I felt like mixing things up a bit and doing a mid-week One-Liners. I guess it’s mid-week. What’s a week anyway anymore? Whatever sort of unrest we’re experiencing in the space-time continuum, there are new and newer releases there to keep us going.
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
You know I’ve long been a sucker for modern pop that’s laced with 1980s nostalgia vibes. I often ask myself: Is ’80s nostalgia dead? It turns out it isn’t. It’s just different. In that vein she owes a bit to Carly Rae Jepsen’s now-classic 2015 LP Emotion, but that’s a good thing. (Side Note: I’m still mad at how much Jepsen’s label fucked up the rollout of that album. May Lipa not suffer such a fate.)
Vandal Moon – “Dead”
Speaking of ’80s sounds, let’s not forget Vandal Moon’s deft touch. They are profoundly skillful at invoking the dark wave/goth spirit of acts like The Cure in a way that is eerily period-accurate. On “Dead,” a single off forthcoming album Black Kiss (out May 15 on FM Attack’s Starfield Music label), Vandal Moon doubles down on that vibe to cultivate freshness from pastiche. Pre-order it RIGHT NOW.
Lou Rebecca & Alan Palomo (AKA Neon Indian) – “To Keep You”
This enchanting number was already one of the best cuts on Lou Rebecca’s latest album, Restless, out now via Holodeck Records. Nevertheless, Rebecca and Palomo amp it up with a delectably artful new music video. (I urge you to check out all of Rebecca’s videos — she directs most or all of them, and her visual gifts match her musical talents.)
Deadly Avenger – Ronin
This short release from Vehlinggo friend and favorite Deadly Avenger snuck into the landscape. It’s a short representation of the artist’s penchant for powerful film trailer music. (He’s scored a bunch of trailers, including Parasite, Midsommar, some MCU flicks, and other fine gems.) It’s brief but hits all the right notes.
Don’t miss Deadly Avenger’s fantastic cut on the Vehlinggo Presents: 5 Years compilation.
MGMT – “As You Move Through the World”
This came out last week and I didn’t even realize it. It’s a fantastically dreamy new instrumental cut from the stalwart purveyors of pop-frosted psychedelia. It’s the cinema-ready sci-fi score cue we always knew they had in them — like MGMT collaborating with M83 on a hypothetical DSVIII. I like how that sounds: MGMTM83 – DSVIII.
The Midnight – “Los Angeles (Aaron + Andy’s Pop-Americana Mix)”
What happens when a pandemic hits and two electronic music aficionados decide to use The Midnight stems to create a song that sounds like Bruce Hornsby meets.. Lady Antebellum? What you get is a lot of fun for your ears and some shameless-self promotion in your reading routine. Who cares, though? I’m proud of what Andy Diamond of Diamond Field and I have done. (BTW, did you see that I’m hosting a livestream for COVID-19 relief, put on by The Midnight + friends on Saturday?)
(Editor’s Note: As established in this post, the One-Liners column is a concise but meaningful way to highlight Vehlinggo-recommended releases. It’s not exactly weekly, but it can be. Entries are almost never one line, but they could be. Check out the most recent One-Liners post.)
