Blitz//Berlin play it dark, Rich Aucoin mouths off, Smooth Hound Smith dog it and more in today’s Roundup. I was gonna make lunch today, but I was too lazy. So I just went to Costco and grazed on samples instead. Oh, don’t act like you haven’t done it.
1 If you believe in miracles, you are apparently more optimistic than Blitz//Berlin. The trio of L.A.-based Canadian electronica composers’ latest album is the tellingly titled There Will Be No Miracles Here. Which seems about fitting for their woozy, darkly atmospheric synth-ballad Mercy — but far less weirdly entertaining than the depressed-mascot video that goes with it. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The lyric paints a picture of despair and a search for meaning and hope, while the video takes an unexpected spin on this theme.” No argument here:
2 Rich Aucoin gets mouthy in the Rocky Horrorish video for The Past, an ambitious a cappella cut from his recent release, the aptly titled Release. It’s a f360 VR video, so if you have a headset, you can watch him doing all the different parts — assuming you’re into that sort of thing. Though I have no idea why you would be. For those who prefer to live in real reality, you can just use the scroll button on the video screen. Or not. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Past is about “letting go,” Aucoin says. “The lyrics ‘don’t look back, was I always wrong?’ are repeated throughout. ‘It’s come out of my love, it’s coming for me’ is regret chasing one down until it kills them if they live with a sense of living in the past and/or with their regrets and mistakes letting them oppress you with trauma instead of working through those feelings and traumas to move forward and be uncontrolled by them. Alice is making a pivotal choice to move forward and not go back the way she came as she goes deeper into herself and her wonderland.” Do the time warp again:
3 The dog days of summer are upon us. That would seem to be a good time for Nashville duo Smooth Hound Smith – married singer-songwiters Zack Smith and Caitlin Doyle-Smith – to release their third album Dog In A Manger. Lest you bark up the wrong tree, the Aug. 9 release is apparently not some canine-themed offering: It’s a reflective examination of life, love, happiness and mortality. All of which comes across in video for the mellow folk-pop title cut. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Dog is probably my favorite piece of music overall on this new record,” says Zack. “The title comes from a Greek fable and is now used as an idiom to speak of one who, out of spite, prevents others from succeeding or finding happiness. It’s an attempt to unpack a lot of my personal baggage in regards to entering a new period in my life: the idea of getting married and staying committed for a lifetime, and the personal changes and sacrifices I’m required to make.” Sit and stay:
4 I have never read anything by Elena Ferrante. But the women of Seattle’s Chastity Belt clearly have. And clearly they liked it — they pay tribute to the author with their endearing indie-pop strummer Elena, the latest preview of their Sept. 20 release I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone. Presumably they spent it reading. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Over the past year, we all read and loved Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. We individually related to the ways in which the main character’s sense of self is inextricably linked to her desire for love and validation both from lovers and friends. The overlapping voices on top of the whimsical wave-like instrumentals captures the universal feeling of having a conversation with yourself about yourself.” Chapter and verse:
