Chateau Dreams Soundscape: Update #2
Spotify Playlist:
I’m New Here - Gil Scott-Heron & Jaime xx
Shalala - Moses Gunn Collective
"I'm New Here" by Gil Scott-Heron & Jaime xx is at the top this week because I’ve been wanting to speak about this album for a long time. When I first tuned in, I really felt I never heard anything like this before. We have the legendary Gil Scott-Heron, who created the original album I'm New Here in 2010, becoming his first body of published work in 16 years! Gil is the mastermind behind the groundbreaking 1970's work “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. Jamie Smith, also known as Jaime xx, hails from nostalgic indie band The xx. He decided to reconstruct the album in 2011, cleverly titled We’re New Here, introducing a crisp upbeatness in contrast to the acoustic original. The lyrics Jaime xx chose to extract, demonstrate essentialism with how they get down to the root of the message while simultaneously building a new story. The story of uncertainty & excitement that settles in when arriving to a new city, meeting new individuals. This is shown twice with two very important beat drops. First one starts at 1:51, introducing you to the booming bass that will echo within the track. We experience a similar sensation again towards the end but this time it's completely different. All the musical elements swell up at 2:45 creating a cliffhanger, then gifting you with a release at 2:50 mimicking a mental rebirth. And look, I don't care how dramatic that sounds! Go listen to the song right now with headphones at 80% volume and tell me you don't feel cleansed. Hopefully one day soon I will have the proper vocabulary to give this album the full praise it deserves.
"Fields" by XXYYXX has snuck into almost every smoking sesh I've had since 2015. I made it my personal mission to make sure everyone knew about XXYYXX. Marcel Everett, who was 16 at the time of release, is an expert in casting spells with his samples. The track "Tied2u" from the same album is a perfect showcase of this hypnotizing pull. Then you have tracks like "Fields" that know how to exude a rush of excitement right when you press play. The entire production of the track provides an overwhelming sense of optimism and energy. This is the type of song you listen to while you get dressed for the world's largest party where you are the main attraction. The bolting keys are almost indescribable to me, with the way that 4 count beat in the intro strikes hard and continues to be a camouflaged backbone for the entire song. XXYYXX has a craft with making each key hit in such a precise manner that scratches my brain so nicely, and I'm so grateful I was able to grow into my own with influential music like this.
Two weekends ago, I had my first official beach day of the season and I couldn’t be more ecstatic about it. All the planning & packing aligned perfectly, it was like we were destined to go. Last summer was probably one of the worst summers of my entire life, with virtually no time for self care. During that time, one thing I desperately wished for was to go to the beach. Spoiler alert: I never got to go. Time kept building up and I just never went, friends would loosely suggest it but unfortunately it would never be concrete. But none of that matters now because it is a new year and a new season. Once we were cozy with our laid out sheet & lunch ready to eat, it was time to find some tunes. I kept gravitating towards indie surf pop by default and it was a completely different experience than listening alone in my city apartment. I was mainly flipping through Deerhunter and Real Estate, two amazing bands that know how to give that irresistible hazy swag. The chords in the beginning of “Shalala” by Moses Gunn Collective are so addictive I can’t help but restart the song a couple times before I let it play through. Of course I have to talk about the percussions because they are so bold next to the electric guitar around 2:26. This track perfectly embodies feeling completely chill in your mind but also so happy that you want to dance in a circle with your friends on the beach!
“Tacones Prada, qué rara!” I truly want to learn Spanish again for a multitude of reasons……one of them being so I can belt this song at the top of my lungs. When I first heard "Prada", my friend Juson played it in the background on the big screen. I believe I was sitting in the corner packing a bowl like normal but once the beat crept into my ear, I was hooked. Arca's production in "Prada/Rakata" is completely unmatched creating its own heartbeat with the neoperreo core. I can't help but to pop lock my chest with every beat & twirl my wrist in a circle. Can we talk about the video for a second, because holy shit. She once again collaborated with 3D artist Frederik Heyman and they are a phenomenal team. Every scene was glistening wet paired with light body horror to match the dystopian "psychosexual versatility" Arca describes. The video demonstrates literal imagery of "kink as an engine" in one final scene around 3:52. Arca has been metallically constructed into what appears to be an energy source for sexual liberation with a mountain of naked androids sprawled about under. After reading the lyrics in full, it makes my heart happy to see other trans people create gravity defying art that is just for US. I personally have a newfound appreciation for the track once I read her statement on the original interpretation. Arca says it's "explicitly about transness and nonbinary modes of relating the sexual energy of the collective subconscious as a celebration of life." Because of this, "Prada" cultivates a moment of uniqueness when speaking about empowerment in your sexuality.
Where to find featured artists:
