SWEEP FREQUENCY #408: The Floating Truth
New tunes from West Side Cowboy, Mên An Tol, John Glacier, Bilk, Waleed, and more...
OPENING RIFF: "On my face are a dozen messages, easy to read, strictly for friends." -- Grace Paley, “Faith in a Tree”
SMALL TALK: Newsletter fav Elif Batuman wrote a long post that served as an analysis of a pair of George Saunders short stories as well as the strange, deflating vibes from last week’s election. The Saunders stories were written in 2020 and this past week, respectively, and, like Batuman, there's something that irked me about them despite coming from an author I usually admire. She considers this idea that outrage, that relic of the (sigh) first Trump years, is not all that useful in 2024, especially as we scramble for where to go from here. The more recent Saunders story, especially, contains a moralizing, both-sides-do-it tone that feels like it does not meet the moment, in fact feels like some strange extension of the long-gone Obama era. It is not wrong to say that both sides of the political spectrum are prone to manipulation and losing the plot, but it is in fact wrong to claim that there isn't a side fighting for the good of the world, that we're "all the same" in an era where the other choice is barbarism. I had this on my mind as I pulled Grace Paley's Collected Stories off the shelf, returning to a few favorites and a few random selections while I'm between books. Paley, who heroically spent any free time she had outside of raising her family and writing stories attending political rallies and meetings, is someone my mind keeps coming back to lately. Her stories were often about family, love, and the struggles of simply living in what was for her the modern world. Rather than beat you over the head with an attempt to "be" political, Paley's activism shone through regardless or her subject, regardless of whether that was the intent. Her most famous story, "Wants," is about two people assessing their past marriage, but the narrator still finds time to mention that one of her wants was to end the war before her children grew up. A better world for her children was a noble cause, and one that appears again and again in her masterful stories. Perhaps this is can be a reminder for things going forward, that our beliefs should be grounded in the everyday, especially at a time when the everyday brings so much hardship for people who wished their options for leadership gave them something to hope for. Let's get to this week's new music.
Nearly Every Song From Every 2024 Newsletter Will Be Available in Playlist Form: SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
1. WEST SIDE COWBOY - "I'VE NEVER MET ANYONE I THOUGHT I COULD REALLY LOVE (UNTIL I MET YOU)": It's always fun when you see a band appearing over and over on live bills with other bands you love despite not having any recorded music, mostly because you jump when that music finally arrives. This is the case for West Side Cowboy, who have ties with newsletter favs like English Teacher among others. Yet another gem signed to Nice Swan, "I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)" has a ramshackle quality to it, one that builds to a shouting sing-a-long that feels chaotic and controlled all at once.
2. MÊN AN TOL - "NW1": Despite being named for the Cornwall landmark, Mên An Tol's members met in a pub, a fact that you can sense on their debut single, which feels me with the same warm feeling as a pint of Guinness. While Britpop is certainly back in style these days, "NW1" finds the band breathing new life into the revival with something of a folksy infusion, with the shifts in tempo bringing to mind a carefree, boozy beauty that we spend our lives trying to recapture.
3. JOHN GLACIER - "FOUND": Considering that John Glacier has already defined the sound of this year with a pair of stellar EPs and the top highlight on Jamie XX's new record, it's crazy to think she hasn't dropped her debut full-length yet. That all changes in a few months, and "Found" is yet another stellar track from one of the most exciting R&B voices around, with this one featuring a wobbly, woozy piano loop that leaves me hypnotized.
4. BILK - "SUMMER DAYS": Between the weather taking a turn and the world itself taking a much worse turn, it can be easy to retreat into only dark or angry music. Thankfully, Bilk have reminded me of warmer and better times on "Summer Days," a jangly surf-pop number recounting the beginnings of new love, a feeling that you should cherish even if you find it as everything around us turns to shit.
5. WALEED FEAT. MARTINA CAMARGO - "MAGDALENA": Waleed has become a secret weapon for some of the best selectors in the best clubs recently, but the secret should be out when his debut EP drops in a few weeks. With inspiration from Martina Camargo's "Guataqui," "Magdalena" is a dreamily skittering, globe-trotting banger that'll have you intrigued for where he goes from here.
PARTING SHOTS: The DNC is predictably trying to blame the trans community for Trump's win, but it's a good time to remember that they're cowards who will bend to our will if it's convenient for them. In case you didn’t have enough to worry about, conservatives may have claimed the red heart emoji for themselves. RIP to the Pitchfork Music Festival, which had a profound and uneven effect on my life. A recession must be imminent because zip-up hoodies are apparently back.
ENCORE: "96 TEARS"