Normally, when I present these annual
best of lists, it feels like a celebration of how much great music has come
along during a given year.It is fun to
remember those early year albums, along with the fresh fire of an exciting late
year release!This strange year has been
no exception.So much great music has
come about in 2020, despite the crushing blows received by the music industry
(and so many of us) during this pandemic.This is a small portion of what teased my ears this year and, as always,
was very tough to narrow down.The
creative spirit is alive and well and though I have not found the same kind of
fire, inspiration, and solace that I normally do from music, it is still my go
to – no matter what.Something always breaks through and brings
about raw feelings and hope.As 2020
winds down, it is difficult to be too optimistic, as promise of a return to
normal life still seems so far away.At
any rate, please check out these fine artists, if you are unfamiliar, there’s a
lot of great music here.
For me, there has been a sound of
warmth that has always drawn me to a certain kind of music. It’s one of those elusive and incredibly
difficult things to try to explain, but to me it’s very tangible. As a kid, I remember first hearing tunes by Tubeway Army, OMD, and Depeche Mode that fit this bill. There’s something about those early
electropop bands that were comforting.
Maybe it’s the idea of an electronic instrument emitting actual warmth
and light that filled my soul, along with a sound that was new, pure, and
exciting. I have found comfort in the
strangest of places while seeking out this elusive feeling. I remember when I first discovered the atonal
chordings and feedback warmth of Sonic
Youth in the late 80s, I found a peace inside all of their madness. There’s something about a wall of buzzing
feedback that can fuel me like a campfire.
I’m certain that a huge part of my tastes over the years have been
effected greatly by this search, even if it comes in many different forms.
L.A. trio Soft Blue Shimmer are not really anything like any band I’ve
mentioned above, yet they have warmth in spades. They’ve done all the work with their debut
full-length: Heaven Inches Away. The album opens with a brief ambient sound
titled “Space Heater,” which they translate as being “an intense emotion or
feeling stretched over moments and sustained with lingering intensity.” Is this what I’ve always been looking
for? There’s also an immaculate song
called “Sunpools” and “Hold You in the Warm,” which all evoke this powerful
need for a comforting blast or embrace of warmth.
I immediately fell in love with Soft
Blue Shimmer’s debut EP from the summer of 2019 (Nothing Happens Here), and it fast became one of my most listened
to collections of the year. The band’s
name represents their sound so perfectly.
There is a softness to the way their instruments sound and meld
together. The guitars fizz and bubble
and chime, the bass lines are exploratory and filling, while the drums sound
unlike anyone else’s. The cymbal work
really does shimmer. And then Meredith’s vocals are so understated,
hummable, and stunningly beautiful. She
manages to squeeze out unbelievably emotive moments with a deft touch like on
the aforementioned “Sunpools,” with the repeated refrain “it doesn’t mean
anything” several times over. It’s
cathartic, yet in an understated way.
They are so damn musical! The
first single leaked from the LP, “Cherry Cola Abyss,” is the longest song here,
has no real major hook, is a bit meandering, but it sounds like heaven! It evokes a variety of emotions and continues
to build a quiet intensity throughout.
It even comes with instructions during the instrumental peak near the
end: “close your eyes & feel intensely the memory of things you felt a long
time ago & thought you forgot: those lingering silent sense memories that
remain…stay there for a moment.” This is
exactly why I love music so much, because it allows me to do just that with a
color and verve that only certain sounds and ideas can provoke.
They employ a cascading guitar sound
on the upbeat and endlessly catchy “Emerald Bells” making for an incredibly
sparkling and fiery moment simultaneously.
Even though it comes in at the beginning of the collection, it feels
like a great set closer. I really love
the world weary voice of either Kenzo or
Charlie here as well. Really nice touch. “Chihiro” scratches a similar itch as “Emerald
Bells” with some more stunning guitar work and a chorus line of Meredith’s
incredible voice. “Hold You in the Warm,”
which opens side two with more of those tasteful cascading guitars that reminds
me of one of my all-time favorites Abecedarians,
who have also filled my musical warmth needs over the years Meanwhile, “Musubi” includes an off-kilter
tempo change early on in its two minute brevity that somehow feels natural. “Adore the Distance” closes out this album
out in perfect fashion as it comes a realization that we can all move on from
whatever things have been keeping us pinned down. At some point, if we allow it, we can move on
from our emotional trappings. Or at
least I hope so! It’s a fantastic song
that has repetitive detailed guitar notes that mildly evoke the glory of The Sundays, along with a memorable
chorus.
At any rate, I don’t feel like I can
fully encapsulate how I truly feel about this record – this band’s sound. It is one that, in essence, I’ve been
searching for since before the band members were likely born. It’s a strange thought, but my ears are drawn
to this in such a way that I cannot love what they are doing to this point.
