Staff Pix 10/19/20
The Milk Crate staff’s favorite tracks of the week, presented with blurbs worthy of a promotional sticker on a CD release. Tune in Mondays from 7-9 EST to the Staff Pixx radio show.
Annie Wojnarowski
Mountain Man - Through My Sails
The latest cover from Mountain Man, their carefully picked covers have found their latest subject: Neil Young. A trio with a distinctly Appalachian folk sound, Amelia Meath, Molly Sarle, and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig take an already intimate and inward song and make it sound like smooth butter on a homemade loaf of rosemary bread. Spotlighting the lyrics, the song gives off a heartyness that goes to the bare bones of what makes the song so special to begin with. Using guitar sparingly, the vocals of all three women take center stage to give a glowing performance that gives its due to the original yet still creates something organically new.
Mara Tatevosian
Sharon Van Etten - Let Go
Originally written for Arthur Jones’ directorial debut, Feels Good Man, Van Etten delivers another beautifully crafted gift. Jones’ film documents the journey of Pepe the Frog, the internet meme that became the unintentional icon of hate, as his creator struggles to reclaim Pepe from the darkness. Without the context of the film, “Let Go” feels like an ode to reminiscing. Simple oceanic sounds, acoustic strings, and Van Etten’s harmonies force its listener to release their nostalgia for a prior life. “Brother's smile, taking on its own Identity, only to then leave it behind,” she sings. It seems too poetic to be about a meme once co-opted by members of the alt-right. Alas, Van Etten delivers beauty regardless of circumstance.
Nia Tucker
Garden- Meet Me @ The Altar
Pop punk is back. “Meet Me @ The Altar” is an all-female pop punk unit of color that has just signed to iconic record label Fueled by Ramen. “Garden” is a refreshing track sung by Black front-woman, Edith Johnson, with guitar/bass by Téa Campbell and drums by Ada Juarez. For former emo kids of color, this new single represents all that we were missing during that era. It follows the simple formula of uplifting, delusional-youth-based lyrics, and guitar riffs with a ’00s essence, but possesses a bright, melodic feel that could revitalize the genre.
Eric Shifman
“In a Large Room With No Light” — Prince
Prince fans received a major treat last month, when the late artist’s estate released a Super Deluxe version of his album Sign O’ the Times (1987). Along with a remastering of the original work, the new version contains over six hours of live mixes and previously unreleased tracks from the Prince vaults. One of these unreleased tracks, “In a Large Room With No Light,” hits particularly deep in these troubling times, as Prince pairs a foreboding rap with the Revolution’s ultra-funky, sax-led melodies. The groovy, Zappa-esque arrangement disguises the melancholy nature of the lyrics, especially on the hook where Prince asks “Did you ever feel that life was like lookin' for a penny/In a large room with no light?” Prince and the Revolution recorded this song five months before parting ways in 1986, but it never saw the light of day until the Montreux Jazz Festival streamed a slightly different version, on their website in 2009. This Super Deluxe edition is the first unearthing of the 1986 recording, leaving everyone wondering how a hit like this could ever hide.
Aidan O’Flaherty
“The Beginning & the End” — The Alchemist
Included in The Alchemist’s latest release, A Doctor, Painter & An Alchemist Walk Into A Bar, this steamy instrumental demonstrates what few music producers can accomplish: an indistinguishable style. Although indistinguishable, this particular release showcases a new take on The Alchemist’ skill. A great amount of ambience, atmosphere, and foley sounds are embellished throughout this piece which transcend the beat into a cinematic score. The vocal sample which states, “otherwise the painter is a kind of choreographer of space”, seems to imply The Alchemist paints with a different kind of brush, a musical one. Many compare the art of sampling to a colleague. This track and the entire album in general, reflects this sentiment.
Mari Cardenas
“Care For You” by The Marías
California-based indie pop band The Marías, named after lead singer María Zardoya, unexpectedly dropped a single on Friday. The band gained acclaim from Twitter honeys and Tiktokers posting lip-syncs and video montages to tracks like “I Don’t Know You” and “Only In Your Dreams.” The Marías’s style is sensual and mysterious with a hint of introspection, taking a variety of influences from bossa nova to Latin roots to classic indie pop. “Care for You” heavily takes the influence of bossa nova and tricks it with reverb and minor distortion, providing a smoke-like feel to the track. After the first verse, the smoke feeling disappears to reveal Zardoya’s full sound under the drums, guitar, and saxophone. The song feels like waves that rock the listener while they float in a body of water, giving them comfort. Alongside the single, they dropped a music video for the track. The music video is set in a tropical forest with brown women and Zardoya walking through them with a snake in hand. In the video’s description, Zardoya wrote the song around the feeling of being back with her family in Puerto Rico. “They live in the mountains of Puerto Rico, where their houses are basically in the middle of the rainforest.” The Marías beautifully captured this feeling and delivered it.