a posh TV. But that glitchy, chopped around vocal elevates things to a different place. I just wouldn’t have got it.
Bridge back: There are similarities with Sigur Rós’s Gobbledigook although it’s not as expansive or joyous. There's the BSS link too, obviously.
8. Madra Salach – I Was Just A Boy
An appropriate song title for this theme, this is a seriously dark take on an Irish folk sound. Unsettling lyrics are underpinned by that droning squeezebox and a snare that refuses to settle on the beat. I’d have found it too folky and not melodic enough.
Bridge back: A band I did used to like with an Irish twist was the Dropkick Murphies and there are obvious parallels here.
That’s it for Issue 003. Have you heard anything lately that’s given you the right kind of nostalgic buzz? Good music deserves a conversation.
