Under 9000

Spotlighting some artists that’re <9000 on Spotify

Pet Library

My album of the year for 2017, Pet Library’s Pity Party might be the most honest thing you’ll ever hear. With lyrics like “sharing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that didn’t work, all I wanted was to kiss you, I thought about it so much it made my head hurt,” perhaps they sound corny on paper. However the delivery, the urgency, and the tinge of dustiness puts you on the sidewalk and looking for the kiss. This is an album for a moment in time: you’re young, vibrant, and just melancholic enough to ruin everything.

Fox Wound

Keeping on the trend of AOTYs, Fox Wound’s In Passing, You’re Too Faded was nearly my 2016 pick. Although a bit more serious than Pet Library, Fox Wound carry the same sort of urgency. Their sound may be a bit more spaced and mature, but fiery still. We’ll call them emo, we’ll call them post-something, but I’ll call them contemplative for now. Fox Wound just released a new album, so it’s a great time to support! And they’ve got an instrumental called “So Which One Is Jim” – I’ll take anything that references The Office.

Cultdreams

Formerly known as Kamikaze Girls, this duo combines bitter punk philosophies with an unflinching message. Their shouted vocals and fuzzed-out tones are hardly crust-core. The standout track, “Teenage Feelings,” off their debut might be the only song you’ll need to hear. If I’ve got to put a label on their sound: think an angry Alvvays with more distortion. I’ve been to Tall and Small, I’ve seen some playlists, I know you all like Alvvays. I know you’ll love Cultdreams.

Coast to Coast

This one’s a one-song challenge. It hasn’t been in my favour, but opinions for Coast to Coast’s song “Post Graduation” have been polarizing. 95% of the argument comes down to the singer’s voice. I love it. I’ve also heard it sounds like Patrick Star. Most of Coast to Coast’s material deals with the few months after undergrad. For some of you this may seem a bit too real. For some of you this might seem far away. For now, listen to “Post Graduation” and let me know how you dig it. They’re my favourite upcoming band, maybe they’ll be yours too.

Palm Reader

Vocals aren’t the question with Palm Reader, not one bit. And while they may be the heaviest suggestion on this list, they’re perhaps the most likely to explode. There’s a rumbling in the UK underground “metal” scenes. Some band just released a sophomore album that somehow made quite a few end-of-year lists for quite a few publications. Odd, innit? 

Palm Reader

Braille lives up to every word of hype. Heavy as an anvil, feral as my ex’s stupid cat, but melodic and fragile as Billie Holiday on a smoked-up stage, you’ll feel Braille.

Fluxion

Total shift of pace now. Fluxion works with a mixture of UK dub and ambience. In the least clear way possible, his work sounds like dangerous study music. Each album, each track, all carry a sense of urban tension. The hazy fence pictured on his debut album artwork couldn’t be more perfect. Mechanical factory-beats muffle over distant blips and blorps. And there’s a synth somewhere inside – hidden, but still heard. Try Ripple Effect to start, it may be less abrasive. But close your eyes whenever you listen. Who’d think meditation was so industrial?

Modern Rituals

Sure, they’ve released a new album. Sure, they’re about to release yet another one. But I want to drive you towards one of the greatest EPs in the last few years. 2016’s Stranger Culture might be the perfect party. “Pushing Teeth” can’t get any more fun. Every single line was meant to be sung along to. Further, I’m impressed with the way their vocalist’s delivery sounds like a strut. Of course, this doesn’t make much sense until you hear it. In the same manner that Morrissey’s voice matched his rose-held floating-walk, Modern Rituals has   a singer who’s cooler than you no matter how he looks. With a post-punk mentality and a partied post-hardcore sound, Stranger Culture will always        be a great 24 minutes

Reeny Smith: Nova Scotian Artist, World-Class Talent

The best I’ve seen in person, no question 

To set the stage, I’ll tell you about a time I was setting a stage. Last summer I worked for the Strathspey Performance Arts Centre in Mabou, Cape Breton. As part of an artist showcase series, we tried something a little unconventional. Chairs were set up on the stage to face the empty auditorium. A platform was center-stage, the artists would play to a cap of around 50. Performances were intimate, comfortable, and warm. 

But stuck in the middle of our weekly strummy-strummy singer-songwriter bill was Reeny Smith. She was billed as a “soul-inspired powerhouse” hardly at home in the heart of fiddle country. And so now it’s show night, stage is set. As I’m setting up the side bar, I notice a keyboard flanked by two stools that weren’t there when I’d put out the chairs. 

“Is that hers?”

His head usually in his board, the sound guy looked up.

“Yeah, we just finished sound check. You just wait, man. Just wait ‘til you hear her.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, it’s her and two of her cousins. Incredible.”

Explains the stools, then. I didn’t think too much about the words. After all, our sound guy was always complimentary – great guy. But he’d always been able to explain why. All I was getting now was a “just wait?” Something’s up.

It’s a tiny crowd tonight. Maybe the aging Inverness County demographic didn’t vibe with “Pretty Girl Swag.” I say vibe, I mean get. Showtime, lights go low, Reeny Smith enters with two other young women. A few gracious hellos, a silent pause. 

I lost track of time, I lost track of how many times I shook my head. I kept glancing at the sound guy, he kept giving me that tight-lipped and raised-eyebrow’d “I told you so” look. Her performance was minimalist, a single keyboard with three voices still shook every little auditorium crack. Stripped-down isn’t the word, there was nothing bare. Her sound was raw, huge, and incredible.

Towards the end they broke into some gospel standards. My mother would’ve died and gone to heaven. And quietly as she came in, she thanked the audience and walked out.

Since then I’ve looked up her Spotify. 2018’s WWIII: Strength Courage Love is almost unrecognizable from what I’d heard on the stage. But don’t think for a second her studio material is anything lesser. Whitney Houston’s Whitney is a perfect pop record and it’s the first record that came to mind when I heard WWIII. 

Sonically, Reeny Smith does draw from a quite a few influences in pop, R&B, and soul. But I mention Whitney because it gives me the same sensation that this is huge, this is extraordinary.

She’s already received three African Nova Scotian Music Awards. If I’m to sell you on a single song, it’ll be easy to point at her singles. “Survive” has a mammoth chorus that’d tap Sam Smith out – it’s the single of singles. “Good Girl Swag” is a party, undeniable. But I’ve just got one, right? “I Get You Now” is perfect, the only word. Her post-chorus break has been stuck in my head for months. I’ll quietly hum it in The Tall and Small to myself, you’ll probably do the same wherever you are.

For all this talk, you’d almost forget she’s so close to home. Imagine that, eh? We have a genuinely world-class talent living two and a half hours from campus (give or take). You’ll want to know her name, you’re about to see it everywhere.

Unnominated but Noticed

David MacLean’s alternative Grammy Awards

Album of the Year: Turnstile – Time & Space

This album is nothing short of a hardcore masterpiece. I’ll have to cut myself off at some point, otherwise I’ll just talk on about how incredible this piece of work really is. Quite a few music journalists have had Time & Space near the top of their end-of-year lists. Everyone’s been talking about Turnstile, everyone’s been caught up in the hype. I haven’t heard one quip.

The Grammys have a habit of throwing in an odd choice for AOTY (see Arcade Fire). So why not nominate a hardcore band? Sure, that level of mainstream success hasn’t really happened since Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come started to become the cult phenomenon it is today. 

I only bring up Turnstile because they’ve created a genuine world-beater. Time & Space combines a frantic hardcore razorbladed pace with a whole mess of things that don’t make sense: lounge music, trip-hop, some bongos. But whacky isn’t a gimmick for Turnstile. It’s all in the name of energy. 

Around the same length as Reign in Blood, Time & Space is a genre-defining record that only comes about every decade or so. You’re in and out of it in a few breaths, and breathless by the end.

Best Rap Album: Milo – budding ornithologists are weary of tired analogies

Poor Milo, he’s got a bit of a rep. His rhymes always seem to dance between grabbingly clever and offputtingly pretentious. Stereotypes aside, budding ornithologists is well worth your time. Remove his voice, the disjointed sampling crackles, a wool blanket covered in static. 

Every track acts hypnotic, dragging you into a lull. And at your most vulnerable, he says his piece. There are no mumble-rap tropes here, just plain ol’ boring beautiful poetry. Lines are rarely repeated, no hooks to be found.

As a listener, you’re here for the dissertation. Milo’s ability to mix nuance with sarcasm, complexity with tongue-in-cheek quips, is incredible. I’ll admit, I’m still working through budding ornithologists. 

After my first listen, I was happy. But after my second, third, fourth, I still feel as though there’s lines I missed. If we’re to argue rap as poetry, this album will be our year’s best.  Astroworld will probably win, Swimming is posthumous, budding ornithologists is brilliant.

Best New Artist: Marmozets

They’re the most exciting young band in the world. No hyperbole, no lying, they’re the best. I’ll add one better: Becca MacIntyre is one of the most talented singers in the game. Big talk, eh?

In the United Kingdom, everyone’s been talking about Marmozets. Their 2014 release, The Weird and Wonderful was a statement of intent. They’re here to be the biggest band on the planet, and they’re Motorhead – they play rock and roll. And so we’re left to ask, “how will they ever follow it up?” Well, 2018’s Knowing What You Know Now confirmed their place as the next big thing. If I’m to put a label on their sound: Queens of the Stone Age riffs and sensibilities, Deftones vocal-oddities, and stadium-level choruses. Just listen to “Major System Error,” listen to how she sings the word “together.” Listen to “Play,” the riffing demands you jump around. This was          Marmozets’ year and they’ll take over the rest of the world soon. 

And I’ll be damned if Greta Van Fleet wins.

Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Sons of Kemet – Your Queen is a Reptile

Odd choice for a final category, I know. But I’ll take any chance I get to talk about Sons of Kemet’s newest release. Each track on Your Queen is a Reptile has it’s namesake from prominent women of colour. Now, I’m not entirely sure if the songs themselves are structured by the way in which these women lived their lives, but lord the pace is high.

Our first track, “My Queen is Ada Eastman” should give you a half decent indication of where the rest of the album will head. The infectious percussion has me catching myself nodding a bit too hard in public places. Hips move unintentionally, feet begin to tap. My personal favourite, “My Queen is Anna Julia Cooper,” is almost annoying: I’m tiring of dancing, but I can’t stop. The interplay between each musician is both jaw dropping and catchy, a hard thing to pull off.

Sons of Kemet have created an important album. Often albums with “messages” sacrifice musical integrity to preach and scream “I’M UPSET” into a clunky megaphone. But Your Queen is a Reptile gives you titles and music. Beauty - nothing more, nothing less. 

The Hardest Part of February is the Spelling

Some ideas to help you unwind during the break

Read: I know, I know, you’re already reading for courses – or at least you’re supposed to be. But how much of what you’re expected to read is for fun? When’s the last time you stayed up late turning pages? We often forget what it feels like to read for enjoyment in undergrad. So I’ll suggest things: read something stupid. Read something without a complex argument. Instead, maybe find something with a knight, a mystery, a really hot love interest. Reading used to be fun, right? Maybe we need the novel equivalent to Grown Ups 2 – fart jokes, butt scratches, and slapstick.

Walk: It is solved by walking. Whatever “it” is, it’ll almost always be solved. I’m not talking exercise, we’ll get to that. But there’s a sense of clarity when you walk, headphones or no headphones. I’ve found that sitting can be a brain-trap. If I remember right, every essay I’ve ever written (at least the ones that ended up half-decent) were “figured out” while on a walk-break from the laptop. If I only knew why walking made us feel so good I’d tell you. Maybe it’s a nomadic carry over from caveman genes. Whatever the case, go out your door and walk without a plan.

Exercise: It’s old hack. You’ve heard it a million times already. So I’ll try and spin this another way. “Go out and be active” comes off as “I dunno, do something”, there’s little direction. I’ll say this: go out some evening and run until you can’t. Stop, breathe hard. Breathe some more. And then run back. You’ll hate most of it, but the second you’ve caught your breath at home is everything. A rush of “I’ve done something good for myself” followed by “Damn... I feel good”. Pretty good for thinking “I want to die” seconds before. If anything, don’t exercise for the six-pack. Move for your head. You’ll thank you later.

Get lost in Spotify: We’ve covered all the basics I think, now for some fun ones. Most of us have Spotify, yeah? Most of us have got lost in a YouTube hole, yeah? Well do that, but with Spotify. Go to “Discover”, find something that sounds half decent and disappear down the rabbit hole. I’ll warn you, make sure you’ve got the time to spend. Most of us have only done this sort of thing when procrastinating. Your discovery time then is usually spent with the dread of due assignments lurking around. The same beautiful chaos is so incredible with a free conscience.

Performances, Lectures: I know you get the same emails I do. Every second day we’re told about a new lecture series, a new performance on campus, a new event somewhere in these halls. So please don’t delete them along with the pointless emails about Banner and      Moodle. I’ve seen some incredible performances here, I’ve heard some awesome lectures outside of class. I don’t even regret the dry ones – even those give me something to learn.

(Good) Netflix: The last point was a hard sell, I know. And this one’s hardly a sell. You’re all using Netflix, yeah? Here’s a few suggestions. First, Maniac. Jonah Hill and Emma Stone star in a miniseries that looks to “fix the mind” in an alternative future. I binged it in one go - not because I wanted to, but because I had to. And this isn’t some Birdbox meme, this one has an ending. Another suggestion: Brigsby Bear. Kyle Mooney plays a man who discovers his whole world is a lie in a beautiful piece on childhood fantasies. No matter what you choose to discover, try not to be like me and everyone else: “Oh...sounds cool... I’ll watch The Office instead tho...”

Arts: Me, like everyone else, I have random moments where I’ll think “I love Bob Ross, why don’t I try actually painting?” But I never do. And so I ask you to do. Even if you doodle, sketch, or scratch something into a desk. Make art, make it pure. Don’t think too hard, don’t focus too much. Just make something with your hands. Even if it sucks, even if you think it’s silly. Get lost in the process. A visiting lecturer gave one of my classes some clay to play with. We lost an hour in what felt like seconds.

Be (in silence): When’s the last time you sat in silence (besides the morning or night in bed)? I’m not talking meditating, I’m not talking a breath exercise. I’m just talking silence. Maybe you cook, maybe you clean, maybe you just look out the window. But in silence? No music? Crazy, I know. But only once you’ve unplugged can you really know the appeal. I’m not preaching, believe me. I’m plugged in too, always. But those minutes or hours of silence now mean more to me than the latest YouTube conspiracy video. I trust you’ll find love for silence too.

Volunteer: Opportunities are everywhere on campus, everywhere in town. Now, you always here of the positive impact volunteer work has on our community. This much is not news. But I’d like to point out something a little different: don’t you sleep a little better knowing you’ve done good. Going to class, going through the motions of the day-to-day, doing the things you’re expected to do, all this is standard. But no one expects your volunteered time. Volunteering is exceptional, the act of doing good. It’s a good stretch, cracking all your back and you announce “right, that’s what I’m meant to do”.

Stare: Much of what I’ve said has been proactive. Most of it is “doing”. This one’s a bit lazy, but most important. We had a sunset in late January. It was incredible. If/when we get one in February, stare at the sky. Sunsets are cliché? Don’t be so joyless. Don’t take a picture, don’t tell your friends, don’t say a word. Just stare. This is unplugging, being in silence, going for a walk, getting lost, and breathing all at once. Maybe not even a sunset. Just something beyond you, something beautiful. Maybe just a high mark written in red pen, maybe just a well-baked biscuit.

New music for your rotation

New music for your rotation

Now, Now - Saved

There’s been a massive wave of what I’ll call “study music:” usually lo-fi hip-hop instruments, a little synthwave here and there, but always a crackle over the mix with the tone all the way down - for some reason muffled music feels like a hug. When I found Now, Now I was binge searching for this sort of stuff. You know what I mean? Something not boring enough to blend into the wallpaper but not tiringly complicated, and two seconds into “Yours” you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Mixed with the visuals in their music video, “Yours” has sniffs of vaporwave, of whatever Tycho is, of everything 80’s, but forget about the influences. “Yours” is a mid-July affair, a first kiss, a clouded line between hooking up and catching feelings.

If all that sounds like your bag, “SGL” builds even further. I’m not entirely sure how they’ve managed to blend emo with a distinctly modern chillwave, but they did. Their track would fit perfectly on the most recent FIFA and it would probably have won a Grammy in 2005.

“Window” might be my personal favourite. Let’s just say it’s clearly meant for extracurricular activities...

Last, if you have to check only one song on a whim, let it be “MJ.” I’d stake next month’s rent on it being the summeriest thing you’ve ever heard. There’s little I can really say me about Now, Now beyond “they’re just brilliant.” Their 2012 release Threads, while a totally different sound, is one of my favourite albums of all time. For today and the cold winter months listen to Saved. Go back to the sun, fall back into hazy love.

Employed to Serve - The Warmth of a Dying Sun

I suppose I should get all the bias out now. I’ve got a relatively big Employed to Serve tattoo on my left arm. I’m hardly impartial but trust me on this one.

Vocalist Justine Jones’ work on their two full-length albums may be genuinely some of the best work in the last 20 years. There had been a massive movement in “heavy” music after Trap Them released Darker Handcraft, in which everyone wanted to be the grimiest, the crustiest, and they all fought to be “the next Converge”. Employed to Serve’s Greyer Than You Remember was a statement of intent: they are the next big band in the dirty underground. 

One of my favourite music review podcasts, “That’s Not Metal,” described the LP as “a goat stuck in a combine harvester.” That’s what it is - listen to “Watching Films to Forget I Exist” for a bit of clarity. The riff that kicks in around 0:22 spits venom, demands your attention, and demands chaos all packaged in groove. It is one of the best riffs ever written, no question. But how were the filthiest band of the filthy bands going to follow up a tour de force in brutality? By slowing everything down.

Their first single from The Warmth of a Dying Sun was “I Spend My Days.” You’d be crazy not to hear Alice in Chains’ “Them Bones” in the opening riff. When us, who’d been salivating over this new album, had it in our hands, we lost our minds. Each track felt more mature, more calculated, more visceral. If Greyer was a series of machine-gun jabs, Sun is a prime George Foreman body shot.

For those of you who are into the heavier side of things, you’ll stankface your way through this. Employed to Serve drags out your inner Phil Anselmo - the grimacing mean-mugging headbang, but not the questionable politics.

boygenius - boygenius

We’ve got to get the aggression Sprained Ankle. She’s gotten relative popular, it’s great! So when I stumbled on a live video of her performing with some “boygenius,” I figured it was worth my time. Fast-forward 28:01 and I’m crying like my dog had died.

How did we get here? I’m not a crier. I don’t cry. I could count on one hand how many times I’ve cried within the last ten years. What’s up with that? Why am I writing this review, listening to the tracks again, and wiping my eyes? I still don’t know. There’s little room for interpretation in boygenius’ brevity. There are moments of ache that are, at times, unbearable. The whole of “Souvenir” and most of “Ketchum, ID” are borderline perfectly melancholic. If someone were to ask for an example of “so beautiful I want to cry,” I’d give them the first verse of “Me & My Dog.”

If anything, boygenius avoids traditional supergroup traps in which talent overtakes creativity. 

Who remembers Chickenfoot? Me neither. No, our three geniuses approach a song as a song. What are we left with? The soundtrack to your guts, to your chest.

Bachelor of Education Students Host Music Recital

I entered to drying coats, I left to drying eyes

After Danielle Richard and Jessica MacLean closed out the Bachelor of Education music recital with “Musical Theatre Boys,” I left and dug for a cigarette - whatever’d calm my nerves. I understand speed-walking out of St. James United Church a little after 8pm while fumbling with a lighter isn’t a good look. So, I decided against it. But after an hour straight with my hairs standing up, I needed a comedown.

The setting made sense. A cold and wet November 3, we huddled in the pews to keep us warm. Bunches of Education students mixed with family and friends. A few sniffles, mumbled chatter, jackets unzipping, awkward half-smiles to strangers.

“When’s it going to start? Isn’t it at 7?”

They appeared almost on cue, single file and well-dressed. Silence, a single sniff. Joseph Goodwin stood while the other three took their seats in the front row. Pianist sits, everyone’s silent. A stifled cough, “Oh jeez, I’m so sorry.” Silence again. Goodwin began.

Goodwin opened with Handel’s “Lascia ch’io pianga.” I’ve run out of adjectives for his baritone or the control he has over it. Jaw-dropping’s cliche, but accurate. And I sat full mouth mouth-breathing, everything about his work with the National Youth Choir of Canada and garnered acclaim made sense. As he hits notes beyond us, we just sit breathless.

Second, Lauren Siteman. Her frankness refreshes us. Siteman introduces her first piece simply, “It’s a love song.” Siteman’s talent too, is direct. Every note hit perfectly, every dynamic switched on a dime. I need to address something. Siteman, whether she knows it or not, sings honestly. I’m not sure how to describe it yet, but everything she sings I believe. It was a love song. Because for three minutes I somehow knew who and how she loved.

Third, Danielle Richard. In her second year of education, this was her first performance. Her voice control was absolutely terrifying. Goodwin and Siteman had each of us nodding, smiling, and gasping, but Richard had us looking around at one another with an awed, “Are you seeing this?” sort of face. 

Nothing surprises me about her background in musical theatre. The way she carries herself on a stage speaks for itself. I should note here as well that Danielle’s performance of “I’ll Be Here” brought a few people to tears. But not me though… absolutely not… not a chance. We’d always been told Danielle is incredible, then we heard her for ourselves and know it to be true.

Fourth, Jessica MacLean. Her stage presence is an extension of herself. Most of us cling onto some drab sense of self importance. Jess tosses all that trash out. She moves around the stage with intent one second, vulnerability the next. Whatever the piece calls for, she clicks into her performative nature and disappears. 

MacLean only returns after she’s sung the last lines of “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” once the applause begins, there she is. How she stays so expressive and fluid while hitting even the hardest notes perfectly, I’ll never understand.

A fifth member of the Education Recital, Stacia Findlay, was slated to perform but unfortunately pulled out due to an illness. Rumours are she’s an internationally renowned monster in her own right. I’m looking forward to her performance.

Another recital is in the works. Go see it. Whether it’s an email or poster, plan around the date you read. I entered to drying coats, I left to drying eyes.

Musicians in the Spotlight

Female musicians who hone their craft

St. Vincent - Actor

ilovestvincent.com

Annie Clark’s Annie Clark, but St.Vincent changes. St. Vincent is her vehicle. Her 2007 debut Marry Me and 2017 release Masseduction polarize from one another in every way: tone, musicality, lyrical content, promotional material, general aesthetic, whatever you’d like. Marry Me’s off-beat brand of quiet, self-aware, and soft-spoken feminine energy acts as a warm hug from someone who smells interesting - I can’t quite pin down the spice or if I like it, but it’s warm and it has my attention. Masseduction drops the “good girl,” amps up the aggression and angularity. It smells like sex (check out the title track). 

So, I’d like to bring something in the middle, 2009’s Actor. Annie Clark spent much of the writing process listening to Disney scores. “The Strangers” opens Actor, beginning with the soft, whispered deliver that featured so heavily on Marry Me. I can see the dark Paris nights from The Aristocats, but it’s subtle. Two-thirds into Track One the pulse turns to a stomp, elephants begin to play trumpets announcing Prince John’s parade through Sherwood Forest. And then we’re done. 

Actor is a hallucinogenic trip wrapped in anything you’ve ever loved about Disney. While St.Vincent’s art changes drastically from album to album, this album may be the easiest to hold and the easiest to digest. The cozy nostalgia will catch you, but her sense of edge and danger may be more memorable in the end. After all, villains usually get the best songs.

Oathbreaker - Rheia

deathwishinc.com

This will be the most difficult listening experience you’ve ever had, no question. Oathbreaker’s 2016 LP, Rheia is an album of contradictions - one of my favourite recordings ever and I can barely survive the whole record. Caro Tanghe’s vocal performance is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and I hated every second of it. This record’s a behemoth, I’ll try to make sense of it.

Genre’s the hardest question. Oathbreaker combines delicate but haunting folk-inspired breaks that act as a short breather between white-hot blasts of black metal. Halfway through the first bits of black metal, the first of Caro’s shrieks, any self-respecting person would pause the album, turn it off, and never listen to it again. After all, black metal has traditionally been understood as male-dominated, brutally heavy, unrelenting and impenetrable. With Rheia, we’re left with some of the second, a bit of the third, a whole lot of the fourth, and absolutely none of the first. Her anger and aggression are uncompromisingly feminine. Her calm moments, while quieter, sound cold. She delivers her lyrics as a figure who after screaming in frustration begins to quietly mumble: “I’m just disappointed.” 

With Rheia, Oathbreaker gives a listening experience you’ll never forget. You, like me, will have difficulty sitting through it. And you, like me, will be left exhausted and smiling because it happened - smiling too because it’s over.

Pronoun - itty bitty discography (the whole discography’s gold)

Ever catch yourself thinking “Bleed American was music’s peak?” No? Just me? Alright. Alyse Vellturo of pronoun loves emo as much as she hates capitalization, and it shows. 

I’m a walking cliché for this one - I found pronoun through Audiotree sessions. Once they stop introducing me to half-decent music, I’ll stop paying attention. First things first, Alyse’s voice takes most of my attention. There’s a quiver in her live vocal that comes off less nervous and more intentional. It’s as though she’s giving the impression of a shaky singer just happening on every note perfectly, an accidental artist. 

But maybe I’m using flowery gobbley-guk and missing the point. After all, her story implies introversion and stage fright. Alyse wrote most of pronoun’s lo-fi sound in her bedroom, whisper-singing her vulnerable lyrics. Rather than slotting into “Audiotree band with a mumbling front person, awful moustaches that smell of cheap IPAs, clothing caught somewhere between ’97 and ’02, the bassist just outside camera view, the drummer who keeps losing time, and the keyboardist who keeps mean-mugging”, pronoun sneaks a smile on your face. Go to your Spotify right now, listen to Pronoun’s most recent single “Run”. There it is, there’s that goofy-ass smile. Pronoun doesn’t bring nostalgia in some heavy-handed sledgehammer like vapourware. You’re taken to better times, wherever or whenever they were - though, the clothes just might be baggier.

While the pronoun discography lasts for now as long as a sneeze, Alyse Vellturo hasn’t made a single duff note.