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3 Songs: “Post-Rock Existential Crisis” Edition

Post-rock, like pornography, can be difficult to define, because it’s really all about creating an internal feeling through instrumental compositions. Artists like Tim Hecker and God Is an Astronaut don’t necessarily create songs that you remember as distinct units, but rather album-length sound tapestries. I love post-rock a lot, despite (and because of) the fact that it causes me to descend into weird existential crises that may involve random bouts of sobbing and hours of staring off into space contemplating the ultimate fate of proton decay. If this sounds like a good way to spend your afternoon (and c’mon, you know it does), here are three post-rock songs to put you in that deliciously apocalyptic mood.

Jonsi and Alex – Boy 1904 (Riceboy Sleeps)

I discovered this song in a modern dance class. I was depressed as hell, overwhelmed with school and a recent heartbreak, and deeply anxious. I went to this class and absolutely loathed the peppy cheerleader-esque teaching style of the instructor. I hated the other girls in the class, all of whom seemed to be less sweaty, thinner, and just better at life than I was. I gritted my teeth and held back tears when I caught my reflection in the mirror. And then the instructor put on this song for our cool-down, and every single one of my anxieties dissolved into the warm, vinyl-inspired crackles and ambient chorus of Jonsi and Alex’s best song.

Explosions in the Sky – Your Hand in Mine (The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place)

I always imagine this song to be the score to an apocalypse film, a bit like when Danny Boyle used Godspeed!You Black Emperor in a pivotal scene in 28 Days Later. I love me some apocalypse narratives; they’re my genre obsession, the way other people watch kung fu classics or cheesy horror flicks. When the leitmotif kicks in at around 2:20 or so, I really do imagine it to be the moment when the two protagonists look out over the blasted landscape of the world they once knew, and they hold hands to reaffirm their humanity. The hesitant beginnings and slow build feel so inherently tragic, but rather than wallowing in the melancholy there’s a sense of being uplifted–that negative emotions like regret and loss are not inherently negative, but a rich part of the massive spectrum of human emotion.

Boards of Canada – Dayvan Cowboy (The Campfire Headphase)

There is nothing I can say that would do justice to this song. Knowing that it’s one of Boards of Canada’s best and most accessible songs, as well as realizing that the rest of their work is actually way better in a lot of ways, just gives you a hint as to why BoC fans are so rabid. This was the song that made me fall headlong in love with the mysterious Scottish electronica duo; their sort of long strange trip is one I’m always happy to take.

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Track List – March 29

This weekend my partner bought me Minecraft. I’ve avoided it for years because I know how immersed I’d get in it, and sure enough that’s what happened. So next week I’ll let you guys know if I’ve actually managed to do anything productive or if I was just hammering away at blocks.

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3 Songs: “Magnetic Fields Fangirl” Edition

I once tweeted that if I didn’t have CanCon restrictions, my radio shows would likely just be 90 minutes of Magnetic Fields. The Boston synthpop band has been putting out music for as long as I’ve been alive—Jesus—and for every “meh” song there’s at least two absolutely brilliant ones. I love so much of what they do that this should only be considered a “3 songs I love out of several dozen of their best” list, and you probably shouldn’t be surprised if you see an album-by-album breakdown somewhere down the line.

Busby Berkley Dreams

So The Magnetic Fields’ Stephen Merritt set out to write 69 love songs, and that’s exactly what he did. The resulting mega-album wavers across genres, from Johnny Cash-style grumblings to delicate piano ballads, so it’s virtually guaranteed that you’ll hate some of them and fall in love with others. Of my select favourites, Busby is probably the one that’s the most meaningful on a personal level. I love the story it tells—“We still dance on whirling stages / in my Busby Berkley dreams”–and the dissonance between the soft sadness of the song itself and its flashy, upbeat subject matter. When I discovered this song, I was having incredibly vivid dreams about a recent ex-boyfriend—a side effect of new medication—and it was distressing to have my brain conjure him up just as he’d been before our breakup, but also weirdly comforting. It’s that push-pull that happens when a person has hurt you very deeply, but you still miss having them in your life, even though logically you know they’re not good for you. This song captures that.

California Girls

This was the first Magnetic Fields song I ever heard, and it’s still a standout. I love the distorted instruments and the Dandy-Warhol-esque vocals, as well as the messy fuzziness that calls to mind Wave of Mutilation; basically this song is the epitome of delicious noisy neo-psychedelia. The lyrics are hidden beneath the distortion, but once you discern what they are you’ll find yourself giggling at just how vicious they are. Plus, this track can be played after the Katy Perry song of the same name to prove its entire thesis—the shallowness of a certain brand of Los Angeles-based lady—which makes me chuckle.

God Wants Us to Wait

This spot nearly went to “Quick!”, but I’ve already addressed the Magnetic Fields’ talent for aching breakup songs above, so instead I’m choosing to feature another song from the same album—2012’s Love at the Bottom of the Sea—because it’s got extraordinarily clever lyrics and an undeniably sexy tune full of carnivalesque motifs. As the album opener it does a great job of setting the tone for the rest of the songs to follow, as well as introducing the band’s new trajectory following the completion of their “No-Synth” trilogy. Plus, coming from a band that’s written 69+ songs about love and sex, it’s pretty clear that they’re taking the piss out of religious-based abstinence here, and it works so well that I can’t help but hit the repeat button.

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3 Songs: “The Standout” Edition

Our relationship with music is really interesting. We respond to individual songs on an almost visceral level, but songs are rarely consumed in a vacuum; they’re grouped together on albums by an artist who’s showing off his or her (or their) specific skills. They have a musical style that you’ll either like or dislike. Normally, when you hear one song you thoroughly enjoy, you’re guaranteed to like at least some of the artist’s other works; after all, there are sure to be elements in common between the song that got your attention and the rest of the catalogue.

But sometimes you only like one song from an artist, and the rest of their work doesn’t appeal to you. You may even wish you liked the artist more than you do, but other than the one stand-out single you’re just not into it. These three songs are all those stand-outs for me; I love them, but am indifferent to the rest of the musician’s works.

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Track List – March 22

And now, we return to our regularly scheduled (HA!) programming. I’ve had a long-ish week, full of job searches and fundraising and other stuff, so I gathered a bunch of really chill, relaxing tracks to play for you guys. Track list after the jump!