Latest Posts
Tennis – Young & Old
Young & Old was released by Tennis yesterday on Valentine’s Day. The Denver band, led by husband Patrick Riley and wife Alaina Moore and joined by drummer James Barone, released it as their sophomore followup to Cape Dory. The new record was produced by Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, a sign the young band had outgrown the simple nautical stylings of their first release.
Their simple twee pop seems to elicit quite the range of responses for whatever reason (from looking at their growth to calling their music superficial). I have an ambivalent view of it–it is mostly 60′s-drenched progressions that recall girl groups of that era. Quite honestly, I don’t understand how it creates such strong reactions. It’s not divisive music; it’s made by a pair of former philosophy students that are in love and making music and it’s pop music at essence, which I guess could bring out some music snobbery. For the record, I’m looking at you, WaPo critic. But to each, their own. I like it.
Origins has remained my favorite track and I’ve featured it here, both as the video and song. Tennis will be playing Bluebird Thursday in Denver.
Outputmessage – Sommeil
Allow me to introduce you to Bernard Farley, AKA Outputmessage. Hailing from Washington, DC he is “a vocalist, producer, DJ, record label owner, and math nerd.”
He specializes in IDM (Intelligence Dance Music) and saw his first release at the age of 20 whilst working on a Masters in Mathematics. So, not only can he work towards an advanced degree at an age where most college students are still figuring out what to do with their lives, he can excel in music as well. Way to make me feel lazy.
The track that I’ve opted to highlight is from his debut record “Nebulae”. Sommeil is a perfectly crafted song with the glacial notes that punctuate the strobe-like synths, all laid harmoniously over looping drums. It feels as if Outputmessage used his fancy Math degree to integrate all the different instruments into the song, to create sonic harmony. This is a perfect track to listen to, especially with winter nipping at our heels. It may not be snowing outside right now, but gloomy days punctuated by flurries need a soundtrack.