- Willa* - Hey
- Rococode* - Until You're Mine
- Låpsley - Cliff
- Jessy Lanza* - It Means I Love You
- Humans* - Water Water
- Speaker Face* - Orogenesis
- Anohni - 4 Degrees
- Edo van Breemen* - AIR Theme
- House of Doors* - Starcave
- Ash Koosha - Mudafossil
- Junior Boys* - You Say That
- Chvrches - The Mother We Share
- Run the Jewels - Angel Duster
It's good to be back in the studio and try out new things...such as mix in multiple themes (Record Store Day vinyl segment, Earth Day), try out multiple tracks, and actually get around to spinning vinyl records from CJSF's eclectic music collection.
The first two are electronically-oriented Vancouver indie pop. And I guess it may be apparent from the PulsarSounds playlist that I've a bit of a soft spot for Vancouverite indie pop in the veins of Mother Mother (the members of which have collaborated with both Rococode and Willa), the Zolas, Said the Whale, Hey Ocean!...you get the idea :P
Continuing on in the indie electropop theme are Låpsley, Hyperdub signee Jessy Lanza, and Humans.
New Hybridity Music signee Speaker Face follows longtime Hybridity affiliate Humans with more exciting experimental electronica, fusing together synths and electronic beats with organic sounds such as violins and piano.
Speaking of orogenesis, the physical geographer in me can't help but snicker at this punny (and kinda dirty) joke: "Subduction leads to orogeny". xD Geologically speaking it describes the formation of mountains by one of the plates sliding under another, causing the molten rocks in the mantle to rise above the Earth's crust and form mountains, usually in the form of a volcano. At least, that's the basic explanation I can give you.
Anohni's "4 Degrees" follow, a climate change-themed dystopian-sounding track...by a trans woman, which got me into a bit of a rant about artists boycotting shows in North Carolina, where they passed the HB2 bill which would restrict trans-identifying people to only use washrooms of their biological gender (i.e. one they do not identify with).
Personally I doubt that artists boycotting performing in NC would do anything to raise awareness about trans issues or the LGBTQ+ community in general. If anything, they're depriving people who disagree with the HB2 bill of potential support from big names and entertainment to distract themselves from the misery. I'm more in favour of what artists like Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!), Kacey Musgraves, Duran Duran, and Mumford and Sons did, who have still performed in NC and used their performance as a platform to declare support and solidarity with the trans community.
But then again, I'm a cis woman so I might not be the best person to talk about trans issues. I'm open to well-explained arguments on this issue so if you feel like I'm missing something feel free to leave your two cents!
The releases we got from Brasstronaut member Edo van Breemen and House of Doors are my vinyl picks. Both are electronically-oriented Vancouver talent, with the former's record being a dystopian sci-fi movie soundtrack and the latter being techno from independent electronic label Mood Hut. Since it was Record Store Day the previous week, I thought, why not give some vinyl a spin on my show? I hope to play vinyl more often in the future.
A fascinating Iranian-electro fusion from Ninja Tune signee Ash Koosha follows, followed by Hamilton, Ontario electropop duo Junior Boys. Chvrches and Run the Jewels close the set with the two songs I actually managed to catch on the Coachella livestream I happened to watch just last week.
More tunes coming out next week. I might play a new track by a South African rock band which has absorbed influences from a lot of the music I grew up listening to, this time even including synthpop influences...stay tuned.
Audio links!
http://cjsf.ca/vanilla_archives/2016_April_23_19_00.mp3
http://cjsf.ca/vanilla_archives/2016_April_23_19_30.mp3
http://cjsf.ca/vanilla_archives/2016_April_23_20_00.mp3
