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“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Malia J

Peter Jones Leave a comment

New music Monday is upon us. I had been wondering what I wanted to write about for the past few days. Simply because, well, I haven’t found much music in the last week or two that really interested me.

That was, until Friday night.

Went to Black Widow with some friends and family. I thought it was a great movie that really should have been filmed and released a few years earlier (curse you Ike Perlmutter!). It is also dark, especially for a Marvel movie. There are some really sinister undertones throughout the movie, and these are set up from the very beginning, particularly with the opening credits.

We see scenes of young girls being taken and forced into the Widow program by the main antagonist of the film. And if that wasn’t heavy enough, all this is happening to the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as performed by Malia J. I had not idea who she was, and still know far less than I would like. It is enough to say that this rendition of this classic song (yes, it is a classic that is around 30 years old now, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees) is truly haunting.

Minimal in many ways, with some breathy vocals, it still crescendos to some really powerful levels. The song just screams loss to me, and it so fittingly matches what we were seeing on the screen.

I hunted it down on Apple Music and was delighted to find some other covers Malia J has done. All have the same sort of formula, minimalist intro that builds to a powerful crescendo and then fades out with a soft denouement. And all are just fantastic. But “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the best of the bunch. This song is so entrenched in my youth, I can literally see, hear, and feel where I was the first time I heard it. And hearing like this makes it a completely new song. Check this track out, it is just fantastic.

Malia J- Smells Like Teen Spirit (Black Widow Opening Credits)

A Swarm of the Sun – The Woods

Peter Jones Leave a comment

You know, some days are just lousy. They are. I don’t care how positive you feel, or how positive you try to be, some days just suck. It’s like life just wants you to know your place.

And that’s okay. Really, it is. Life shouldn’t be perfect all the time. It can’t be, if we are being honest with ourselves. There is a certain futility to what we do, at least it feels that way at times. I wouldn’t call it a hopelessness, that seems a bit melodramatic. But there exists a certain… something, a something that calls to a part of us we often hide, we often don’t want seen because it is a sign of weakness. A certain vulnerability that we might wish wasn’t there.

But A Swarm of the Sun wants us to remember that vulnerability. They want us to recognize that some days life gets the better of us. The Woods is the soundtrack for those days.

One could argue that simply calling The Woods a post-metal album is a bit reductive, but there is no question they are firmly in the post world. Comprised of only three tracks, the album still comes in at 39 minutes, with each track really reaching close to or above that 13 minute mark. These Swedes aren’t afraid to let things build. First track “Blackout” takes a full 8 1/2 minute before you might even think to call this a rock or metal record. This is all about the atmosphere, and I love that they let that be the driving force here. No words, just music. Beautiful, dark, contemplative music. Piano and strings really fill out the first 2/3 of the song, with the tension building throughout that time.

It is an excellent journey that reaches for that vulnerable part in all of us. With layers and textures, A Swarm of the Sun is able to tap into something deep within and convey a small portion of the human existence that we all now.

Follow up tracks “The Woods” and “And Heir to the Throne” continue the theme. We finally get some vocals on the second track. They are restrained, almost plaintive in nature. These aren’t vocals that blow your socks off, but they work perfectly for the music and the atmosphere that is being created. They display this same vulnerability that the album taps into. Minimal instrumentation accompanies the vocals and, again, the song builds so slowly it is almost painful at times.

But that restraint is what makes this such a compelling album. Yes, it takes some effort to get into. No, these aren’t songs that are going to get stuck in your head and have one humming them throughout the day. Yet, they are absolutely songs that will create feelings and emotions that will haunt the listener, long after the 39 minutes are over.

And, for me, sometimes that is the kind of music I love the most: music that reaches deep within to create an experience far greater than a catchy, 2 1/2 minute melody we are so used to. This isn’t feel good music, but it also isn’t oppressive. It’s just honest music that engages the listener and walks us through some of the darker parts of life. And that’s okay. We need to process that darkness some days. The Woods is a perfect soundtrack for those days, and a triumphant example of how powerful post-metal and its contrasting dynamics can be.

https://youtu.be/x1O0mftMePU

Fates Warning – Disconnected

Peter Jones Leave a comment

It’s almost difficult for me to talk about Fates Warning. On the one hand, it is because they are, in my opinion, the single most underrated band in the history of metal. On the other, it is because they are very possibly my favorite band of all time. Depends on the day, but it’s a toss up between Fates and Neurosis.

But why are they my favorite? For two main reasons. Number one, because they write amazing music. And second, because they were such an essential band on my journey of really getting into and appreciating metal on the whole.

I’d heard the name, but it was many years before I actually started listening to them, so I was super late to the game. It was actually right around the release of Disconnected in 2000 that I finally got around to listening to the band. And that was probably the perfect album for me to start listening to them. It may not be their best album, but it probably is my favorite. We’ll leave John Arch’s amazing vocal melodies, and the idea that their 1986 album The Spectre Within really can be considered the birth of progressive metal for another day. But today, let’s just enjoy the mastery that is Disconnected.

There had been some band changes in recent years, but Disconnected was the second band with the same line up as on A Pleasant Shade of Gray. And what we have is a group that really seems to have come together, with a clear understanding of what they want to do and where they were going. Kevin Moore’s work, both on keys, but most importantly in creating an atmosphere are on full display here. And I will continue to argue that Jim Matheos has penned more brilliant songs than just about anyone in the business.

Disconnected really runs the gamut of what Fates Warning can bring to the table. There are atmospheric tracks, like “Disconnected Part 1” and “Part 2”. There are relatively straightforward rockers like “One” and “Pieces of Me”. And then you have the progressive epics. “Something from Nothing” slowly builds over the course of its 11 minutes. But the real star of the show here is “Still Remains”, a 16 minute progressive and emotional epic.

I love the complete lack of fear or need to hurry here. The song slowly builds for minutes before it finally hits its stride into what one would consider a proper song. And then it keeps building and morphing. Throughout all, the performances are stellar, and the emotion is palpable. Disconnected is an album about relationships, about loss, about human connections and how those impact our lives. And “Still Remains” is the ultimate track to convey all of this.

I really can’t find a flaw in this album. The performances are excellent. Jim Matheos, in addition to being an excellent guitarist, also has amazing guitar tone on this album. Immediately recognizable. Ray Alder’s vocals are as fantastic as always, powerful, clear, expressive. Mark Zonder always was one of the more interesting drummers in the business. Even the final track, “Disconnected Part 2”, is a necessary part of this album. It completes the album, really hitting home the sense of loss and sadness that permeates the album.

I love all Fates Warning albums. And they have some truly groundbreaking and essential ones. Disconnected may not be their very best, but I think it will always be my favorite, and is clearly one of my top 10 albums of all time.