Hey there subscribers! Hope you're taking care of yourselves, and hope these reviews are bringing some joy and artistic stimulation to you these days!

- Lucy Talbot Allen, Music Writing Director

Orville Peck - "No Glory in the West"

First Cow, the newest film by slow cinema auteur Kelly Reichardt, is an uncommonly gentle Western. Though it does not shy away from acknowledging the violence of mercantile capitalism and its role in the displacement of indigenous North Americans, the film centers protagonists whose tender spirits render them outcasts in the indefensible work of frontier conquest. Beautifully soundtracked by indie folk musician William Tyler, First Cow needs no additional aural accompaniment. Yet if I were to assign it an external theme song, it would be a single released this May, enigmatic gay country icon Orville Peck’s “No Glory in the West.” The somber acoustic ballad tells an outsider’s story of disillusionment with the promises of American opportunity. “They say Paris is dead / Lived through London and drank through Memphis,” Peck begins after two measures of the song’s repeated three-chord progression.

The song never builds in orchestration from the original acoustic guitar. In this, it differs from much of Peck’s debut album, last year’s Pony. True to its title and repeated refrain, “No Glory” offers none of the grandeur and indulgence of that album’s anthems. Though Peck wholeheartedly embodies country music’s cowboy aesthetic on Pony, he glorifies a very different West than the one venerated in racist mythology. The video for “Queen of the Rodeo” stars Thanks Jem, a two-spirit drag queen of the Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, and ends with a dedication to “all the LGBTQ+ and two-spirit community members working and performing in rodeos, ranches, and roadhouses across North America.”

Though the sparse instrumentation of “No Glory” remains steady, its vigor and volume build to rousing choruses in which Peck plaintively repeats the line “And there’s still no rest” in his deep, resonant twang. After the final chorus, the vocals and guitar return to the lonely quietness of the opening as Peck sings “‘Count your blessings’ they’ll say / And after each midnight begins a new day / But don’t place your bets on a word that they say / They’ll put your life to rest.” The single is the first from an upcoming EP, Show Pony, which was originally meant to be released in June, but which Peck chose to delay to maintain public focus on the Black Lives Matter movement. As the somber tone of “No Glory” makes evident, Peck knows when to celebrate and when to mourn.

- Lucy Talbot Allen, Music Writing Director

RIYL: Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash, Blitzen Trapper
FCC: Clean

Nicolas Jaar - Telas

Telas is the third album from Nicolas Jaar in 2020. At the beginning of February, Jaar released an album under his alias Against All Logic, 2017-2019, which sounds like the setlist for an evening at the angriest nightclub in the world. A little more than a month later Jaar released Cenizas, which was about as different from 2017-2019 as you could expect. The raging fire that was present in 2017-2019 was extinguished, and in its place was an album built on solemn introspection. In fact, Cenizas was made while Jaar was in self-isolation before the pandemic even started, and the sense of solitude is clearly present in the tracks. This leads us to Telas, which is some of Jaar’s most experimental work to date. While Telas can sometimes feel disjointed, the project cements Jaar’s ability to be musically fluid and unbound.

Telas is composed of four songs, each over twelve minutes long, that individually move through their own unique soundscapes to take the listener on a collective musical odyssey. Right from the start the album casts us into a world that seems both natural and impossible. The opening track, “Telahora,” begins with these sort of shrill horns, and custom percussive instruments that place the listener in a meditative trance. The music does not rush, but slowly takes its time to become more grand and imposing through Jaar’s electronic manipulations.

The second song, “Telencima,” continues the ethereal feeling, but has many moments of disjointedness. While the mood and instrumentation are consistent throughout the song, different phrases and passages start without warning and briefly take the listener out of their trance. Many sections in this song feel inspired by Terry Riley’s ambient masterpiece A Rainbow in Curved Air, but they don’t quite fill those big shoes.

“Telahumo” is my favorite song from the album and will be perhaps the most familiar to those who are fans of Jaar’s Sirens or Pomegranates. More emphasis is placed on beat and movement, but the sprawling soundscape still keeps the listener’s mind wide open. The song is split into four main sections that seamlessly sift through each other before finishing with a beautiful arpeggiated clarinet that leaves the listener in a sort of blissed-out state.

Finally, we have “Telallás,” which is perhaps the least experimental of the four songs, but will be the most easily digestible for those new to the genre. The repetition and beat of the song almost seem to serve as means of telling the listener that the journey is coming to a close, and it’s time to be grounded once again. Ultimately, Telas provides for a very unique ambient experience that allows the listener to peer into the many different facets of Jaar’s musicality, and it reaffirms his ability to venture fearlessly into the unknown.

- Nick Calahan, DJ

RIYL: Brian Eno, Terry Riley, Tim Hecker
Recommended Tracks: 1, 3
FCC: Clean

Tenci - My Heart Is An Open Field

Words are power. They can be sweet, somber. Unkind, unnerving. To put it plainly, our choice of language more than anything demands a response. But language cannot simply float without intention. The tone of any given phrase can completely change the meaning; the tone is what truly takes dominance.

In Tenci’s debut album, My Heart Is An Open Field, we see this notion take form. Originally a project birthed from singer-songwriter Jess Shoman’s bedroom, Tenci became a band during the recording of this artful record (notably produced by Chicago-based musician Spencer Radcliffe).

Shoman, however, creates the foundation that directs the band where to go, how to sound, what to feel. A glance at the lyrics of any track would not communicate a full understanding of Shoman’s artistic vision. The record is not a narrative, but rather a sonic homage to her emotional past. My Heart Is An Open Field is an aural experience. Each song is a collage of separate thoughts merged together to conjure one ever-present feeling. The musical phrases, lyrical concepts and instrumentation are the clippings, but Shoman’s delivery completes the whole picture.

The atmospheric, nostalgic textures in the album’s instrumentation only embellish the emotion felt within Jess Shoman’s stirring performance. The experience of a simple listen to My Heart Is An Open Field at first is familiar, homelike - like looking back at photos from your childhood. Shoman’s impassioned rasp trills with yearning (“Earthquake”), assurance and gratitude (“Joy” and “Joy 2”), but, most importantly, it is filled with a genuine candor.

Strained reminiscence is a common theme throughout the album. Like a misty memory, phrases (“Stay,” “Hair Sticks,” “Baby’s Tired / Joy, Give Her a Kiss Goodbye”) are repeated, building every word, dissecting the sound and space in between. The repetition intentionally relays Shoman’s response attached to her memories, each phrase compelling the listener to grapple with layered retrospection. It’s during these moments that the listener hears the rawest form of Shoman’s emotional past, flaws and all.

Are the vocals and instrumentation technically pristine? No. And that’s exactly how it should be for an album like this. The imperfections in each track enhance the messy emotion they are meant to portray. This is an experimental record in how memories are expressed, but the full experience is felt and certainly appreciated.

- Olivia de Witt, DJ & Alum Director

RIYL: Kevin Morby, Phoebe Bridgers, Half Waif
Recommended Tracks: 1, 3, 6, 7
FCC: Clean

Songwriters' Forum - Volume I

Volume I is a diverse compilation of the many musical talents at USC. Created by a new songwriting club, Songwriters’ Forum, the album is a bold statement of inclusion and variety. Songwriters’ Forum encourages collaboration between student performers, producers, and writers to create and publish original content. Its debut album, Volume I, was released on May 1, 2020, the first of many to come.

Volume I was not an easy feat to accomplish. Burdened by USC’s move to online, the club could no longer meet in person and had to finish the album remotely. Groups who had begun writing together were separated by barriers of distance and time, relying on Zoom as their only means of collaboration. Many projects were abandoned, with songs never making the final cut due to lack of equipment (microphones, instruments, etc).

A unique aspect of Volume I is its variety of genres and styles. Every track is composed by a different group of students, each of whom bring their own tastes to the song. For example, the sixth track, “To You,” is a romantic indie song, while the tenth track, “Stop the World,” is a powerful EDM anthem. These contrasting genres showcase the myriad of personalities in Songwriters’ Forum that work together to complement each other.

Behind each song is a group of two to three undergraduate students, many of whom are non-music majors. Skill levels range from beginners who have never written a song to experienced producers who know their DAWs in and out. Unlikely pairings come together to create unique music, such as the ballad of the album, “Find You Again.” This song, which I wrote and produced, was performed by Viterbi student Tristan Elma. It depicts a movie-like love story. Tristan loved the song upon first hearing it and chose to record it, much to my surprise. Though unlikely, we came together against all odds, to create one of Volume I’s top tracks.

Ultimately, Volume I is a unique combination of talents stemming from diverse backgrounds. It is a demonstration of the hard work and perseverance USC students possess, and the drive to fight on regardless of obstacles that stand in their way.

- JaJa Tong, DJ

RIYL: Phil Phillips, Ashe, One Republic
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 8, 10
FCC: Clean

NEW ADDS: Orville Peck, Nicolas Jaar, Tenci, Songwriters' Forum