OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVEVOLUME XV ENA MORI _________ GLIMMERS DOSSER _________ OAKMAN LULU SIMON
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE-
VOLUME FIFTEEN- QUARTER THREE
FOR PASSIONATE CREATORS WHO WORK TO FLESH & BONE IN ORDER TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT SHOWS THEIR HEART.
DESIGN
WRITERS
Sean
Brandynn L Pope
INSTAEMAILWWW.OBSESSIVECOMPULSIVEMAG.COMO’Dayfleshbonemagazine@gmail.com@obsessivecompulsivemag
CREATIVE EDITOR-IN-CHIEFTEAM
Brandynn L Pope
Cassie Deadmond
PHOTOGRAPHERS
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE& CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Brandynn L Pope
James Liam Ward
WA 282218141006 LULU SIMON SINGER-SONGWRITER OAKMAN MUSICIANS DOSSER MUSICIANS GLIMMERS MUSICIANS ENA MORI SINGER-SONGWRITER ALBUM REVIEWS WRTN BY JAMES LIAM WARD INDEX
06
Of course! Thank you for taking the time with me!
I think I do both, it’s really a case to case process. If I’m feeling particularly unmoored and stressed out, sometimes the best way to express myself and untangle the mess is through the ~majesty of song~, but other times it’s too painful or confusing to address directly and I have to let it simmer before I can understand how I feel.
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to talk with us!
Let’s dive right in and talk a little bit about your song-writing process. With all of your music stemming from your personal experiences, do you often find that writing music is your way of dealing with stressful situations, or more of something that you do long after something happens and it’s a device for reflection?
What are some of the themes and topics from your life that you find yourself pulling from the most?
LULU SIMON
I’ve recently gone through a lot of intense and painful changes that I honestly never foresaw myself going through, and I’ve been really inspired by the necessity to survive in the face of adversity, and how I myself contributed to these changes. It’s been really interesting and difficult to try and see myself from a birds eye view and try and write from an honest place, versus writing from an idealistic place.
Honestly I’m not sure I could ever put my finger on what it is exactly that makes Lucky such a masterpiece of a song, but I think when I was younger I was just drawn to those classic doowoppy chords, they’re so inherently emotional, and I think it’s that kind of emotive and pained expression that spoke to me and made me want to express myself in the same way.
You’ve mentioned that when you were younger, you had wished that you had been the one to write “Lucky” by Britney Spears. What is it about this song that captured your attention so immediately that you took with you to create music of your own so many years later?
I just felt like this song was so sentimental in an idealized way, and I feel like projectors are so nostalgic, it just felt like a good way to blend the past and the present.
All I can hope for is that my music finds people who need it at the right time. I often feel like when I’m lost or untethered, the right music finds me at exactly the right time and helps ground me and I just hope that these songs, which were born from so many different emotions, find the people with which they’ll resonate with the most.
Most recently, you have put out “Something.” Tell us a little more about that track and your experience working with Griffin Emerson. I originally started writing Something on the piano back in 2019 and got stumped, put it down for 2 years, and then was inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” and her blending of experience and fiction, and finally finished the song in 2021. I brought it to Griffin, who is amazingly talented, and basically let him follow his ear in terms of production. I’ve known Griffin since I was a teenager, and I really trust him and his musical instincts, and I think because he’s known me for so long he has a really strong understanding of my music and is incredible at elevating it.
08
When it comes to visuals for the song, you have these beautiful almost stills-like scenes with yourself and a projector. What were some of the thoughts behind using this sort of visual to accompany the song?
What else should people be on the lookout for from you in the near future?
I don’t know, maybe if we all wish very hard I can be a guest judge on Rupaul’s Drag Race?!
There’s been hints that you are going to be releasing an EP before the year’s end. What sort of feelings do you hope to evoke with that upcoming release?
OAKMAN
10
What have been some of the main themes that you have focused in on with these releases?
When it came to the single art work, what attracted you to the stylization and final images that you chose?
We decided to work with Bertrand Poncet from CNCC! We wanted to have someone who could better understand our artistic point of view but also open-minded so we could create a real communication. That’s what was most important to us, the communication, the sharing of ideas between the group and the producer. To create this healthy and efficient work effervescence.
We wanted to go further, to do something even more elaborated. The 80’s and 90’s style was very appealing to us to do that, while trying to have a modern touch. Honestly, each time, we went step by step without really knowing where we were going and each new idea brought another one. We are lucky to be able to do all this with our dear friend Aurélien Mariat, which helps a lot to be comfortable and to be able to push the ideas to the maximum in a good atmosphere. This is the most important thing for the creation to be without limits and never slowed down.
As said before, we work with our friend Aurélien Mariat. Usually we meet for a day and we gather all our ideas, our visions, then we write a storyboard. Then we list everything we will need to make the video clip like accessories, objects, materials, outfits, hairstyles, makeup, etc. It’s a lot of preparation. We do everything ourselves, all four of us, and on the day of the shoot, we are our own team, makeup artist and stylist. We all do it together. It’s hard but very funny.
Who did you decide to record and work with you on these songs with? Did that differ at all from people that you have worked with on past releases?
When did you start writing this collection of songs? We started writing these songs during the lockdown.
Death, fear, abandonment, hope, love, the desire to never give up, to fight, one’ s inner demons. The feelings that every human being feels on a daily basis.
There is always a meaning in any music video, but it is true that we have emphasized the theme of each song. Probably because the songs have a strong theme that we wanted to represent. We like it when a song is very connected to its music video, but there can be other songs where the music video is more abstract and we like it just as much. It depends on the mood.
Keeping on the topic of imagery and style, your music videos have a particular narration style where they emphasize the topics within your song. Is this typically what you like doing with music videos, where the video and song work together hand in hand? How much input do you typically have going into your videos?
Of course! This is just the beginning. There are more songs to come. On each song, on each progress, we try to push our ideas further with the resources we have. Be curious, if you like our band, your curiosity is our best support.
How do you feel that coming from France has affected you as an artist Specifically, what has the community been like for you?
Being French or of another nationality than Anglo-Saxon, we think that it is two times more difficult to be heard. We are not a market that will attract the music professionnals, so the road will be longer. But this road teaches us to fight harder and above all to take a step back on every positive thing that happens to us and on every step we take. To realize that we are lucky for every little step we take and never ignore them.
We experimented a lot of things on these songs and the next ones. Things that we have always liked and that help us to define ourselves better. We believe that a band is like a child growing up, it finds who it really is as time goes by. And this is just the beginning.
There is no big community in our style. France is not a rock country. The existing communities are not big enough for us to have a real economy and make a living with our music. We have to export to countries where our style of music is more listened to, in addition to being present in France.
Now with several singles out of the way, would I be right to assume that there is still some more music that people should be expecting from you? What else are you able to share with us that people should be on the look out for?
Max: I find the size and location of Baltimore to be a challenge and opportunity for the music scene here. It’s a challenge because it’s so close to Philly and DC that a lot of touring acts skip Baltimore, but it’s size also allows for DIY shows, dive bar shows and a good community. I find that this unique music scene has pushed us to create a new sound that appeals to multiple audiences.
How have you found that the musical environment of Baltimore has affected you all as musicians, as well as influenced the music that you are creating in Dosser?
Bret: I’ve been in and around the Baltimore music scene for quite a while now and it’s fun to see bands like Turnstile starting to shed a light in the alt rock direction here. Keeps me hopeful for the future of loud guitar driven music.
14
Will: Baltimore tends to favor more abrasive, heavy hardcore and metal bands (Turnstile, End It, Pig Destroyer) or very pretty sounding indie rock (Beach House, Wye Oak, Animal Collective). When Bret and I started the band, we had a similar idea of making an indie rock band that was down tuned, and would go between loud and quiet parts. The idea was that it would sound heavy, but pretty so that it would have a broader appeal. Thankfully, it worked out.
DOSSER
Eric: The vast amount of music that thrives around us directly corresponds to how our band sounds. It’s kept us open minded when writing to not just stick to one type of vibe. If you listen to Dosser you’ll hear anything from pop punk to 90’s alternative to hardcore. You can find a local show weekly that lends itself to those genres. It’s our scene — it’s our inspiration and what we know.
Bret: Like Will said, a lot of these songs were started right before Covid hit which then put a pause on everything. Some of these songs like the main guitar riff in “Joy Thief” I’ve had rattling around in my head for like 8 years, I just could never find the right place for it. Most of the songs were able to be fleshed out way more than usual because of all the extra time we had to sit with them. We practiced our asses off just replaying the same 10 songs over and over again till we were happy with them.
Tell us a little bit about your upcoming LP, Violent Picture/Violent Sounds. How long have you been working on these tracks?
Will: I was scrolling through our Instagram the other day, and I found a video of us jamming “Joy Thief” from September of 2019, so I guess three years now. I think COVID definitely played a part in the delay of this record coming out. In comparison to our last album, I would say this one sounds bigger and more polished thanks to us spending more time in the studio with the very talented Jon Markson. It is still very 90s indie/alternative rock influenced with a bit of our spin on it.
16
Were there any stand out moments when it came to putting everything together? In terms of the music, what are some of your favourite parts that you feel shine on the record?
Will: I feel like Jon pushed me and Bret’s vocals a lot harder on this record. He was not shy to tell us we could do a better take in the kindest way possible. Jon is a great coach! When we suggested live tracking, he met us in the middle, and had us play “scratch tracks” along with Max’s drums as if we were performing live with him. I feel like that gave the record a more natural feel.
Bret: Glad Will brought Jon up for engineering because I felt like I wanted to go for a slicker yet beefier sound for this record. I wanted the poppier songs to shine a little more and the heavier songs to hit a little harder. Judging from Jon’s previous work he could achieve the best of both worlds and boy did he do that! Not to mention we all had the same idea of what a great album would sound like from bonding over bands like Failure, Shiner, Chavez, Rob Crow and many more weirdo 90s bands.
Bret: As far as initially writing the songs, everything came together fairly effortlessly. We as four guys all have the same idea of what we want this band to sound like so once Will or I bring a song or riff to the table something usually gets fleshed out pretty quick. As far as recording, Jon is super hands on and very enthusiastic, which makes the process a lot less stressful. For every riff recorded there were probably 15 belly laughs in between which was nice because the content of the songs is mostly pretty heavy. At least for me. So having so much fun recording and fucking off in between takes make for a really exciting and safe environment to be vulnerable in.
Will: I advocated for Jon Markson because I really enjoyed his previous work on the Drug Church album “Cheer.” Jon and I met at this house show that was essentially a college party in College Park, MD. His band Taking Meds was playing with my former band Mess. After the show, Jon told me he liked our sound, and felt it would fit with his production “sonically.” I thought of him immediately years later when we went to choose an engineer/producer for this record.
Who did you choose to work with when it came to engineering and production?
The latest single, “Joy Thief”, discusses the inner workings of anxiety and how to manage it. Was this same idea explored in the music video for the track?
In terms of lyrical content, what are some themes that people should expect to see throughout the record?
How did you build and decide on the visuals that would accompany the music and be the LP cover as well as the single covers? Did you work with another artist to accomplish some of the ideas that you had?
Bret: Pretty much what Will said. A lot of therapy coming out on paper and making its way into a song ha.
What should people be on the lookout for from you leading up to the release of Violent Picture/Violent Sounds?
Will: I can’t speak for Bret because we both write in a sort of vague, metaphorical way, but our lyrics tend to be more personal than anything. The lyrics revolve around how we cope with stress and hardships, and I feel like writing songs is a good way of transferring those feelings into something positive.
Will: Bret gave a write-up on what he felt the title of the album meant to our friend David Van who is a very talented artist. David and Max collaborated to make the album artwork. Em from Really Rad Records helped make the single art so that we wouldn’t give it away too soon. It’s like a teaser or a trailer.
Bret: I’ll add that if anyone gets annoyed with some of our social media posts, kindly direct your hate mail to Will. Thanks.
Will: I’ll let Bret answer that one.
Bret: Anxiety and depression are pretty common themes in lyrics I write because they are such a big part of everyday life for me. It’s almost impossible not to write about. The idea for the video was partially mine and partially Mike York and Amanda Adam’s who directed and shot the video. I think for me the video depicts someone who feels like they’re either too fucked up or constantly fucking up or doing something fucked up and wrestling with that feeling constantly while still having to function as a person and go out and do everyday things.
Will: Three more singles with music videos and a lot of shows. Also, probably some of my very high-brow humorous posts on our social media (no sarcasm at all intended).
How do you feel the community in Atlanta has affected you as a band and helped push you to pursue music?
GLIMMERS
18
The community in Atlanta has definitely encouraged me to continue pursuing music. It is such a supportive environment, where everyone really wants to push one another to be the best they can be. I started performing in the area when I was 12 years old, and venues like The Masquerade really encouraged me to continue growing as a musician and as a person. I’m so thankful to have had such a great support system here.
Of course, thanks for having me!
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to talk with us!
It’s funny because we formed glimmers during the pandemic. I had been performing as a solo artist for years, and finally found my best friends and bandmates in the process. When the pandemic started, we talked every day and decided to take my solo project and turn it into a full band. Of course, there were a lot of challenges to beginning the band online, without being able to play any shows. However, we decided to take it in stride and tap into all of our resources to make the most of our time. As a result, we gained a lot of listeners and earned support even outside of our local scene. When we were able to play our first show back in July 2021, it was sold-out and even more special than we had anticipated.
We learned that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. While it is a cliche for sure, it really ties into what we are about as a band. We always want to promote positivity, through every song and piece of content that we create. We learned that being a band means getting creative and facing challenges with a smile. It is all worth it in the end.
With the body of work that you have put out in your EPs, what were some of the themes and subject matter that you tackled?
What were some of the lessons that you have learned from that experience?
I’m a hopeless romantic, so our EPs definitely have a lot to do with love and relationships. I write from many of my own experiences and the things I’ve learned along the way. Our song “Not Good at Goodbyes” perfectly sums up who I am and what I want to say as a writer. That song is about my difficulty saying goodbye, whether it is after a really great day, or for forever. “I’d rather get burned than deny what’s real” is one of the lyrics in the song, and I think those themes of love and hopefulness shine through.
As Glimmers specifically, you all have had to embed a lot of your foundation into a world that was seemingly on pause. How did you approach some of the challenges of largely having to push yourself online versus performing and attending shows?
Of your currently released music, if you had to pick a single track to try to explain your sound, which one would you choose and why?
Thank you! We love making music videos, especially because we are able to tell larger stories about the songs being released. Our last EP, “Worlds Apart,” was a concept record from beginning to end about the grieving process after a relationship. It starts with “Not Good at Goodbyes,” which looks back at all of the good times after the breakup, and ends with “Stay,” when the two characters get back together for a night. I was super inspired by Fall Out Boy’s Youngblood Chronicles at the time, and wanted to do something similar since we had so much free time to make videos during the pandemic. If you watch the videos in order of the tracklisting, you are able to watch the full narrative. With our upcoming releases, we are trying to do something similar with our music videos. Our “Scared To Lose” video is one of my favorites we’ve done so far. Jeremy, our drummer, and I came up with the concept for that one. A big theme with these upcoming songs is my path to choosing myself and letting go of toxic relationships. This video is the first step in that journey, and I’m excited for everyone to see more.
Keeping in with visuals, when it comes to your artwork, they also have a scenic and nostalgic feel with them. Who have you had work on these pieces of art, whether illustrations or photographs, to accomplish that feeling?
I have to give a lot of thanks to our awesome creative team. My best friend Sophie Harris shoots pretty much all of our tour photos and promo shots. She is so unbelievably talented at capturing who we are as artists and people. Most of our videos are created by Deanna Elise, and our cover art from our EPs “Cluttered Heart” and “Worlds Apart” were done by @NevergladArt. It means so much to work with them because they are just inspiring creatives. We hope our visuals set the scene and give listeners a feel for what we are trying to say through our music.
Your music videos have been especially cinematic the last little bit. Tell us a little bit about the thought process that went into building these narratives to support your music? How much say did you have over the creative development?
20
“Scared To Lose” is a great example of a song that explains our sound. It’s our newest single (so far), and has that 2000s pop/rock vibe that we all love. I like to think of our sound as songs that would appear in the 90s and early-2000s rom-coms. “Scared To Lose” is a full band song that is influenced by many of our favorite artists, such as Mayday Parade, The Band Camino, and Michelle Branch. It has that fun feel, but it also incorporates piano in some unique ways. I think it is symbolic of who we are as a band and where we are going.
Now that the world is a lot more open, you have been moving relatively quickly, debuting at So What?! Fest and taking on several shows and tours. What are some more things that you want people to be on the lookout for from you in the coming months?
Get ready for a lot of new music and content. We are also gearing up for a longer tour in November/December. A lot of great stuff is happening, and I am so thankful for everyone’s support.
One thing to take away from glimmers is to always follow your dreams. Chase happiness and do it with your friends. We only have one life to live, so let’s make it great.
Is there anything I haven’t tackled that you would love to say, or final words that you would love to share?
22
ENA MORI
Photo Credit: Telle Ramos
All of your music videos have this fantastic stylization to them on top of their narrative. How much of a say do you have when it comes to putting them together? What do you like too make sure is accomplished through this form of visual medium?
In general, you have some amazing visuals as an artist that are colourful and playful. What are some of the feelings and motifs that you want to embellish in?
What were some of the themes that you explored through your lyrics?
Each song has a theme color and a story in my mind. I think that aspects cannot be separated from the music, so i enjoy putting the visual aspects together with the music to enhance what I want to tell. I think its a great tool to further give people a chance to feel something.
How all did you work on this record with, and what was everyones roll on bringing it all together?
Let’s jump right in and talk about your debut record, Don’t Blame The Wild One. How long have you been working on the songs that a part of this record?
I’ve been working for the record for 2 to 3 years (from 2019 - 2022).
I worked with my producer, timothy Run. Throughout the making of the record, we were in isolation so there was a lot of files-sending back and forth to share ideas.
I tried my best to describe words that I want to hear when I’m feeling low. I guess the ongoing theme is the boldness and rawness of the lyrics.
I’m a very visual person, I like vibrant colors and shapes and the feeling i get when I see them. I always surround myself with colorful things because it makes me happy. So naturally, when I was making this album I wanted to highlight a piece of me which was the vibrant visuals.
You’ve mentioned that you have been inspired both by the classical music that your mother introduced too you as well as more contemporaries such as Bjork or Talking Heads. What sort of inspiration do you pull from both sides of the spectrum of music?
I hope that this album will be something that people can hold onto, something that they can blast after a bad day, or something that will be meaningful and will be remembered.
I get inspired from the intelligence in music. How its written, structured, the message, the soul and passion, these are the things that inspires me. Classical music was a great opportunity for me to learn the fundamentals in music, and I admire avangard musicians that pushes the boundaries of the fundamentals.
How do you feel that being a song writer in Manilla, Philippines has influenced your work?
Experiencing different cultures constantly has been a great spark for me to get writing. The capacity of songwriting increases as I experience new things here in Manila.
Filipinos are so musical. You hear people singing across the street, playing music in a shop, people really appreciates music here and thats one of the biggest factor why I enjoy writing here in Manila. I love how sophisticated and original Japanese underground music is. So many people dedicate their time and effort for art and thats what I love about japanese music as well. These factors really inspire me as an artists and it never gets tired to experience and get influenced by musicians around me.
What do you hope that people step away with after they finish listening to the entirety of Don’t Blame The Wild One?
I understand that while this is currently where you are, you may not have always been working from here. How has your experience been within that musical community both in Manilla as well as anywhere else that you have been writing and working from?
Is there anything that hasn’t been addressed here that you would love to say as some final thoughts?
I am so grateful to have an opportunity where I can create things however I want to. I hope people will enjoy as much as I enjoyed working on the album.
FOXING BRANDYNN LP
HOWKNOWDON’TI MEFOUNDTHEYBUT LPBRANDYNN
The synthesizers on the following “Asking” are much more gorgeous and immersive than “Body Language”, and I find the melodies that make up this song to be significantly more satisfying. The resonant bass sounds awesome on this chorus and I love the little warped piano loops and manipulated drums that occupy the bridge section, slowly building up to an epic conclusion with huge shots of guitars, layers of vocals and atmospheric guitar melodies; Silverline would be a much more enjoyable project if more of the songs were arranged and layered with this level of care and detail. The landscape of synthesizers on the concluding “Circles” are interesting enough, but I could do without the chorus of children, which cheapen the triple hits of guitars and drums that follow. You can tell that Spencer Christian is really giving it his all on this refrain though, and the four-onthe-floor kick pattern throughout this chorus boosts the intensity and spectacle of Silverline’s conclusion.
ANBERLIN 07.29.2022 6.6
28
Rude Records / Equal Vision
Spencer’s vocals during this section are slathered in effects and modulation, giving his performance an otherworldly feel. A blistering set of guitar chords are worked in at the two-minute mark, but the song’s structure remains feeling stagnant, its conclusions of little consequence. “Body Language”, the longest song on the project, opens with an ascending synth bass melody that contrasts an ethereal, descending guitar melody. The skeletal instrumentation lends itself to the song’s pop structure, and leaves plenty of room for the legitimately catchy vocal hook—it speaks to the level of talent in the band that they can make a song with such few moving parts actually work. That being said, the song is still five and a half minutes in total and feels lacking in progression and uneventful as a whole.
REVIEWSLBUMSAOF
BEST TRACK: Two Graves WORST TRACK: Nothing Lost
WRITTEN & CURATED BY JAMES LIAM WARD
Silverline
It’s been over seven years since American alternative band Anberlin has released new music. Now, having recently signed to Equal Vision Records following a string of successful reunion shows, the band is ready to release a crop of new songs in the form of an EP entitled, Silverline. The one thing I wasn’t expecting from this comeback EP was intensity, but that’s exactly what the opening track of Silverline delivers. The bending single string guitar riff that kicks off “Two Graves” is shockingly heavy, reminiscent of Royal Blood, especially when paired with the droning lead melodies and thunderous drumming. Stephen Christian’s sung chorus is powerful and commanding, and his repetition of specific lyrics only adds to the intense energy of the song. “Two Graves” closes strong as well, as the drums introduce an explosive halftime groove that drives the song towards its destructive Unfortunately,conclusion.theremainder
of the tracks on Silverline never reach the hard-hitting highs set by “Two Graves”. A gritty bassline, mid-tempo drum groove and reverbed guitar lead introduce “Nothing Lost”, before giving way to a spacious first verse.
END / CULT LEADER 09.09.2022 7.7
Gather & Mourn is the brand-new split EP from metallic hardcore heavyweights END and Cult Leader. Both bands have contributed two songs for the project, with both sides being mastered by legendary producer (and guitarist of END), Will Putney. The similarities end there, however, as repeated listens of Gather & Mourn reveal a fundamental divide in the quality of material that the two acts deliver. Cult Leader sounds firmly in their comfort zone on this project. The songs submitted for this split could’ve landed on Lightless Walk, an album that’ll be turning seven years old in a month’s time—it’s quite apparent that Cult Leader have no intentions of breaking any new ground on Gather & Mourn. END, and what they do with their material on this project, is a different story entirely.
END open the first half of Gather & Mourn, and they waste no time getting down to business. “Eden Will Drown” starts with a disorientating fusion of pummeling blast beats and triplet chugging guitars that sound more like power tools than instruments. The band quickly returns to this motif, but not before hurtling the listener through a gauntlet of d-beat drumming, manic guitar riffs and Brendan Murphy’s throat-shredding roars. After locking in on a primal halftime groove, END descends into a spacious section layered with eerie cultish chants before plunging into a vortex of black metal inspired tremolo guitars. Then, everything goes silent as a single dissonant chord begins looping through the mix. The rest of the band weaves in and out and around this chord, building towards an all-encompassing, earth shattering breakdown. Vocals are used sparingly in this section, leaving the savage groove and searing guitar chords to do the heavy lifting and bring the song to its conclusion.
Closed
grinding sub bass and freakish guitar embellishments. The song feels heavily inspired by elements of doom and sludge metal, with Zeal & Ardor’s contributions being felt throughout, culminating in a chilling vocal feature as the song’s centrepiece. Soon after, END takes the song’s metaphorical wheel and drives it off a cliff, plummeting the track into pure instrumental mayhem before the calamitous, drop-tuned finale. To say that END is firing on all cylinders throughout Gather & Mourn is a pitiful understatement; these are two of the band’s most savage, engaging and exciting songs to date.
WORST
Deathwish
Gather & Mourn Casket /
Cult Leader’s contributions feel lacking by comparison, with little to offer outside of their intensity. The blast beats and throaty screams of “Ataraxis” are a good beginning, and I like the syncopated shots of guitars and drums that punctuate the instrumental. The band transitions into a constantly ascending guitar riff that inverts itself at times, adding a unique detail to this section as well. Soon after, the song seems to collapse into intermittent shots of drums and guitar feedback, before dropping into a brutal halftime breakdown. The vocals are hurtled at the listener in spacious triplets, leaving plenty of room for the dissonant guitar chords to suffocate the mix. “Long Shadows” offers much more in terms of variety, but I find some of the mixing choices in this song to be a bit baffling. The first minute of the track is a whirlwind of angular riffs and frantic drumming, but then the band transitions into a down tempo section with a drab descending guitar lead that is mixed so loud it actually pulls me out of the song. As a result, it’s tough to appreciate the winding bassline and savage vocals during this passage. Thankfully, the lead melody introduced halfway through the song a deal more interesting, atmospheric, and tolerable in volume, leading to the song’s climax; a triumphant conclusion with melodic tremolo guitars and driving blast beats, leaving the project on a solid note. But all this time while listening to the back half of this split, all I want to do is return to the first half.
BEST TRACK: Eden Will Drown TRACK: Long Shadows
“The Host Will Soon Decay” is just as impressive of a cut, but in a much different way: END is pushing the boundaries of their own sound on this track, collaborating with Zeal & Ardor to create an oppressive sonic landscape of industrial percussion,
JID’s The Forever Story is one of the most enjoyable and consistent sixty minutes of hip-hop that you can find this year. Following the release of his impressive sophomore album DiCaprio 2—containing several modern hip-hop classics including “151 Rum” and “Off Deez”—I craved JID to go further, to push himself into more ambitious, adventurous territory. And the Atlanta rapper accomplishes this feat in strides with The Forever Story, delivering an album rich with progressive instrumentals, dense lyricism, and a varied sound palette. It all starts with the lumbering sub bass and lush harmonies of “Galaxy”, an introduction that parallels JID’s debut LP, The Never Story, and makes this new project feel like the big-budget sequel to its predecessor. “Raydar” is where the project really starts cooking though, jarring the listener with a barrage of booming bass and snappy percussion, leaving plenty of room for JID to deliver an entrancing vocal performance; his constantly evolving flows keep the song engaging and interesting throughout, and if that wasn’t enough, the beat shifts to an epic and cavernous instrumental before evolving again to include a warped, detuning piano riff. “Raydar” could easily be two separate songs, or even three, but JID immediately sets the precedent that he puts everything he can into every single track on this album. And so begins the fantastic run of songs that kick off this album. “Dance Now”, one of the lead singles, features a vocal sample that in any other context, would likely annoy the crap out of me. But with JID’s eclectic inflections paired with the intricate and textured production, the song goes off without a hitch. The detuning strings and ice-cold pianos on the subsequent “Crack Sandwich” craft a notably dark and eerie atmosphere, and JID’s double time flows on the bass driven “Can’t Punk Me” are beautifully complimented by EARTHGANG’s animated and energetic contributions. 21 Savage holds the pace on the bass-heavy “Surround Sound”, before the song sinks into an immersive, subterranean beat-switch—JID is the master of breathing new life into his songs with an excellent third verse. Countless modern rappers end their songs after two verses, but JID is determined to squeeze everything possible from his songs on The Forever Story, and the result is a remarkably dense and engaging start to the album.
This album does have an Achilles heel, though, and it’s the ballads. Despite JID’s best efforts to craft detailed and soulful slow jams, I find myself struggling to connect with many of the more laidback tracks on The Forever Story. That isn’t to say that the songs on the back half of this album aren’t good: JID’s singing on “Kody Blu 31” is really impressive and tuneful, his flows on “Bruddanem” unique and quirky, his hook on “Better Days” notably catchy, but they just aren’t as interesting or exciting as the earlier songs on this album. The one exception being “Sistanem”. This track is meditative, nocturnal, solemn, and just about everything I could ask for in a JID song. The hovering synthesizers are lusciously psychedelic, and I love the bassline that seems to float through the mix like a rush of bubbles in the ocean. JID’s hook is perfect; subtle, reflective, and catchy, while James Blake’s brief appearance adds so much by doing so little.
The Forever Story / Interscope
30
BEST
Bruddanem JID 08.16.2022 8.3
Sistanem WORST
The end of The Forever Story, while solid, pales in comparison to the beginning. BADBADNOTGOOD’s instrumental for “Stars” has a lot of character and a solid groove, and Yasiin Bey’s verse is great as well, but the sudden transition to the entirely new beat makes the track feel disjointed overall. And although Lil Wayne is on his best behaviour for “Just In Time”, the instrumental wears itself thin quite quickly, despite being one of the shortest songs on the record. Things pick up from there, and JID’s sense of humour shines through on the conceptual “Money”, followed shortly by one of The Forever Story’s best moments: “Lauder Too”. A fantastic close to the album, this track is a hard-hitting and multi-faceted banger loaded with glitchy melodies and spacious, punchy percussion. The real highlight of the instrumental, however, is the bass, whose powerful and prominent performance gives an immense sense of momentum to the song. A lot of the material on this album’s second half is solid, but I found it significantly weaker than the first half, so I’m thankful that JID threw in one final, incredible track before the album concluded. With the release of The Forever Story, JID’s potential to ascend into one of the greatest modern voices in hip-hop is no less than guaranteed. I only hope he brings as much heat to the ballads next time as he does to the bangers. TRACK: TRACK:
Dreamville
And then there’s “Hate Chase”, a song that embodies the phrase “Be careful what you wish for”. This track is an abhorrent attempt at a hard rock song, with distorted guitar chords and a lively drum groove, but it’s the vocals that completely sour the song; overblown in both volume and distortion, Kyle Durfey’s wailing is insufferable and makes this two-minute song feel almost double the length. The track almost feels intentionally bad, possibly acting as proof that the band should never attempt to return to their old sound. “Buckley” and “Pair” are decent enough songs but boast little that the previous eight tracks haven’t done better already. The arrangements and performances of these songs just aren’t as melodically satisfying as songs like “Skiv” or “Easy”. Despite a somewhat lackluster ending, Drift is a success for the band in several ways: Pianos Become the Teeth are becoming more explorative and experimental in their sound, adding just enough intensity to keep things engaging, and getting the most they can out of their engrossing lyrics and contemplative song structures.
TRACK: Hate Chase PIANOS BECOME THE TEETH 08.28.2022 7.5 DRIFT Epitaph
BEST TRACK: The Days
Whether it was the band, or Bernsten, or both, Drift is a marked improvement on Pianos Become the Teeth’s sound since Wait For Love. Despite a few misfires, the record feels holistic, layered, and spontaneous in a way that none of the band’s other albums have felt. The songs on Drift are linear, almost static, but full of tiny sonic details that make the listening experience more engaging and interesting than they have any right to be. This is apparent right from the first song, “Out of Sight”, which opens with Kyle Durfey’s somber singing over a set of watery keyboards. Soon after a droning bass guitar, sparkling pads, and layers of backing vocals are added, followed by a dragging hi-hat pattern, to gradually expand the song into a mosaic of sounds and textures. The subsequent “Genevieve” roots itself in a nimble yet laidback drum loop. a foundation serving the whimsical guitar melodies and layers of urgent vocals. By the three-minute mark, the levee breaks, and the song blossoms into a powerful refrain with an unexpected bite of distortion that is both surprising and pleasing to hear from the band.
WORST
Pianos Become the Teeth are a screamo-turnedindie outfit from Baltimore, Maryland. The band punctuated their sonic shift with 2014’s Keep You, an emotive album that favoured crooning melodies and a meditative atmosphere over harsh screaming and dissonance—a change that still upsets some fans to this day. For me, it wasn’t until 2018’s tepid Wait For Love that I found the band’s new direction lacking in depth and ingenuity. And it seems Pianos Become the Teeth might share my sentiments, as the band have partnered with producer Kevin Bernsten for their latest album Drift (Kevin previously worked with Pianos Become the Teeth on their celebrated 2011 album, The Lack Long After).
snares and blissful guitars slow things down on the following “Easy”, a song that radiates a moving sense of despair and desperation with the repeated lyrics “This is all there is” and “Please keep saving me”. This mournful ballad smoothly transitions into the groaning bassline and churning arpeggios of “The Days”, a song whose fuzzed out guitar chords and powerful vocal performance quickly turned the track into a highlight for me. The gentle drums and lithe guitar lines of “Mouth” are starkly reminiscent of La Dispute’s work on Rooms of the House, but a set of shimmering synthesizers begin pulsing through the mix, give the song a strange, unearthly conclusion and strong sense of uniqueness.
“The Tricks” holds the album’s energy with a steady drum groove roiling beneath layers of guitars floating in and out of the mix like birdsong. This track is (and the previous “Genevieve”) is where the band’s new infatuation with layered vocals becomes overwhelmingly apparent, but I like the intensity that these chorus of voices add to these songs. Rimshot
WE ALL HAVE THIS OBSESSIVE COMPULSION TO CREATE