Musical Daydreaming through My Dissertation - CUB MUSIC

Musical Daydreaming through My Dissertation

a series of album reviews by Jack Alexander

A good deal of my life nowadays has a soundtrack. If you were to take the music away from your favourite film, would it still be the same? It may seem unrealistic to imagine the same in real life, however if I am relaxing in my flat, taking the tube or working on the endless essays of my third year at uni, I am listening to music. It provides flavour and energy to the dullest moments and accents the hours upon hours of reading. Music is therefore essential to me, and I am sure to others, so I was motivated to enquire of my friends some album recommendations to help me in my musical daydreaming. The following reviews are of albums listened to in their entirety whilst I have been going about my usual life. Hopefully it inspires you to also ask for recommendations from friends, to learn more about their interests, or at least appreciate the hard work music does for us every day, acting in the background.

To start us off, we have ‘Sun Leads Me On’ by Half Moon Run, a Canadian indie band recommended to me by my friend Mimi. This album is exactly what I wanted from this endeavour, full of peaks and valleys of energy, it is perfect for both absent minded listening whilst having enough to keep you interested. An emotive album characterised by long vocals overlapping instrumental flourishes. It has a well-crafted rustic feel to it. What is most striking is the range of themes present in the album. The title track ‘Sun Leads me on’, is a prayer ballad, full of wistful emotion, whilst the very next song, It works itself out, evolves into an energetic ride along complete with synth elements. The best way I can describe it is Bob Dylan meets Radiohead. Whilst this does at times take away from the harmonious feel of a fully themed album, I see it as giving you a wider range of emotional experiences. Perfect for the would-be daydreamer! Overall, I would recommend this album, it feels like moving along a river and witnessing the changing scenery drifting past, fitting coming from Mimi and her love of the water. Oh, and the best song is ‘Consider yourself’, love the mounting energy in that track.

I listened to SICK! by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt, many many times. A short hip hop album, lasting around 24 minutes, it uses every second of it to create a rich and genuinely engaging experience. Recommended by my friend Sylvie, this album is smooth. Each lyric feels well placed and its use of samples add to the story it creates in the short time it has to grace your ears. Its opening track ‘Old Friend’ acts like a mental reset, vocals flow in along with a rising repeating string, a lyrical palette cleanser. It ends with sounds of thunder, heralding the coming storm coming your way. This album feels like it has agency, it is chaotic, but not to the point of excess. The rhythm of the flow is percussion in itself, riding above the chaos to hold your attention throughout. An example is the track ‘Vision’, a mix of lofi beats and trap. Opening with a grainy sample and haunted by a running piano, it moves into moody trap and it works so well. My favourite track is ‘Tabula Rasa’ (feat. Armand Hammer), the clean mixing weaves the lyrics through the piano and slow drums to memorable effect.

This one was meant to be a lightning round, so fitting for this next album, ‘Bizarro’ by The Wedding Present, an English indie rock group from the 80s. I say fitting as the whole album is best summed up as ‘guitars played blindingly fast’. However, I underestimated the hypnotic hold it would have on my conscience when writing this review. Compared to the other albums, this one is passive in a way that tells you to sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride. The track ‘No’ is an exception, well not an exception, it still has guitars, just a tad slower than the breakneck speed of the rest of the album and features melodic vocals of the so 80s romantic bitter outburst. Because of this theme it falls into the trap of having a similar sound that keeps you underwater without giving you time to breathe. It is lovingly 80s, and will push you through any long-winded writing session, however it lacks the varied flourishes of the other albums in this review. My favourite track is ‘Take Me’, a fitting name for a song that never lets you go. Nine minutes long of blinding guitar rhythms, dipping in places, but never faltering, is a musical experience just for the overall energy required to keep pace. Perfect for a frenzied writing session, thanks Hickford for the recommendation and doubling my words per minute.

We finish with the melancholy sound of ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ by Bon Iver. This is my friend Martine’s choice album to relax to, and I can see why. The whole album is an emotion. Complex wordplay and similes make you miss memories you’ve never had, but it is the effect of the melody that steals the show. It all culminates in a closeness you feel with the singer Justin Vernon, such as in Lump Sum where his voice is a haunting chorus. You can’t help but tap your feet to the folkiness or bow your head in respect to the feeling. My favourite song and the one that has lyrically the most to say is ‘The Wolves’ (Act I and II). The repeating guitar strings are lamenting, overlaid with denser vocals and percussion compared to the rest of the album. It all ends in a cathartic breakdown of mounting drums, before dissolving into the same words as the beginning of the track, encapsulating the singer’s futile expression of anger. As you can see this one is really easy to get lost in, apologies to my uni work.

So ends this limited exercise of musical appreciation. I am thankful for my friends who recommended these albums and for helping in a small way to distract me from the realities of 3rd year life. I hope it has inspired you to do the same. Music is a wave of feeling. Something you can ride on when you need motivation and intensity, or dive into, daydreaming submerged beneath its calming waters.