Subtract The Silence Of Myself

Posted on 7 February 2012 | 12:00 am
Wilco “Born Alone” I’m always a bit confused by the fear of “dying alone,” at least in a literal sense. Being afraid of being lonely at the end of one’s life – I get that anxiety, and share it. But in terms of actual death, isn’t it ultimately something we can only really experience on our [...]

Haunting My Own Life

Posted on 6 February 2012 | 12:00 am
of Montreal “Spiteful Intervention” There was a time – a mostly quite bad time – in my life when I related quite strongly to Kevin Barnes’ music, but thankfully, I’m not there anymore. This puts me in a strange position in terms of my relationship with his music: While I maintain that he has made some [...]

FLUXBLOG 2002 SURVEY MIX

Posted on 1 February 2012 | 12:00 am
This month marks the 10th anniversary of Fluxblog. I will be doing a few things to celebrate the occasion over the course of the year, but the main thing is that I will be putting together survey mixes for each year the site has existed. The mixes will be released on the first weekday of [...]

We’ll Keep The Music Bubbly

Posted on 31 January 2012 | 6:23 am
The 2 Bears “Warm and Easy” “Warm and Easy” is almost overbearingly optimistic, with its two vocalists threatening to smother every bad vibe with grooves and mellow hooks. But it’s really charming, mainly because these guys get that you can always get away with utopian hippie stuff if you don’t seem as though you’re taking it [...]

Turn Your Head Around

Posted on 30 January 2012 | 12:00 am
Porcelain Raft “Put Me To Sleep” There’s a moment just after the first chorus of this song when the sound of the track sort of wobbles, as if the entire track has been momentarily thrown off register. I really like this – there’s a lot of good sonic details here, but I enjoy the way this [...]

Tell Me, Am I Glamourous?

Posted on 27 January 2012 | 7:57 am
Lana Del Rey “Without You” The funny thing about Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die is that after a while, it begins to sound like 15 rough drafts for a statement song in which she lays out all of her themes and tells you who she is. It’s rare to come across an artist so eager [...]

I Waited So Long For Love

Posted on 26 January 2012 | 9:40 am
Perfume Genius “Hood” “Hood” is an expression of a deep, consuming fear that one’s partner will leave them if they ever truly knew them. It’s a bit painful to hear because Mike Hadreas’ lyrics and performance are so raw and direct, but it’s beautiful mainly because you can hear him resisting this anxiety, and struggling to [...]

Run Ahead And Blindly Shoot

Posted on 25 January 2012 | 12:00 am
Wire “Clay” (Black Session Version) The original studio recording of “Clay” from last year’s Red Barked Tree was fine, but a bit pinched and stiff, with production that seemed a bit dated – too late 90s, maybe? I can’t exactly place it, but it’s the sound of bad computers. This live recording from the band’s Black [...]

Silhouettes With No Regrets

Posted on 24 January 2012 | 8:26 am
Chairlift @ Bowery Ballroom 1/23/2012 Sidewalk Safari / Le Flying Saucer Hat / Take It Out On Me / Wrong Opinion / Ghost Tonight / Cool As A Fire / Planet Health / Met Before / Frigid Spring / Guilty As Charged / I Belong In Your Arms // Evident Utensil / Amanaemonesia I reviewed Chairlift’s wonderful [...]

Volume Unbound

Posted on 23 January 2012 | 12:43 pm
Imperial Teen “No Matter What You Say” Imperial Teen come and go, turning up every six years or so to deliver a new set of lovely indie pop tunes that don’t quite fit in with anything else out at the time. Their identity is very consistent, but the character of each record is a bit different [...]