Music isn’t for everyone. While at first this conviction may seem like a completely unfounded utterance of misguided pretension, let me explain. There are a myriad of people in the world, all of whom have unique and separate relationships with music. It doesn’t matter if you’ve touched a record (or a whole bookshelf of vinyl), loving music and feeling it at the core has nothing to do with the accuracy at which you can quote Kurt Cobain.
It has to do with a feeling — this inimitable sense of being understood, like a lock clicking into place. As if joy came in the form of gyrating, microscopic particles, snaking around each other to create this uniform sense of harmony. That’s what music means to me; it exists outside textual explanation.
At any given point, all new musical releases are sensational. They drip through the bracing tubes of mass media, flickering like holographic points on our favorite magazines and radio stations. And then we forget. Feeling guilty or not, we lose the sense of what our once favorite songs sounded like or the name of that one album we played on repeat.
A lot of music came out this summer. Bands broke up, got together, had makeup sex. People fought to contain the lines of genres and Pitchfork developed algorithms for which tracks they would surely rip to shreds. Amongst the overstimulation of reviews, plays and vibrant album covers, a few stood out from the rest.
Detailed below, are five pieces of music — all recently released — that refined the way I think of things and people. These are songs I hope live beyond the typical, passing half-life of new releases. Songs I hope never to forget.
- “Bug” by Alex G
One of the few tracks leaked from his unreleased album, Beach Music, “Bug” is an apex of any and all “DIY” musical categorizations — lo-fi, bedroom pop, muffled indie, chipmunk-y sadcore. Strip away the cultural buzz fueled by trend alone and what remains is a 22-year-old dude wearing pants that don’t fit him, jamming alone in his room ensconced in the muted heat of a suburban Philadelphian summer. Alex Giannascoli was just 13 when he first started recording music on a 2004 Macbook— unbeknownst to him he’d become the Internet’s greatest songwriter (in my opinion, at least).
- “Figure 8” by FKA Twigs
Jaw dropping, uncontrollably entrancing. It’s not just the disjointed pulse or the way her voice hits falsetto at climactic precision. It’s not just the fusion of subliminal, atmospheric sound waves. Every moment of the song feels like a striking point, a moment that teases through the duality of FKA Twigs: her impeccable ability to make something so sinister and ominous feel so good.
- “Feel You” by Julia Holter.
“It’s impossible to see / Who I’m waiting for in / My raincoat.” This song was on endless repeat over the summer (more than 10 times a day, probably). There’s a blurred beauty of listening to this track by Julia Holter. It rises and falls, it constricts to pave the opacity of being. It doesn’t try to convince you of anything in particular or dissect any meaning. Like an unexpressed dynamic or simply the space between you and “them,” it stands unsaid, yet radiantly true to the person for whom it matters most.
- Hud Dreems by Knxwledge.
If you’re a fan of J Dilla, you’ll most likely love Knxwledge. The recently released 26-track album Hud Dreems erupts with unbelievably fluid songs like “stillluhme” and “letuleave.[geekdop].” It samples through the catchiest of old hip-hop soul tunes, but adds a warped, almost delayed quality to the beat. Knxwledge is a true beatmaker at heart, someone with the astounding ability to make the most complex rhythm seem effortless. My personal favorite on the album: “behindme.”
- “The World According To” by Toe
The Portuguese word “saudade” carries no direct translation in English. It’s one of my favorite words, or at least one of the only ones I know capable of explaining personal connections without reducing them. The closest translation goes on for more than a sentence; it describes a wistful longing for the past and the understanding that it might never happen again. It could even describe something that hasn’t happened yet. The intoxicating feeling of nostalgia you can’t quite shake, but also this perfect union of elation with sadness— that feeling alone characterizes the math rock instrumental band Toe. They possess the rare, almost clairvoyant ability to manipulate time. With the help of intricate bass lines and impeccable drumming, listening to “The World According To” reminds me of life’s undying potency.