comfort in a tape
sonic equivalent of a simmering soup broth on a cloudy day
a useless creature of habit, myself. loves doing the same thing over and over again until the body physically revolts at the idea. a new talk-of-the-town lunch spot versus that one hotpot canteen that seats ten people at a time? you know which way i’m leaning (the latter, of course). no, it’s not that deep. it’s not about rebellion or avoiding the crowd—it’s simply a matter of comfort. there are all kinds of days, and on some days, especially like the ones i’m living now, i’d love a little chance to not have to keep up.
this is a millennial, around thirty-ish, running on the vibes of fifty. a slightly boomer aesthetic, if you will. my comfort lies, certifiably, in a good ol’ listening experience—one that exists adjacent to hot, soupy bowls of meats, greens, and broth. where the slow rinsing of a handful of records can make classics feel brand new again and new records turn a little weathered from use, now holders of tingling memories.
true to my aura of the day, i’m feeling woozy. luckily we haven’t fallen deep into the pit—Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles is not blasting the stereo (yes this does happen, no i am not embarrassed), nor is a YouTube playlist of A.R. Rahman Bollywood Hits. we are a good few meters ahead of that journey, which brings me to a somewhat eclectic collection of albums. please join the ride if you are feeling sentimental today.
warm, delicious, melodramatic
1/5 時間 by betcover!!
alterative/ progressive rock
’幽霊’ when translated means ‘ghost’, also the first song in the album. the sheer vibe of the guitar riffs, the melancholic splattering of the drums, the synthetic and woozy keys, all accompanied by the angst, the distress—a sense of helplessness stored in the phonetic quality of the words. no need to decipher more meaning; this itself is plenty. still, to none’s surprise, i did go on to translate the lyrics out of curiosity. turned out to be a little magical-realist world of its own. one where ghosts have invaded the sea, and the body edges comfortably next to an answering machine. i feel the desperation.
i’ve only just discovered bettcover!!, a Tokyo-based Japanese band formed by singer/ songwriter Jiro Yanase in 2015. now a five-unit band, very well established in the floating sphere of J-rock. influenced by elements of progressive, alternative, jazz rock architectures, the band operates with hints of melody and aggression, adding to their desirability. (please note: this is album is on the spicier end)
2/5 talulah’s tapes by good flying birds
alternative/ indie-pop
can’t seem to find much about this band on the internet, except that it’s (possibly?) their only release on a record label called Rotten Apple from St. Louis, Missouri. “an upcoming talent from Indianapolis,” reads the description on Bandcamp. the entire album hinges on a sort of carefree studio-jam aesthetic of the early ’00s. the bedroom-to-dad’s-old-basement production quality, with scraps of field recordings for interludes, really pieces together the larger story—one that is youthful and free-spirited.
3/5 The Fawn by The Sea and Cake
alternative/ rock
big fan of The Sea and Cake. period. a melancholic little number, this entire album. the highlight, tune-of-tunes linked down below, ‘Sporting Life’ has this little synth-y note that’s constant throughout the song, and it really makes me feel like i’m playing Mario Kart—except the video game UX/UI has a strawberry cheesecake overload, and in the game, i’m (Mario, actually) running toward my quest, and it’s raining pixelated strawberry icons. feel me? a real nostalgic trip of being a kid and retaining that little joy and innocence, where time has no impact. a sweet eternity.
in case you haven’t heard of the band yet, The Sea and Cake is a Chicago-based indie rock band known for their blends of jazz, post-rock, and electronics. their music features intricate guitar strumming, airy vocals, soft percussion, peppy synths, and an altogether laid-back aesthetic that has remained consistently refined across their discography.
4/5 Da Abtomatic Meisterzinger Mambo Chic by Charlie Megira
rock/ garage-rock
this had been playing in the house a lot, always bringing a soft atmosphere to the room. at first, it sounded nice but passed me by. a few days later, when it played again, i asked “whose song is this?”, “Charlie Megira”, he said, i gave a quick nod and let it slip away once more. when the song returned after another set of days, i asked the same question, and upon receiving the same answer, i added it to my playlist of favourites.
the album is ephemeral yet brimming with life—much like Charlie himself, who lived just 44 years young. sung in both Hebrew and English, his sound is haunting and so timeless. an online description calls him “the bastard love child of Elvis and Lux Interior”, and that feels just about right. though a bit of a mystery, he was undeniably present—a rockstar in whatever capacity he could be. and perhaps that presence came at a cost. his own words mark his grave in Berlin, summing up everything he felt: “A sun shining backwards.”
5/5 Either/Or by Elliot Smith
alternative/ indie-rock
ending the list with a very famous one. i am nothing more than a bundle of sensitive nerve endings, always at the mercy of such benevolent tunes. a friend recently brought this album back from the dead, and i’ve played it a few times since. by his account, ‘Between the Bars’ was the first song he learned to play on his guitar more than a decade ago. at the time, he was convinced the song was about love, but he didn’t sound so sure that it was anymore.
i simply dig this—this act of stitching a song to an event, to a person, to a feeling, to a time of day, to a time of year, to a phase in life—that makes music so special to me. i want to gather as many memories like these as i can along the way, not just of my own experiences, but of others' as well.
thanks for reading and connecting with me. fills my little troubling heart. what’s on your comfort playlist? you can always reply to this mail, send me a note xx