Clock Opera - "Locked In"

One of my favorite bands, Clock Opera, has decided to call it quits. They are leaving us with the single "Locked In" with its martial rhythms, mantra-like vocals, and moody synths. The band will be sorely missed.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "Run"

Clock Opera return with their amazing new record Carousel. "Run" is all driving drums, swirling synths, samples, stark piano chords, and Guy Connelly's warm falsetto singing about being true to who you are.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "Carousel"

Gorgeous, piano-driven title track to Clock Opera's upcoming third album that boasts one of singer Guy Connelly's most emotional vocal performances.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "Be Somebody Else"

The London trio returns with their first new music in two years, the skittering and stuttering track "Be Somebody Else."

2017 Favorite Albums (Numbers 10-1)

And finally, without further ado, my Top Ten Favorite Albums of 2017:

10.  Lorde - Melodrama

Lorde's second album Melodrama is a perfect encapsulation on what it is like to be a young woman and all that it entails in this age of social media.  Not to make it sound like some dry liberal arts course, however, it is teeming with euphoric anthems, intensely personal ballads, and is full of the mess of growing up and figuring out who you are.





9.  Fever Ray - Plunge

Plunge is like the flip side to Melodrama; youth is cast aside for more carnal pursuits.   Karin Dreijer is not afraid of such pursuits and, from there, like the Mad Hatter, she leads you down the rabbit hole, with a curious smile on her face.








8.  Zola Blood - Infinite Games

You don't so much listen to the songs on Infinite Games as you do inhabit them.  The London band crafts beautifully evocative worlds of muted electronics and hushed vocals, with only a few stray rays of light shining through.  These songs detail lives lived differently, striving for something out of the ordinary and mundane.






7.  Clock Opera - Venn

Clock Opera's Venn is not going to be a record you listen to for comfort, it is a record you listen to for emotional catharsis.  These songs make your heart hurt, the search for meaning in life and love, and what it means to be human.  "In Memory" starts with the existential question "Do you want me as I am?/Do you want me as I was/Do I still do things that made you fall in love?" and from there these songs never scale back, ending with the haunted closer "When We Disappear," wondering if "will there be no witness/no ripples on the surface/when we disappear."



6.  Sampha - Process

Whether he is singing over densely layered electronics, or simply over a plaintive piano line, Sampha's voice is always clearly in focus.  And what a voice.  Process is a record that keeps revealing more of itself with each spin, and just when you think you have it figured out, another door opens into his soul.  Breathtakingly good.






5.  The xx - I See You

The xx seemed to flounder a bit on Coexist, the follow up to their brilliant self-titled debut album, leaning more towards stark, guitar-led minimalism, and forsaking their dancier efforts.  The thrill of their debut was the constant push and pull between those warring sides, which made for some exquisite tension.  With I See You, you get that tension back, and with Jamie xx's recent solo success, you can feel the other members stepping up their game.  it all culminates in a fascinating, sonically challenging record.




4.  Kelela - Take Me Apart

Future foward pop/R&B, that always had heart.  Kelela's debut album Take Me Apart is a stunning tour de force that gets better and better with each listen.  Even with a bevy of different producers, Kelela knows how to craft a singular vision.  Her sultry voice is never overtaken, even when working with heavy experimental titans like Arca and Jam City.






3.  H.E.R. - H.E.R.

Twenty year-old singer Gabi Wilson, better known by her stage name H.E.R. (acronym for "Having Everything Revealed"), has slowly been releasing music, teasing and tantalizing us with her creamy vocals, and dreamy, fluttering R&B.  H.E.R. is not a traditional album release, as it combines her Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 EPs  and a couple non-EP tracks.  Whatever you want to call it, H.E.R. is just flat-out stunning; an emotional power house, that is the perfect lonely night soundtrack.




2.  Julien Baker - Turn the Lights Out

Julien Baker's debut album Sprained Ankle was obviously just the tiny top of a massive creative iceberg.  Showing massive leaps in power and strength, Baker makes no missteps on this sublime collection of tracks dealing with loneliness, feelings of self-doubt, and loss of faith.  Though it may sound depressive, and at times you will surely need a box of tissues, Baker always uses these songs to give hope.





1.  Slowdive - Slowdive

When I heard the first few stark guitar chords of "Slomo" echoing underneath a rising cloud of synth washes, I knew I had nothing to worry about.  After lying dormant for over 22 years, Slowdive returned as if there was no hiatus.  What could have been a shameless retread of past albums or, even worse, some misguided attempt at being "current," instead, is an organic transition for the band from the past to the present.  Slowdive is everything I wanted it to be, everything it could be, and even more.  Only one album made me cry literal tears of joy, and it was this record.  It is my Favorite Album of 2017.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "In Memory (Under the Floorboards Version)"

From their new EP You've Got What I Need comes this stripped down version of "In Memory" from their second record Venn. This song has haunted me all year. All relationships are difficult because you have two people on two paths trying to remain on the same one. People always change, and the challenge is adapting to those changes. Sometimes the changes are just too great and things fall apart. "In Memory" chronicles the moment when you have to ask the tough questions.

"Do you want me as I am???
Do you want me as I was
Do I still do things that made you fall in love
Oh cause I won't ever change
I'll never change
I won't ever change
I will never change
I won't ever change
If I never change for you."

Jam of the Day: Zola Blood - "The Only Thing"

I'm eagerly anticipating Zola Blood's debut full length, Infinite Games, which drops tomorrow. If you are a fan of elegant, art-pop such as Wild Beasts, Clock Opera, and Metronomy, you will definite find much to love. "The Only Thing" is a sweeping, synth-drenched track that gradually builds to a satisfying emotional conclusion.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "When We Disappear"

Haunting song from Clock Opera's new record Venn. It's a stunning rumination on death and whether we leave a mark on this world. You can listen to it here on Spotify.

"Oh tell me will there be no witness
No ripples on the surface
When we disappear

Oh are we obsolete and beaten
Is history repeating
that ringing in your ears."

2016 Favorite Songs (Numbers 10-1)

And finally, here are my top singles of 2016:

10. Porches - "Underwater"



This song is reportedly about reaching a contented state of mind. With its liquid synths, I imagine the singer floating on top of a pool, letting the water flow over him.

9. Drake - "One Dance"



All I can say is that once I start playing this song, it will be on repeat for about 10 listens in a row.

8. Clock Opera - "In Memory"



"Do I still do the things that made you fall in love?"

7. James Blake - "My Willing Heart"



This song kills me every time. His voice is pure heaven.

6. Sylvan Esso - "Kick Jump Twist"



By the end of this song you will be doing all three. Trust me.

5. Tinashe - "Ghetto Boy"



Gorgeous R&B track, that perfectly evokes the feelings when you are dating someone you know is bad for you, and that others won't approve of, but you can't help yourself.

4. Hælos - "Cloud Nine"



Mesmerizing song that delves into the abyss of a breakup and the constant swirls of the whys and hows that plague the mind.

3. Massive Attack ft. Hope Sandoval - "The Spoils"



No one does cinematic quite like Massive Attack. Hope Sandoval's vocals are practically perfect.

2. Radiohead - "Daydreaming"



The only thing surprising about this song from Radiohead is how simple and yet ultimately complex it is. I have listened to it countless times and it always sends me into a deep reverie. That this far into their career they can continue to do this never ceases to amaze me.

1. Phantogram - "Funeral Pyre"



Many years ago, I saw Phantogram at a small club in Atlanta. They opened with a song I had never heard before, and in most set lists it was labeled as "Untitled." I had never been grabbed by a song and a performance before, the song building and building to a point of collapse, bludgeoning you to the point of exhaustion, but sending you into spasms of release. That song is now the lead track on Phantogram's latest record Three. It is called "Funeral Pyre," and it is still amazing, and it is my top song of the year.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "Whippoorwill"

From Clock Opera's upcoming record Venn, comes the new track "Whippoorwill" which effortlessly moves from the gentle to the magical.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "In Memory"

Haunting new track from Clock Opera.

Album Review - Clock Opera: Ways To Forget

Clock Opera
Ways To Forget
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Several years ago it seemed everyone was asking who would be the next U2 and take over the mantle of world's biggest rock band. Although Radiohead was mentioned the most, when Radiohead said hell to that and went off to blaze their own trail, everything seemed to point to Coldplay to take over the mantle, who sort of did by finally flowing into their own alterna-pop universe. You never seem to hear anyone asking who is going to be the next Coldplay, do you? If that question ever does arise, I am sure Clock Opera will likely be placed high on the list. Once the solo project of leader/producer Guy Connelly, Clock Opera is now a meaty 4 piece, utilizing what Connolly calls "chop pop," or splicing together bits and pieces of found sounds, electronics, and traditional instrumentation. While this appears to make them sound more experimental, the end result is surprisingly mainstream. Over the past few months I have listened to several of the singles off the band's debut Ways To Forget and was anticipating a album more synth heavy than guitar heavy, somewhere between Delphic's trance induced melancholia and Two Door Cinema Club's melodic bravado, but after going through these 10 tracks, the overwhelming influence is decidedly Coldplay. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that comparison, however, it does conjure up notions of music that is relatively safe and uninspiring. Ways To Forget compiles the wonderful singles already released and fills things out with a batch of anthemic/stadium ready tracks that ingratiate themselves like a lost puppy, but never seem to tug the heartstrings enough to adopt them outright.

The singles themselves still hold up very well. "White Noise" begins over a buzzy bed of synths and Connelly's rich baritone before the drums take over in a Friendly Fires like swirl.



"A Piece Of String" warps and loops guitars and electronics around a deep bass throb, and is pretty much the only track on the album that supports their "chop pop" description.



"Belongings" gets trapped in a lovely Coldplay-esque bed of piano, slowly building up to the finale, that transports the track into something magical.



"Once And For All" begins the album with its anthemic rise, Connelly's voice quivering over the pomp and thump.



And "Lesson No. 7" again brings back the looped guitar parts and ups the tempo for this driving track.



Unfortunately, once you get through the singles, you have basically heard the Clock Opera template: songs starting subtly, usually quiet keyboards or looped guitars, quietly building in the middle with additional instrumentation, all leading the inevitable big finale where the song reaches a fever pitch. Not to say that these songs are not well-produced and/or catchy, but more to say there is a distinct lack of surprise and wonder here. It is just a solid set of electronic heavy stadium pop. You can easily see them in a few years on main stages at festivals, leading the crowd in sing-a-longs. But I was left wanting more, to hear something I hadn't heard before. In fact, the last 3 tracks all follow the exact same format: beatless, piano driven intro, with new instrumentation built in layer after layer, until none of these tracks can be distinguished from one another. Only on "Man Made" does anything resembling insistence approach the listener. The dense throb and almost funky back beat stands out in a sea of similarity.



Ways To Forget has a very likable quality to it, and it is a solid, if slightly predictable pop album. It almost seems as if they had this nice collection of singles but needed to get a full album out, and just set the songwriting on auto-pilot in order to fill two sides of a record. I am hoping that they take a little more time on the next release and start fleshing their songs out to sound more distinct and to bypass all those Coldplay references.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

This week seemed both long and short. Oh well, here's to Friday:



I love this song and video.



Song from Perfume Genius written about his mother and starring her in the video.



Wild video from synth-poppers Hooray For Earth.



Trippy visuals from AU.



More trippy visuals for the Of Montreal track.

Jam of the Day: Clock Opera - "Belongings"

Clock Opera's debut album Ways To Forget finally gets its US release next month. I love their anthemic synth-rock a lot. This song is a quieter song from them, but has a nice build and ending.