#99: C'mon, Make It Happen
Let's put a pause on the daydreaming and just get to work
Currently listening to: oh yeah? by Steve Lacy
Come on, come on, come on Life's a bitch And then you live again Tragedies and wins Breakups with your friends Memories of home Feels like life is moving on I don't wanna lose again Please, I beg Could my hope be of value? Let me out tonight We’re too young to die Come on, come on, come on
Hello, friend.
What’s happening? I can’t believe we’re a week into August. The summer is flying. I hope you’ve had time to slow down and soak it in.
Over here, there’s a lot happening… and I’m happy about that. My mind’s been brimming with plans for the future, and, now, I am staring straight into the face of those plans and the task of making them happen. It’s exciting, but also a little overwhelming.
I often get into these extended states of daydreaming about certain projects. One day, I want to open my own storefront selling physical media. Another day, I’m plotting the layout for an indie movie theater. Another day, I’m conceiving the birth of a record label.
Suddenly, I’ve been tapped into these new communities—like, actual, real, in-person communities of other people who get together and hang out and make art and give constructive feedback and dream about a better world together—and opportunities have presented themselves. I just need to accept them… and make it happen.
So, that’s where I’ll leave my reflecting for this week, because I’ve got work to do. Maybe you do, too. Let’s do it.
Tell me about what you’re working on in the comments or email me (meltedform@gmail.com). Are you making an album? Running an arts business? Building a community? I’d love to hear about it, and I think it’s inspiring and motivating to share progress.
I’ll be sharing more of what I’m working on soon, but here’s one thing:
If you’re local to north Jersey at all, come listen with me in September!
The Living Music List + Bandcamp Friday Returns
Hello again, friend. I hope you enjoyed the reflection—and I hope you also enjoy today’s return of Bandcamp Friday.
Today, 100% of your purchases on the Bandcamp platform go directly to artists and labels since Bandcamp waives their fees. It’s a great day to do some shopping for albums new and old! Buying digital music is one of the most effective ways to support artists. See this handy graphic from Sleevenote—today, all $10 of those dollars for that digital album would go to the artist on Bandcamp!
Physical media still rocks too, btw (especially CDs, imo). P.S. The good folks at Sleevenote have a few final units of their prototype music player still up for grabs on their website. It looks pretty sick. (Not sponsored, just a fan of what they’re doing!)
Okay, that’s enough free advertising from me. Or wait… I guess it’s not, since I’m about to recommend a bunch of new albums for you to go listen to and maybe purchase! Let’s get into the new music list.
Happy listening.
Human Music: Live Improvisations I by Jessica Roch (album / electronic, neoclassical) [Past Inside the Present]
The word “ethereal” gets tossed around a lot when describing ambient music (guilty), but it is genuinely meaningful in the case of an album like this release from London-based composer Jessica Roch. We think of the ethereal as something that is delicate, light, and airy, and all of those descriptions ring true at various moments throughout this set of live improvisations. We also think of the ethereal as bearing those qualities because it is something that is somehow not of our world—derived from the ether, a term which also holds many meanings, but is most commonly used to describe the charged emptiness that exists prior to creation.
That is why, to me, ethereal is the perfect descriptor of Roch’s record. In a beautifully human rejection of the manufactured and soulless sound of AI “music”, Roch released these 6 tracks and delivered us proof of the indelible remarkability of human artistry—a reminder that our instincts and our connection to our natural world, to the ether, are irreplaceable in the chain of artistic creation. Through various instruments and—most impactfully in my view—through her ethereal voice, Roch weaves a living, breathing, vibrant tapestry of music made in the moment, for the moment.
Nácar by Matt Emen (album / experimental electronic) [Portal Sur]
I love the concept behind this album: its name is Spanish for nacre, or mother-of-pearl, the smooth, hard, rainbow-colored substance that mollusks produce naturally to line and repair their inner shells (and it is what creates pearls, of course). When considering this substance as a form of beautiful bandaging creating a physical reminder of past pain and loss, Nácar’s electronic compositions take on a similar sheen and meaning. The textures are complex, their movements unexpected. Like the oceans in which the nacre-makers live, there is both peaceful harmony and forceful chaos. As I listened, the whole record began to feel like a sacred process of damage examination and subsequent self-repair.
The Rest Is My Ghost by Lawrence English (album / drone, dark ambient) [Room40]
Many ambient heads should already know Lawrence English and his Room40 label quite well, especially given their prolific output of quality minimalist and dark ambient works. If English is not your first language, though (…sorry, terrible joke), then this latest record from the Room40 honcho himself is a perfect introduction.
Softly rumbling like a distant thunderstorm rolling toward you, this album encompasses the listener in a way akin to full cloud cover. Its minimalist nature leaves plenty of space for the imagination to roam, but its grayscale tones apply a filter of neutrality to the whole sonic experience, making it come on like a foggy spell of tired, but contemplative sleeplessness.
Pure Devotion by Overmono (album / electronic) [XL Recordings]
Days by The Mountain Goats (album / indie folk rock) [Cadmean Dawn]
A New Age of Decay by Corretta (album / metal) [Wonderhaus Records]
Music List Reminders: Bandcamp links provided first when available—if an album is not on Bandcamp, then YouTube or other preview links are provided. List format: Title by Artist (release type / approximate genre or subgenres) [Label].
That’s all for this week’s issue. Thank you for reading. Until next time.
Your friend,
Melted Form
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As always, I would love to hear and recommend your music, especially if it’s new and ambient/electronic/experimental. However, please note that I am not able to respond to every inquiry I receive.
Thanks for the mention! 🙌