SOUNDTRACK: VOIRVOIR-The Free-P (2016).
I got this Free Ep at a VoirVoir (not Voir Voir) show in Bethlehem. This EP contains four songs.
Two of them are new and two are re-recordings of songs from their debut album.
“Quit It All” is a bit poppier than their debut album. The 90s synth is a nice touch to this song which, make no mistake, still rocks. The middle noise section (skronking guitar solo and great drums) is a highlight as are the catchy verses. The band even submitted a video for the Tiny Desk Contest (I had no idea).
“Sides” is perhaps one of the best catchy alt rock songs I’ve heard in years and I am bummed that they didn’t get recognized for it. It’s got a great 90s alt-rock sound and wonderful harmonies in the backing vocals. There’s a video for this song as well. You can also stream the song on bandcamp.
The other two songs, “Stupid for Now” and “There are No Good Goodbyes” were recorded at WDIY (Lehigh Valley’s Community NPR Station) in a stripped down format. You can stream the songs here. It’s interesting to hear them without the fuzz and drums. The songs are solid and work very well although I do like the originals better. The show also includes an interview with the three members who play the stripped down show. The DJ asks their influences and while main singer guitarist Matt Molchany demurs, April Smith says Built to Spill) and Josh Maskornick says Primus and Superchunk.
And if you can’t get enough (since they haven’t released that much) here’s a live show from Shards.
[READ: January 10, 2016 & January 10, 2018] Goldfish Memory
For some reason, I read this book back in 2016 and then didn’t post about it–I felt like I needed to read it again, and so I waited almost exactly two years and re-read it and enjoyed it even more this second time. Almost like actual goldfish memory.
The back of this book made the stories sound really compelling: “what does it mean to have a connection with someone? This is the question these brilliant short stories try to answer.” The note said that this was the first translation of Monique Schwitter’s form-breaking work. The translation was by Eluned Gramich.
I’m not sure how form-breaking these stories are, but they are certainly interesting. They remind me in some ways of Julie Hecht–a narrator who is connected to people but very distantly. But while Hecht’s narrators are critical and dismissive of everyone, Schwitter’s narrators just seem to be incapable of connecting properly. You can feel the longing in the distance between them. I also like how these missed connections cover all kinds of relationships–familial, sexual, friendship, professional, even passing acquaintances.
Few of the characters seem to be able to tell anyone else how they really feel–even when they are dying. There is sadness at loss, but a kind of c’est la vie about it as well. And all along, Schwitter’s writing is consistently excellent and the stories are really enjoyable. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 