In 2004, Arcade Fire released their first LP entitled Funeral via Merge Records. On that record is a tasty ditty called Wake Up. Listen to it {loud}, sing along, It's quite nice.
This track is rife with pitched vocals, heavy guitar, and a choir of voices but still manages to fall into the hauntological category (for me). There is no sampling, no random noise, partly do to the fact that the Arcade Fire budget was much smaller than it is now, but also because the Butlers are specific with their message. Wake Up is a warning to, for, and about the state of being a kid. It reminisces of summers where trouble was the hardest thing to stay out of, especially when your mom keeps asking you: "why can't you be less like yourself and more like... a better version of you"? Wake Up reminds me to hold onto summer days spent skateboarding, spray-painting, and eating pizza bagels. Straight from 2004, this cheaply-recorded album still holds up because it got a piece of the nostalgic cake all to itself. Wake Up proves this over and over.
Shifting gears dramatically, a few more years back... for everybody.
Pogo: unsigned {props}, highly innovative, electronica hauntology to the max. The unique thing about Pogo is that they use sounds you have already heard dozens of times, as a child. Check out the track Alice. Remind you of anything? Pogo samples sounds from Disney films and then remixes them with electronica. So the next time you flashback to being five years old in front of the television while you're downtown ordering a gin and tonic, just ask the DJ to cite his/her sources, you might be surprised what you find.
I like your writing style Luke. Also I really enjoy Arcade Fire. Your description of their track "Wake Up" is in depth and, though I have heard the song numerous times from owning their album, I want to hear all of it again.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Arcade Fire is one of my favorite bands, specifically right now. Their music is smart and relevant but also incredibly eclectic and progressive. I'm 99% sure Wake Up was used for the soundtrack of Where the Wild Things Are (based on a popular children's book), which came out a year or two ago. Given what that story is about it makes that song even more cool to me.
ReplyDeleteAh, how lovely it is to reminisce! I have tons of embarrassing music (which shall remain unnamed) that I have on my iPod... constantly playing in my car. Although when I have people riding with me, I skip through all of them. This means I skip through nearly every song. But a lot of it is mood as well. Rambling aside, it may be embarrassing music but it's dang good music!
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