Song Obsessions for February

Tunng – "Bullets" off Good Arrows (2007)

Guaranteed formula for piquing my interest: open with a creepy looped voice uttering hypnotic nonsense and follow with hauntingly sparse vocals over minimal piano notes. It's not as easy to pull off as it sounds. The best aspect of the song might be the juxtaposition of playful indie-pop (see: use of ratchet noisemaker and kalimba) with rather dark lyrics (see: "Our blood and guts are out / We spread our bones across the table at night / We cut our fingers off / To give ourselves those little extra insights").




Black Mountain – "Angels" off In the Future (2008)

Upon listening to this Vancouver band's recently released sophomore album, this was the track that initially grabbed me. The calm pace and soothing vocals work perfectly to blend a Neil Young aesthetic with a sound that's otherwise grounded in spacey progressive and psychedelic rock.




Rosewood Thieves - "Murder Ballad in G Minor" off Lonesome [EP] (2007)

Whether it's Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' aptly titled Murder Ballads or The Velvet Underground's "The Gift," I'm a sucker for beautiful songs written about gruesome acts. Including the phrase "murder ballad" in the title of your song will only attract my attention all the quicker, so it better live up to my expectations. Thankfully, this NY-based folk-influenced rock band does just that. Their sound lies somewhere between Dylan and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Howl.

Tearwave - Tearwave (2007)

Tearwave offers a debut of female-led dream-pop from Buffalo, New York. The entire album plays wonderfully from start to finish, as individual songs seem to blend into the next. Swirling guitars and keyboards play over crisp percussion to produce a dream-like atmosphere that works just as well when scrutinized as when it's left playing in the background.

Their haunting, ethereal sound is reminiscent of shoegaze giants of the past such as Cocteau Twins and Slowdive. While they don't offer anything overwhelmingly new to the genre, the balance they strike between eerie and lush presents, very simply, beautiful music.

Streamable Track: "Crimson Water Cleanses the Soul"


Artist Website / Album Purchase