One-Liners: Fangoria, Adult Swim, Lightfrequency, NINA, Reznor & Ross

Happy New Year! I’m kicking things off with the resurrection of a column from 2015 called One-Liners. It is what it sounds like: one-line recommendations of releases I dig and want you to hear.

I’m doing this because I’m getting involved in some projects that require a chunk of my time, making it tough to do deeper dives of most releases. This isn’t to say I don’t, or won’t, value featured releases enough to write more — if you check out that original One-Liners column you’ll find stalwarts of the Vehlinggo sphere: Nola Wren, OGRE & Dallas Campbell, Monty Luke, and Miami Nights 1984. It’s all about staying on track.

OK, that’s enough from me. That’s way more than one line. Here we go. Make sure to read all the way through to the end. There’s a lovely surprise there.

Lightfrequency – Jadomorph

Lightfrequency is great at invoking deep thoughts and intimate moments by using his array of synthesis in artful arrangements — and his spacey/aquatic new release continues in that mold.

NINA – ‘The Calm Before The Storm’

I first caught this excellent synthwave hit on Adult Swim’s Fever Dreams compilation and I can’t stop thinking about its welcome tendency to juxtapose NINA’s powerful vocals with the fierce urgency of dark (but not heavy) instrumentation.

Adult Swim – Fever Dreams

Speaking of Fever Dreams, it is one of the best synthwave/synthy comps in years — featuring Com Truise, Power Glove, Lazerhawk, NINA, Alice Glass, Carpenter Brut, Marie Davidson, SURVIVE, and several more talented souls.

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Bird box Score (Abridged)

Say what you want about Netflix’s apocalyptic Sandra Bullock film — and I dig it mostly — the Academy Award-winning duo absolutely killed it with their exquisite blend of organic and electronic cues.