Human Regolith – Asclepias
Music can lead you down some dangerous roads if you’re not careful if you take it too seriously. Some Greek philosophers thought that music and theatre should be banned. Leo Tolstoy, a big music fan, warned others like him that they risk losing their sanity or, worse, their souls over the thing that they loved. He concluded that maybe it’s better to be unmoved by art.
Indeed, many of the famous invasions in history had a soundtrack and a tyrant who doesn’t have a favourite composer is bound to be erased from history eventually. Any serious chemical addiction comes with a soundtrack, too. The addiction and the records playing alongside it, typically belong to people who try to artificially recreate all of the things playing through their mind while the music played.
Human Regolith’s “Asclepias” is a complex, ambitious piece of music. It’d be easy to associate it with post-rock, math-rock, prog or any of the genres that favour musical exploration and sophistication. But that’s a description that works on a lot of pieces of music. “Asclepias,” presumably named after the flower, possesses a maddening sway, an incredible power to draw you in and to just about hypnotize you. Few other things will do the same. So, just close your eyes, play it back, and don’t look for these kinds of thrills in places that cannot deliver it.
Cole Anyway – Elevator Pitch
John Lennon said a lot of terrible, often funny things about a former partner, Paul McCartney while trying to market his first solo albums. Arguably, none must’ve hurt so much at the time, then referring to his Macca’s releases as “muzak,” the soft, unintrusive, jazzy sounds played in elevators and classy shopping malls during the 1960s.
Say the same thing about a songwriter or producer now, and they are likely to take it as a compliment. And why shouldn’t they? While everyone has been busy trying to be The Beatles, not enough artists have been busy trying to remain faceless. While every band writes songs about their deepest feelings, few write music that can merely exist in your space without occupying it. And, while modern music production has made most listening experiences a workout, soft jazz might actually help you unwind.
There are great elevator music albums available online that, sadly, don’t have the name of the artist responsible for them printed on them. Cole Anyway is influenced by those releases, so be mindful of making music that will help you unwind after a heavy day. “Elevator Pitch” is a simply wonderful sound. It’s not flashy, tells you nothing about the artist making it, and won’t ask you to buy tickets when they’re back on tour. It just fits any mood. It’s muzak to my ears, and I like it.
