SCALES #46: kind & burrowing creature
Hello!
There’s been some honest-to-goodness chemistry happening in lab. Setting up reactions, running TLC plates, rotovapping, the whole lot. Honestly, it’s been a welcome change of pace. Hardly a new observation, but performing these well-defined, traditional chemistry tasks is a lot like cooking, especially compared to the levitated droplet work, which is more like… building the kitchen? Making a baffling molecular gastronomy dish while still improvising the tools required for your weird foams and emulsions?
▢ ▢ ▢
We’re more than halfway through 2018 (!) so I thought I’d check in with a sampling from this year’s edition of a “go-to” playlist:
1) Lykke Li, “Time In A Bottle”: This cover doesn’t supplant the Muppets classic, but Lykke Li’s bare vocal delivery is pitched at the right level. The low-key ‘oh-oh’ ad-libs acknowledge the feelings while still trying to maintain some distance. The simplicity of the cover also helps you appreciate anew the song’s strong bones: the endless minor-to-major-back-to-minor cycle, the sweetness of bottled time, the bitterness of that time inevitably leaking away. (YouTube)
2) Ashley McBryde, “Radioland”: This song’s approach is like its radio station subject matter, building a sense of community around a shared set of cultural touchstones: Casey Kasem, Townes, Johnny and June, Jack & Diane. That’s all it takes, McBryde implies. Nothing fancy. (SoundCloud)
3) Drake, “Nice For What”: Undeniable, but honestly the Lauryn Hill sample sets the floor pretty high. Strip away Ms. Lauryn Hill, ignore the music video, the Big Freedia, and you’re left with something like Atmosphere’s “You”: a catchy single written in the second person, built around the thought, “Wow, you working women sure do have to put up with a lot and perform a lot of niceness without getting any credit. Makes sense you want to go out and blow off some steam.” And I’m not sure whether Drake or Slug dig in deep enough to prevent it leaving a bit of a self-congratulatory aftertaste. (YouTube)
4) Cardi B (feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin), “I Like It”: Another gigantic sample, but Cardi, Bad Bunny and J Balvin stay on top of it. Cardi B, with her slashing, laser-focused-on-the-beat flow, is so good here at performing the joy of wanting and having, as an avatar for the listener: “I like those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks.” Now I do too! (YouTube)
5) Soccer Mommy, “Cool”: Guitar tone rules this song—and better yet, it travels somewhere. You start at the opening strumming and end up at the curdling, disintegrating outro. Along the way: a slow motion warble of a melody repeated as both a vocal and guitar hook. (Bandcamp)
6) Speedy Ortiz, “Lucky 88”: I can’t get enough of Sadie Dupuis’ sour twists on cliches: “I once was lost, but now I’m floundered”, “a silver spoon and foot in your mouth”, “one more time with reeling”. And musically, despite the initial appearance of chaos, all kinds of carefully worked out fine details. Tied together by the treat of a giant, Yeah Yeah Yeahs-y chorus. (Bandcamp)
7) serpentwithfeet, “bless ur heart”: serpentwithfeet’s mashup of Romantic-era classical intensity with R&B vocals is so personal and deeply felt. Revelatory how he uses these classical music textures and strategies (you can hear the classical training) in a way that feels personal and deeply lived in—like he has a gigantic toolbox at his fingertips. This track is a slow burn, a hymn building in intensity. Looking forward to digging more into the new album. (Bandcamp)
▢ ▢ ▢
Hit the streets, tried not to overheat.
Thanks for reading! You can always forward to a friend/reply and say hi/subscribe.
—Adam