Bleary Eyed – Shimmer Away
Similar artists: They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Full Body 2, Knifeplay, feeble little horse
Genre: Shoegaze
Reality makes a lot of demands, and it’s only natural that nearly everyone with the power to do so will try to escape it. Art, pop music especially, is the fastest route to a getaway. It only demands a bit of blind confidence in the people whipping up the mix. Unless you’re able to see them as some kind of modern magus, you won’t be able to be convinced you’ve withdrawn from reality.
The history of psychedelic music deserves to be studied at a leisurely pace. Of all the pop music genres, this is the one that suffers the heaviest modifications from one generation to another. At least on the surface. More broadly speaking, nearly all of it employs lethargic grooves, reverb-soaked vocals, and other effects that make the instruments sound as if they’re dripping into the ground.
Bleary Eyed’s “Shimmer Away” is a psych-pop tune that, at one moment, feels like a soundtrack to floating down a lake and, at the other, sounds emitted while swimming through the depths of it. Musically, it’s an interesting mixture of old hippiesque sounds, modern pop-rap melodies, and outsider artist vocal delivery. It’s a little rough around the edges, but then, so are trips in one’s mind to imaginary worlds. Psych music is changing, and Bleary Eyed want to be part of that new guard of artists helping reign in a new era.
Luke Smith – Tornado Season
Genre: Indie Folk, Americana, Alt Country
I suppose that the only way to make out the reasons for a disaster occurring is to walk it back retrace your steps and those of the others who were involved. Of course, that is easier said that done. If people could do this without much strain or even slightly enjoyed it, most therapists would be out of a job, and furniture companies would find themselves with a lot of unsold couches.
Songwriters have it the worst. They probably chose their profession because of some personal disasters in the first place. But besides that, unless they want to try and pen hits for xxxTentacion from beyond the grave, they need to dig up through their soul for inspiration. Worst still, if they’re dedicated songwriters, they can’t afford to pay for therapy sessions anyway.
Luke Smith’s “Tornado Season” is a very well-written short story. It takes advantage of the gentle acoustic pop background to lure listeners in and keep them there. Smith’s words, describing both a natural disaster he lived through and a personal one occurring at the very same time, are the focal point of the song. They’re clever, funny, and extremely revealing. And best of all, it’s free therapy that may get listeners thinking about their own disasters.
