“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”-Albert Einstein
June was a particularly interesting month in terms of its album releases, the most favourite of which, make a journey from ethereal folk towards doom post-rock.
During this month, I found myself delving more into the condition of ‘post‘ both in music and in art in general. It was actually a definition of ‘the post’, that was provided in one of the numerous student projects at the Architectural Association, combined with a memorable variété/architectural event inside the Hippodrome Casino about post-modern architecture, that enlightened me in such a way that I can now ‘see’ post music with new eyes.
One of the multiple definitions was: ‘A post is a position or a state that defines where or how something or someone has to be, as it was meant to be’. Another one said ‘…a post is a node, a meeting point, a gathering spot. A post is where people converge towards…’.
The releases of Band of Holy Joy, The Membranes, Red Velvet Deception, Vlimmer, The Man&His Failures, BLVCK CEILING, Death’s Head, VOID//GIST, Constant Mongrel, PLAID and Such Beautiful Flowers all tap into different aspects of post music by stressing its ‘heavier’ industrial side, the more emotional coldwave side or even its more vindictive punk side.
“An active line on a walk, moving freely, without goal. A walk for a walk’s sake…” (Paul Klee)
Some might say that the first albums to be released every year, set the tone for the whole year so if our favourite 22 albums of January are any indication of that, then we are to brace ourselves for a very interesting year ahead!
If the soundtrack of this month was an image, then it would be a very dark one with highlights that sharply divide the surface, creating an effect similar to that of a thunderous sky. The albums that form this playlist have sometimes strong and other times softer influences and they occupy a sonic space that has black metal, post rock, darkwave, punk, industrial, post punk, deathrock and experimental elements. This playlist turned out to be focused on self released albums as these were the ones that had the strongest impact on us this time.