Listening Diary 16

Three imperfect pairs and more, two for free and eight for subscribers

Hello! Here are ten songs that I enjoyed listening to lately. Some songs are part of my research for upcoming entries of Drumming Upstream. Other songs are from my steady progress through my backlog. This batch features two different songs named “Sanctuary”, two wildly different versions of Japanese heavy metal, two equally disparate versions of modern British punk, and more. The first two tunes are free for everyone, the next eight are for paying subscribers only. Subscribe now to receive fresh recommendations like this, along with other bonuses, on a regular basis. Enjoy the tunes!

“Sanctuary”by Medicine Singers (Medicine Singers, 2022)

“Sanctuary” number one comes from Medicine Singers, a vocal group that sing in Eastern Algonquin over modern rock and jazz. Maybe not what Antonín Dvořák had in mind when he said what he said about the next great movement in music coming from America, but the shoe fits nonetheless. You know it’s going to get nuts eventually, but the long road to the climax is just as satisfying along the way.

“Fieldy” by Options (Swimming Feeling, 2022)

Seth Engels is an old friend, former roommate, and key Lamniformes collaborator¹ so take my praise with the appropriate amount of salt. Seth is one of those musicians that releases a lot of music because he’s consistently getting better at writing music. His melodies get sharper with each release, and the elements of his style that might throw people off (chromatic chord progressions, shifting time signatures) get increasingly tasteful. When I visited Chicago a few weeks ago I got to catch up with Seth and he lit up when I mentioned that *~my girlfriend~* and I had been listening to Elliot Smith in the car. Listening to these vocal harmonies, I can see the connection.