Listening Diary 12

10 tracks that bend genre until it breaks

Good afternoon, evening, or morning. Here are ten songs that I’ve enjoyed listening to lately. For whatever reason I ended up picking a bunch of songs that aggressively recombine elements of a few different genres into cohesive statements. I originally intended to send this playlist out on Bandcamp Friday, however the time commitment of a commute to The Bronx for a gig prevented me from reaching that deadline. Nonetheless, in the spirit of Epic’s once-a-month generosity I’m making this Listening Diary free to all. If you enjoy the selections, consider upgrading to a paid subscription.

I’ll have some thoughts that percolated during those long commutes ready for you soon, as well as long-gestating entry of Drumming Upstream. For now, enjoy some tunes.

“6th Dimensional Archetype” by Cynic (Ascension Codes, 2021)

I wonder how it feels for Cynic, long a band that sounded like metal from the far-flung future, to now sound firmly like metal’s present day. Adding jazz fusion textures and spaced-out melodies is hardly as controversial is it was in the early 90s. Still, few metal bands have a songwriter as talented as Paul Masvidal. There are some deft and deeply satisfying chord changes happening here under all the cosmic noodling.

“Le cœur noir charbon” by Celeste (Assassine(s), 2022)

Celeste (not to be confused with the punishing 2-D platformer of the same name) are typically a band that I treat as white noise. They’re loud as hell, not too fast and not too slow, and I can’t understand a single word they’re yelling. I process their music as a brain-numbing wallpaper that I don’t have to pay too much attention to. This track popped right into the foreground for me. Great counterpoint between the guitars and bass, and the dynamic shift near the end of the song is a much appreciated change of pace from their usual all-out assault.

“Saturday (Instrumental)” by Chromatics (Twin Peaks: The Return, 2017)

Research for Drumming Upstream #26. The odds of bringing in a second, younger composer to help round out the score for Twin Peaks: The Return and the results not going horribly wrong were rail thin in retrospect. So many ways this could have ended badly. Luckily Jewel was the exact right guy for the job, providing a continuation of Badalamenti’s & Lynch’s nostalgia for the sounds of the ‘50s, updated for his own generation’s rosy view of the ‘80s. Time layered over itself. “What year is it” etc.

“Drip” by Rolo Tomassi (Where Myth Becomes Memory, 2022)

Here’s a decent example of what I was talking about earlier with Cynic. Listen to how many disparate elements Rolo Tomassi are working with here. A 90 second build up that wouldn’t be out of place on a dance record. Laser-precise technical metal. Euphoric dream pop. The song moves through each of these different languages as if it were the most natural thing in the world, hardly calling attention to the stitches. I think Rolo Tomassi are able to “get away with it” because of the cinematic sheen to their production, it’d be interesting to hear a band try this in a less glossy setting, eh?

“Lil Fade” by Vince Staples (Vince Staples, 2021)

More Drumming Upstream research. Absolutely gorgeous beat on this song. Keep an ear out for the acoustic guitar plucking away just underneath the surface. Not sure where those horns are from, if I had to guess they’re probably not from an American record, but man are they heartbreaking against that bassline. Staples turns in an even more reserved performance than usual, highlighting the softer side of his voice. I’ll have more to say about Vince and his presence on the mic soon.

“Caramelized!” by Ehiorobo (Joltjacket, 2021)

Every inkling that I had about younger musicians being genre agnostic has been vindicated by Gen Z. Not sure how this Ehiorobo album made it into my queue but I’m super impressed by it. Ostensible an R&B album, Joltjacket makes constant detours into other styles, like the post-hardcore-anime-opening on this song. Extra bonus points for the pitched down return to the chorus at the end of the song.

“Parasite” by Nick Drake (Pink Moon, 1972)

My roommate has been on a big Nick Drake kick, which has given me a chance to try yet again to see what the fuss is about. Making progress. The household had a hangout recently with Pink Moon in the background. This song made me cut off my side of the conversation and pay attention. Gorgeous chord progression. Maybe with a few more spins I’ll start picking up the lyrics.

“House + Universe” by Empath (Visitor, 2022)

I’m still yet to be as taken with Empath on record as I’ve been with their live show, but this song is a jam. The softness of the vocals mix really well with the crackling noise of the instruments in a butter-on-toast kind of way. Jam? Toast? I should get some lunch.

“Rust” by Shapeshifter” (Dark Ritual, 2022)

My recent interesting in genre-bending collides with my revitalized interest in grind. I love how “Rust” starts with a chord progression you’d expect to hear in a lo-fi hip-hop playlist and then rockets straight into grind insanity without changing the harmony. Heaviness as form, not content.

“Spiritual Level of Gang Shit” by Soul Glo (Diaspora Problems, 2022)

I’m slowly catching up on last year’s releases. This record lived up to all the hype I observed from the sidelines. More genre-agnosticism. Soul Glo’s primary mode is lightning fast hardcore punk, but they have no trouble switching to rap rock when they feel like it. This track spends its first half in the latter mode, highlighting two guest verses, before switching to the former for a triumphant finale. Unlike Rolo Tomassi or Ehiorobo who smooth over their stylistic leaps with their production, Soul Glo sound like they could pull off this magic trick live in the flesh.