Today feels heavy. Two more mass shootings have stunned the country. The one in Dayton, OH was too close to home. You could argue it is our home—several artists we cover and folks we care about dearly reside there.
So, it feels appropriate to take a reprieve from all the heaviness to soak up the excellent new release from Tycho.
When I look back at this year, spinning Weather is going to bring to mind driving down Raleigh, NC freeways at dusk. The lush landscapes and changing colors in the sky complemented this album in a particularly poignant way and calmed me down after some moments of annoyance at the rental car facility, where I lost my temper in the car.
Few songs can make me calm down with simply a thought, but this entire album can. The inclusion of vocals from San Franscisco’s Saint Sinner has been polarizing to Tycho fans, and even I was a bit leery at the thought at first. I know now this wasn’t a misstep because of what I articulated earlier. The effect Tycho has had on me in the past is amplified by her vocals. It feels natural.
“Japan” is one of two year-defining songs for me that reside here. There’s a bright guitar melody that complements the lines “I’m gonna break her down / She don’t mind at all” that is bright, like golden hour in some realm of nature that only exists in my mind. The other is “No Stress,” a song that seems to embody everything that Tycho is about. I’ve half a mind to email every therapist in my hometown and tell them to prescribe this to their patients. I could see this being an anthem that closes out each Tycho live show for the duration of his career—a directive for his audience. A literal grouping of motivational notes to end each set with.
There is some of the trademark instrumental dreamy, ethereal feasting that takes place elsewhere on the record. Everything has a sweeping quality that all fans will be familiar with. “Easy” kicks off the album in a straightforward way—nice, but a bit safe for him. “Into the Woods” fulfills my expectations for an instrumental track a bit more, with notes that seem to flit to and fro like dewdrops being disturbed by nature’s inhabitants.
With my umpteenth listen of “Pink and Blue” I can feel the heaviness from today’s news lighten a tad. I think that’s the highest compliment I can give this album.
0 Comments