OPE! Mixtape #7: Rain-Rain Beep-Boop
Björk, Boards of Canada, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Loudon Wainwright III, Paul Simon, Linkin Park, Kevin Krauter, and more.
Well, hello there. How are you?
After all the sunshine, last week was much colder and cloudier. Not a bad week though. While driving around these past rainy days, I listened to a lot of great, moodier electronic music that rarely sounds (as) great on sunny days. These kinds of weeks feel like they unlock a different part of my brain. Before I go back to my lizard-brain dad rock (which will always sound good to me), I wanted to stay in this beep-boop world just a little longer. You’ll find more of these tracks toward the end of this week’s mix.
So ya ya, let’s get to the music.
LINKS TO READ WHILE YOU LISTEN
In the streaming era, anime home video is still thriving.
AI music is about to* flood streaming platforms. (*already has)
McSweeney’s: I’m ChatGPT, and for the love of God, please don’t make me do any more copywriting.
SELF-PROMOTION: Speaking of ChatGPT, my AI beginner’s guide has been updated so that you can use it for anything other than copywriting :)
THIS WEEK’S MIXTAPE
Listen to this week’s mix on Spotify.
NOTE: As always, not every song is available via streaming services.
Katharine Kyu Hyeon Lim - “As It All Goes By”
Violins and horns that sound like floating birds, yes, please.
Daniel Rotem - “Wave Nature”
A more mellow and gentler take on Uncut Gems-core.
WHOKILLEDXIX - “LUCK1”
My original Xbox copy of Jet Set Radio just called, they want their beats back. You could tell me this was AI generated and I would believe you, and I would enjoy it the same amount.
Stuck - “Time Out”
JiTtErS jItTeRs JiTtErS. I’m stealing this outfit for Halloween.
Buzzy Lee - “When Can I”
I’m shouting out Jenny Lewis elsewhere in a sec, but this to me is how Lewis’s music used to make me feel. A lovely off-ness that weirds-up some dependable songwriting.
Brandy Clark - "She Smoked in the House”
I interviewed Clark a few years ago and I think she’s the best. Her lyrics are so much better than most of the country garbage on the radio. I’m excited about the new album.
F.G.S. - “I’m Growing A Cross Around My Neck”
This to me is what Lana Del Rey could sound like if she had a sense of humor. This song also enters that Leonard Cohen realm I talked about a few newsletters ago.
Goth Babe - “Alone In The Mountains”
Bruh let’s just pack up some LaCroix and like hike and be like be in nature right??
The Life - “Grace (CFCF Remix)”
Quick, someone tell The Life about the band Primal Scream.
Foo Fighters - “Rescued”
I’ve been off the Foo Fighters train for a bit. They meant the world to me back in my younger days and opened a lot of doors for me. They’ve been in rock radio mode for a long time and I’ve found most of it pretty bland. I still stand by “Low” (those drums! that chorus!) and most songs from that album; on good days, I think “Low” is more interesting than most Nirvana songs that aren’t already direct Pixies ripoffs. I won’t pretend that this new Foo Fighters album will be great. It will be interesting to hear a Foo Fighters album with actual stakes. The tragic passing of Taylor definitely hangs a shadow over this record. It sounds like Dave and Co. are taking it head-on.
Jenny Lewis - “Psychos”
I’m late on this new Lewis song. Not bad. I imagine this album will have a lot of sameness but will sound great on vinyl, or while playing in the background of some posh BBQ.
Aphex Twin - “Film”
I shared some Twin last week, but I think “Film” is the track I would share first with someone who’s new to Aphex Twin. “Film” coming onto my iPod shuffle while driving around in the rain is what kicked off my electro-deep-dive this week. It’s likely the strong melodies that keep this song lodged into my brain longer than most electronic music I enjoy.
Björk - “All Is Full of Love”
I have a strange relationship with Björk’s music. Her music doesn’t always click with me, yet I never doubt its quality. I can’t say that about most artists. I’m very thankful for her music and I have little to no interest in seeing her live. I’m such a melody nut that many of her albums leave me cold, though I don’t think the melody is her main muse in those songs. “All Is Full of Love” is an exception and an example of a Björk song I can get lost in and never want to leave. She’s a master of atmosphere. Here, she’s got atmosphere and melody. It’s like swimming in a quiet, sad tornado. I wonder if I love this song so much because it’s the only Björk song I’ve heard successfully covered by another artist. (In this case, a memorable, more driving take by Death Cab for Cutie.) I don’t think that should be the marker of a quality song, but it stands out here. I was lucky enough to travel to Iceland a few years ago and thought that I would only listen to Björk. Turns out, the music that felt the most at home in such a beautiful country was Blur’s self-titled album (partially recorded in Iceland), most Modest Mouse albums (the ultimate road trip band), and The National’s “Guilty Party” (I loved Sleep Well Beast at the time but now find it to be a brooding bore; like the Park Slope Co-Op discovering a drum machine). “All is Full of Love” still sounded amazing, of course.
The Cure - “Plainsong”
Not technically electronic, but The Cure share a moodiness. The joke remains true: your favorite song, regardless of genre, was influenced by The Cure. (The six degrees of Kevin Bacon The Cure?)
Boards of Canada - “Olson”
Everything I just said about Björk pretty much applies to Boards of Canada.
Clark - “Pleen 1930s”
A new-to-me song that touches on everything I’ve been writing about so far in this newsletter.
Domenique Dumont - “Merry-Go-Round”
And another one.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - “She’s Leaving”
Before this week, I only knew Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark as the band that did “Enola Gay,” which is still a fantastic song. “She’s Leaving” came onto my radar this week and I now love it just as much. I want to do a deeper dive into their past albums soon; I have a feeling I’ll like them more than I expect. This is closer to what a lot of the ‘80s actually sounded like.
The Bobby Fuller Four - “Let Her Dance”
These vocal harmonies!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loudon Wainwright III - “The Swimming Song”
Right now I’m trying to teach myself some more banjo, and “The Swimming Song” feels like the ideal banjo song to me. I’d love to write a song as good as this. The ultimate sound of “It’s Spring and my brain is finally thawing to welcome some change into my life.”
Loudon Wainwright III - “Hollywood Hopeful”
No banjo on “Hollywood Hopeful,” but I’m coming around to really appreciating Loudon more as a songwriter, especially his lyrics.
Chris Smither - “What They Say”
“They say the good die young but it ain’t for certain / I’ve been good all day, I ain’t hurtin’.”
Daniel Romano - “When I Learned Your Name”
The Cosmic Country Strikes Back.
Paul Simon - “The Obvious Child”
Not electronic, though I appreciate Simon’s terrific sense of rhythm. He seems like a terrible hang but I will gladly take his music.
Linkin Park - “Shadow of the Day”
This is still a great song from a still-great band, though Linkin Park does suffer from sounding very much of their time. RIP Chester. As I was telling my buddy Zac last week, Passion Pit probably heard “Shadow of the Day” and went “k, now how can I make this Millennial pink.”
Kevin Krauter - “Piper”
In past newsletters, I’ve sung a lot of praise for Krauter, especially “Rollerskate” and “Suprise.” “Piper” is another great tune and sounds especially great in the Spring rain. That slide guitar. At least I think it’s slide guitar. Happy Spring, y’all.
And that’s it! Until next Monday.
With love and all the other good things,
-b
OPE! (the blog) | website | Twitter | donate to my coffee fund | Candyfloss | find your local reps
OPE! logo by Claire Kuang. words and cartoons by yours truly. all typos are intentional.