On this edition of LITM Rock Picks, tracks take on expansive energetic spirals that either pull the listener into soundscape that feel either pulled apart in spirals or layered into settled emotions. The list features In The Afterglow, Lost Velvet, Millstöne and more!
1. In The Afterglow - Words We Couldn’t Say
‘Words We Couldn’t Say’ by In The Afterglow pulls in a bright, expansive build that feels dark-edged and vulnerable. The melodies on the track begin by feeling ethereal, almost floating through the speakers with settled ease.
This is before these rhythms and melodies begin to separate and syncopate, almost as though the same melodies are being cut up and placed on two different frequencies. The track illustrates separation in a relationship, where two people who were once on the same page begin to distance, evoking this moving sense of loss mingled in grief.This while syncopated energy seems to roar on the track.
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2. Ho Jo Fro-Timidly Free
‘Timidly Free’ by Ho Jo Fro, Iyla Elise, The Sixies and Dizzy Dan feels like a bright, energetic injection of self-affirming optimism. The song’s soundscape feels light and optimistic, bolstered by this sense of familiar warmth that seems accentuated by the song’s horns. And rhythm. “...We are all timidly free…”.
So, “....hold my hand, we’ll make it through this mess…not alone…”. The song attempts to counter loneliness like a bright, energetic balm that feels undeniably warm. The melodies on the track highlight a quiet, settled optimism that feels whole and warm, while imbuing the track in what feels like almost this nostalgic, bright sense of warmth and optimism..
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3. Millstöne- Wild and Untamed
‘Wild and Untamed’ by Millstöne is bright, energetic track with an energetic build edged with attitude. The song feels dynamic and liberating, holding onto its energetic build while describing someone who could only be an enigma. An enigma who seems “...lost in the game…”
She’s alluring, almost addictive, “...like the shot of whisky running through my veins…”. This while her description is paired with a soundscape that only builds, packed with explosive energy that only layers. These melodies only continue build, keeping up their bright allure as the sound begins to fade out, an energetic explosion and description wrapped into one.
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4. Steven Browley - Linda Moo and Piggy Sue
‘Linda Moo and Piggy Sue’ by Steven Browley is a track that starts off light, before its lyrics begin to take on a dark weight, tinged with loss and a bit of grief. The song’s lyrics feel like a message to animal lovers, moving from the familiar warmth of a pet waking you up to the jarring reality that most animals don’t have that luxury.
The song’s dip into the dark feels deliberate, attempting to evoke contemplative and though-provoking momentum. Though the soundscape is slow, it feels like it captures the song’s message with expansive surety. “...Just to see you smile makes me happy for a while…”.
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5. Lost Velvet - Endless
‘Endless’ by Lost Velvet is a dark track with winding melodies with rhythms and direction that feels spiralling and endless. The lyrics reflect this spiral with what feels like a bit of a skewed point of view, while melodies layer and descend onto eachother. “...Lay it on me, make it all seem alright…”.
This almost hypnotic spiral feels like a deliberate, almost expansive deep-dive into thoughts that seems to layer and build into endless cycles. Dark, descending spirals that only seem to edge towards the same place, pulling the listener into layered spirals that feel endless, yet energised though lonely.
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