Music Club
By Jens Moller | Posted: Thursday July 1, 2021
Every week at lunch time Tuesdays, Music Club meets in Room 119 to talk about everything and anything audible.
This week Music Club looked at three different (loosely) indie rock albums written by three influential women. Mitski, an American-Japanese artist, Courtney Barnett, an Australian singer-songwriter, and Fazerdaze, from Auckland.
Students selected which album they wanted to explore further during our lunch-time meeting, and then wrote down some of their thoughts from listening to the albums for a week.
Be The Cowboy by Mitski (2018)
Be the Cowboy is a fantastic, unique-sounding album with elements of electronica, funk and disco, as well as alt rock. Mitski’s lyrics, albeit being relatively simple, are very personal, and the way she sings the lyrics in an almost melody-absent give the music a strange, psychedelic feeling.
One of the main problems this album faces is the length of many of the tracks. Most songs on this album fail to make it past the 3 minute mark, resulting in many of them being forgettable, even though many of them offer quite good melodies. The ones that make it past this however, “Nobody” and “Two Slow Dancers” are amazing songs filled with personal, deep lyrics. Each song is different to the other, for example the organs of the first track, “Geyser” offers an almost horror sound, whereas the final track, “Two Slow Dancers” is more of a sad ballad. My highlights were “A Pearl”, “Washing Machine Heart”, “Nobody” (though I disliked it the more I listened to it) and “Two Slow Dancers”. “Lonesome Love” and “Me and My Husband” are short songs, but are also very nice.
This album is therapeutic, it's deep and she shows that loneliness can be represented in fun pop songs or bleak existential nightmares. Its length makes it very listenable which is a new concept in music making today - making short albums. This gives no time for filler and even when Be The Cowboy lacks in places, it’s pacing, songwriting, messages and sorrow ring true and deep today.
The downbeat and melancholy feeling of the album leads to being a hidden gem. It’s not really a foot tapper, or something to listen to with friends. The lyrics aren't very catchy compared to the much simpler pop songs of today. However the distorted instrumentals and originality of the album and unique feel of each song leads to a calming and zen like first encounter. However with how short the songs are, it would be perfect for a soundtrack for a film. Any sad romance or drama film could easily sprinkle in these underappreciated songs to underpin important scenes.
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett (2018, one explicit song)
This album is Courtney Barnett’s sophomore solo album after her widely successful debut Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. She had established a unique sound in her first album, which somehow sounds as if she is barely trying, and she continues that here in Tell Me How You Really Feel. She is touring New Zealand in July and tickets to her Dunedin show at the Glenroy auditorium are very limited if not sold out already.
Tell Me How You Really Feel is a turn to slightly darker, grittier sounds and lyrics. Barnett’s signature laid-back voice layers over classic guitar rock, making for a simpler but effective sound. Tell Me How You Really Feel focuses on hidden feelings (hence the name) and exploitation. While quite a melancholic album, tracks such as “City Looks Pretty” or “Need a Little Time Out” bring a much needed degree of lightness - even if the subject is still dark. Tell Me How You Really Feel effectively combines beautiful vocals with Dylan-esque lyrics to make a very personal, introspective record. With some absolute jewels of modern song-writing, catchy guitar driven rock and a gritty subject – all cooked up by one of the more exciting indie singer-songwriters currently active – this album surely stands as an instant classic.
Highlights - “City Looks Pretty”, “Need a Little Time Out”, “I’m Not Your Mother…”, “Sunday Roast”
Morningside by Fazerdaze (2017)
Fazerdaze is certainly the least well known of the three albums we have listened to this week, however that does not mean it is any less noteworthy. Amelia Murray from Auckland is the mind behind the music, and writes songs that are both ethereal and catchy. “Lucky Girl” is an absolute ear-worm, which even if you don’t enjoy it on first listen you will find yourself humming the chorus to yourself as you go about your day. It also has an exceptional music video that suits the song perfectly. Morningside is the only album released by Fazerdaze at this stage, and I have to admit it does leave me wanting more. It will be very interesting to see what Murray does next, and whether the soundscape that is established in Morningside continues into her further work.
The songs used an effect like autotune but in a way that made it sound very different to other songs that do use autotune. The effect didn’t make her voice sound “better”, but instead just changed Amelia Murray’s voice to suit her style. For most of her songs it is hard to hear what she is singing but when the choruses come in you can usually clearly hear the lyrics. However this is fleeting as it usually fades into the background.
“Little Uneasy”, and “Jennifer” are excellent songs that are well worth a listen, while “Lucky Girl” is certainly a stand out if you like the idea of a song that feels nostalgic despite being new to your ears.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more reviews in the future (next week is Nirvana, Radiohead, and The Strokes)! Remember - this is all subjective - there is no such thing as a cool taste in music - and you are welcome to agree, disagree, or request albums via email ([email protected]).
