The Midweekly is our column from Mike Jeffers; lead singer of Chicago punk stalwarts SCRAM, music junkie and all around righteous dude.
Lullabies calming our dread ridden minds as we lay in bed of synthesizers. The electronic duo from North Carolina, Sylvan Esso, have crafted ten of them on their third, and most recent record, Free Love. The ambient minimalism of soft chords, simple melodies created with cool sounds of sci-fi, and beats hiding around the corner of every good build-up, are the dynamics of an excellent album for those techno fans who don’t necessarily want to be blasted by chaos. Amelia Meath’s soothing, breathy voice rides atop all of it, keeping the lyrics simple, but the ideas big. Scattered throughout those are universal truths about how we love others, a folktale about a dreamer, specific reflections on the fear of crowds in the wake of tragic events, and even a personal laugh at dealing with tinnitus. On the surface it seems like neon lights and sugary pop, but if you look deeper Free Love is also sunshine and fresh fruit.
Welcome to The B-Side, our column where we bring you a bonus song to check out, fall in love and live happily ever after with.
It’s the middle of the work week in the long gray winter months of a global pandemic that just passed the one year mark and frankly motivation can be hard to come by. Thankfully we have this instrumental metal masterpiece from Evil Einstein to kick us in the ass and get us doing the things that need to get done. So rise all ye weary souls. Play this at an unreasonably loud level and air guitar / drum your heart out. Do some karate kicks while you’re at it. Make up some lyrics about your day and let loose your best Bruce Dickinson over these sweet riffs and shredding guitarmonies. Refill your mojo tank and get on with it. “It’s Alive” and so are you. Hallelujah.