WEGL Weekly Picks Jan 20-Feb 1
The Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery – Jan 20, 2023
Hailing from Dublin, The Murder Capital have really made a name for themselves with their second and latest LP, Gigi’s Recovery, as it climbed to #1 on the Irish charts in the first week of its release. 2019 saw the release of their first LP, When I Have Fears, which got the band some serious critical acclaim, as well as touring with fellow post-punk groups Shame and Squid. This latest record is full of cerebral lyricism, with the same downbeat Joy Division-esque groove from the percussion. The approach to the guitar riffs is much less sinister than the bands previous work, however, with many songs performed in a traditional major key. The most noticeable element of this album is without a doubt the aforementioned lyrics. Not just the intentional clarity in production and performance from lead singer James McGovern, but the tasteful use of repetition without boxing himself in to the traditional verse, chorus, verse pattern. This, paired with a splash of surrealism in lines like “the colors drip from your eyes” on “Crying,” make for quite the listening experience, that offers something new every relisten. We were fortunate to get an album this good so early on in the year, and it is certainly one that will remain in fans and DJs’ mixes for months to come.
Favorite Tracks: “Crying” ; “Return My Head” ; The Stars Will Leave Their Stage”
what is your name? – beyond old names, everyone’s songs. – Jan 22, 2023
The whole purpose of Friday picks was for the music nerds of WEGL to assist our readers in staying up to date with current hits, as well as unveiling the hidden gems of each week. This artist, whom I had never heard of before today, is easily the smallest artist ever featured in a WEGL article. After some thorough research, I discovered what is your name? is the alter ego of slightly more well-known breakcore and dance artist 2 0 2 1, whom I had also never heard of. But as we all know, some of music’s great treasures have come from deep in the cracks and crevices of the underground, which, due to streaming, has had more light shone on it now than ever before; perhaps the only objective benefit of major services like Spotify. Regardless of this, beyond old names, everyone’s songs. is an amalgamation of midwest-emo, folk-rock, chamber-pop, and plenty of other niche subgenres that would do nothing in assisting the quantification of this pseudo-lo-fi masterpiece. Evoking similarities to the instrumentation and sentiments of Phil Elverum’s early work, the emotion is felt just as much as heard. Complex compositions so far from grandiose, with a tasteful lack of lyrics to assist the atmosphere and clarity of the instrumentals, and subsequently enforce the emotion behind the lyrics when they are carefully selected and placed in little bridges on a few of the tracks. Harmonica, violin, acoustic and electric guitar, dance grooves and slowed repetition, this record truly covers all bases. The most touching part of this record has to do with the field records, which seem to relate to suicide, perhaps of a good friend of his. The closing track ends with a voicemail from a girl whose voice is sampled throughout the album, and as listeners we can do nothing but speculate. I honestly don’t know what else to say about this, and I certainly wish I could give more credit to the Toronto-based artist, I don’t even know his name, but the only revealing thing featured on his bandcamp profile is “i create a certain vibe that i cannot describe.” What an understatement.
Favorite Tracks: “i, you.” ; “to live in memory” ; “violins”
Caroline Polachek - "Blood and Butter" - Jan 31, 2023
In anticipation of her newest full-length album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You in February, Caroline Polachek has dropped another single to coincide with the release of the full tracklist. This time around "Blood and Butter" continues to feature Caroline's signature ambient sound with some groovy pop backing. The previous assortment of singles were serviceable continuations of Caroline's established sound, and "Blood and Butter" solidifies that listeners can expect more of the great sound found in her previous album Pang. This newest single is definitely the best of the few that has been released prior to the album's drop, and the bagpipes are a great fun addition that will make "Blood and Butter" stand out in the tracklist.
