{"id":7367,"date":"2018-03-15T10:29:35","date_gmt":"2018-03-15T18:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wou.edu\/westernjournal\/?p=7367"},"modified":"2018-03-15T10:29:35","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T18:29:35","slug":"music-from-the-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/music-from-the-unknown\/","title":{"rendered":"Music from the unknown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Darien Campo | Designer<\/span><\/p>\n

As an insufferable music snob, my hunt for even more obscure artists to listen to never ends. Over the years I\u2019ve padded my iPod collection with a large collection of albums from unsigned and little-known bands. From indie artists to solo bedroom producers: here, I\u2019ve collected some of my favorite albums that deserve much more attention than they get.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and I, Animals\u201d \u2013 Black and White Envelope<\/span><\/p>\n

Black and White Envelope is a solo artist from Connecticut, recording music in his own bedroom studio. \u201cYou and I, Animals\u201d is a fun-filled record of bright pop-rock and catchy-as-hell tunes. His music sounds so much like a collection of lost Vampire Weekend tracks, a comparison he gladly boasts on social media. The upbeat rhythms, angular melodies and bright instrumentation make every track fun composition. So, if you\u2019re looking for more Vampire Weekend-style Baroque pop, Black and White Envelope is there for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended track: \u201cConversation Aviation\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by:\u00a0Blackandwhiteenvelope.bandcamp.com<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cAnywhere That\u2019s Wild\u201d \u2013 Adventure Galley<\/span><\/p>\n

The Portland-based group Adventure Galley bring an energetic mix of synth-pop and dance-rock to the table. \u201cAnywhere That\u2019s Wild\u201d perfectly mixes the best parts of upbeat rock music and cool synthesizers. With a cutting punk edge to the lyrics and vocal delivery, Adventure Galley is what the Arctic Monkeys would sound like if Alex Turner had grown up listening to nothing but synth-pop. The powerful dance beats and enormous harmonies are sure to get anybody moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended track: \u201cDiane\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by:\u00a0Adventuregalley.bandcamp.com<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Coast is Never Clear\u201d \u2013 Beulah<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Beulah is no longer together, they are one of my all-time favorite bands and there\u2019s no way I could leave them off a list like this. The Elephant Six rock group brings punk eclecticism along with dense orchestration, poetic lyricism and infectiously catchy choruses. Where most bands use orchestral instruments as flavoring for their track, Beulah has an almost cinema-like quality in their use of brass and strings that makes their music feel totally massive. \u201cThe Coast is Never Clear\u201d is an album of winners, with not a single filler track to be found.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended track: \u201cA Good Man is Easy to Kill\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by:\u00a0www.beulahmania.com<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cNostalgia\u201d \u2013 Wren<\/span><\/p>\n

Photographer and poet Cody Weber\u2019s side project, Wren, has released some great experimental music over the years, but, for me, \u201cNostalgia\u201d is his most powerful record. \u201cNostalgia\u201d makes use of a bizarre twist on alternative hip-hop and trance that feels utterly unique. The samples are strange and otherworldly, the synthesizers are gritty and warped and the beats pound you in the chest with every hit. I completely credit this record with opening my mind up in high school to more experimental and electronic music. \u201cNostalgia\u201d is uncompromising and powerfully personal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended track: \u201cThe Shakes\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by:\u00a0Iamwren.bandcamp.com<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cSincerely, Future Pollution\u201d \u2013 Timbre Timbre<\/span><\/p>\n

Canadian freak folk group Timbre Timbre released their newest album \u201cSincerely, Future Pollution\u201d in the spring of 2017, and it\u2019s a great starting point to their haunting, groovy sound. Timbre Timbre sound like a scary twist on Bowie-like pop with a great focus on atmosphere. Filthy instrumentation, drenched in reverb, with hauntingly beautiful atmosphere to wash over it all \u2013 Timbre Timbre is worth a listen if you\u2019re looking for a stranger, slower burn of a record to explore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended track: \u201cGrifting\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by:\u00a0Timbertimbre.bandcamp.com<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cTsunawatari\u201d \u2013 Hako Yamasaki<\/span><\/p>\n

Hako Yamasaki\u2019s 1976 record \u201cTsunawatari\u201d is a strange journey through a world of psychedelic folk-pop. Yamasaki channels the singer-songwriter power of artists like Bob Dylan on this album, with gorgeous acoustic ballads that give way to oddly textured folk tracks. Even as a native English speaker, I can still feel the strength in Yamasaki\u2019s soaring vocal hooks and skillful lyrical rhythms. \u201cTsunawatari\u201d is a subtle record that invites you to intimately explore it\u2019s musical complexities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended track: \u201cHimawari\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by:\u00a0www.albumoftheyear.org<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDialects\u201d – SNOWMINE<\/span><\/p>\n

Brooklyn five-piece SNOWMINE have their own take on what pop music should sound like; they strike a perfect balance between electronic soundscapes and soaring orchestral strings. Singer Grayson Sanders\u2019s smoky tenor deftly handles the complex poetry of SNOWMINE\u2019s lyrical content, leading to music that is sometimes hard to sing along to, but always easy to get stuck in your head. \u201cDialects\u201d is SNOWMINE\u2019s sophomore effort, and an incredible triumph for such a young band.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended track: \u201cPlans\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Contact the author at <\/span>dcampo13@wou.edu<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Darien Campo | Designer As an insufferable music snob, my hunt for even more obscure artists to listen to never ends. Over the years I\u2019ve padded my iPod collection with a large collection of albums from unsigned and little-known bands. From indie artists to solo bedroom producers: here, I\u2019ve collected some of my favorite albums […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1030,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1030"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7367\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}