Pavement – “Spit on a Stranger”

When I’m working, I need something that will capture my attention but not demand it — Pavement’s “Spit on a Stranger” somehow hits on the right side of the line: It’s something rare. A catchy melody and evocative guitar work define this song, and over the past few days of working, I’ve not been able to turn it off.

Good fusion jazz is invaluable in my work routine. It’s upbeat, poppy, but not annoyingly so — and there’s not a chance it’ll lull me to sleep with soothing sounds.

My Bloody Valentine – “Soon”

My Bloody Valentine flows perfectly into the background when I’m hammering out a web page: Not only does it help me keep my focus, it drowns out any distraction — for obvious reasons. Their patented wall of guitar noise provides that impenetrable density you need when you just need to get over that last hurdle in your project.

Stereolab – “Wow and Flutter”

I love Stereolab. Do I need more reason? Also, this video is really weird. Check it out.

Tortoise – TNT

TNT is easily one of the greatest post-rock albums of all time, and its inclusion couldn’t be contingent upon a single song. It’s energetic, innovative, experimental — but more than that, it’s listenable, and it can sit in the background without much to trouble you. Don’t make your first listen of TNT too distracted, though — give it a few spins before you try to work alongside it, and you’ll find it’s considerably easier.

Ben Folds Five – “Kate”

There’s something very nice about singing while you work — I suppose this song might not work so well if you work in an office, but when I’m working at home, there are few things better than being able to sing along with some Ben Folds Five while I work.

A Faulty Chromosome, previously the subject of a Feb. 19 MusicGeek.org spotlight, is an unruly shoegaze group; while they do pull from a variety of influences — and it’s evident, it’s not just some blurb on the band’s MySpace — they create music that sounds as if it’s all essentially the same song, repeated ad infinitum. It’s not a bad song, though, just a bit on the repetitive side.

A Faulty Chromosome — “Jackie O” | download
Download audio file (afaultychromosome-jackieo.mp3)

Still, A Faulty Chromosome isn’t at all bad; the thing is, it may make better background music than something for active listening. It’s funny, though: For being repetitive and like unto a single long-form song, some of the tracks are noticeably better than others. “A Frozen Lake,” for example, is considerably more entertaining and captivating than the track preceding, “Jackie O.” The band has an interestingly strong grasp on melody, which works much to their benefit in their almost-messy style: Having something to hold to in a song is important, and a distinct melody or counter-melody can serve that purpose. The fact that they are able to reign that in speaks loads of their ability.

A Faulty Chromosome — “Them Pleasures of the Flesh” | download
Download audio file (afaultychromosome-thempleasuresoftheflesh.mp3)

As An Ex-Anorexic’s Six Sicks Exit, … isn’t a bad album, but it’s not one I’ll be inclined to listen to on much of a regular basis, and that should really be the goal, shouldn’t it?

A Faulty Chromosome — “Jackie O” | download
Download audio file (afaultychromosome-jackieo.mp3)

A Faulty Chromosome — “Them Pleasures of the Flesh” | download
Download audio file (afaultychromosome-thempleasuresoftheflesh.mp3)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am3zEoULcck

Add A Faulty Chromosome on MySpace

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCIfu4sng5c

At any rate, Experimental Aircraft provide more than a simple, fun listen, though they are undeniably enjoyable; Third Transmission looks to be a release that will be well accepted by the well-intentioned populous.

Experimental Aircraft — “Stellar,” from Third Transmission | download
Download audio file (stellar.mp3)

Experimental Aircraft — “Upper East Side,” from Third Transmission | download
Download audio file (upper-east-side.mp3)

Experimental Aircraft — “Symphony,” from Love For the Last Time | download
Download audio file (symphony.mp3)

Experimental Aircraft — “Electric Surgery,” from Thank You For That Perfect Day… | download
Download audio file (electric-surgery.mp3)

First, I must offer my appreciation to those who answered my call; the suggestions have been greatly appreciated, and I’m putting effort into exploring these artists more.

In my own search, I’ve found some interesting things. The first is a group I discovered not terribly long after admitting to the internet that I was — and still am — on the clueless side of things as far as proper shoegaze is concerned. The group, The Depreciation Guild, is composed of two musicians and a certain device entertainment-happy children in the mid-1980s and, indeed, most anyone who’s spent time in the confines of American popular culture: the Famicom, or, as it’s more popularly known in the United States, the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The Depreciation Guild – “Butterfly Kisses”
Download audio file (butterflykisses.mp3)

The band, who attest to utilizing guitars, toys, and chiptune musical programming, top their music with the usual ethereal shoegaze vocals; set against melodies that sound more like they’re from Contra or 1942 than Loveless or Spooky, this band creates music that, without a doubt, occupies a unique space in the sonic spectrum.

What’s more, though, is that it’s good. Their debut album, In Her Gentle Jaws, is exciting in a way that shoegaze often fails to be: From harried electronic drum beats to stabs of square waves, The Depreciation Guild brings a unique purview to the table, and they do it with great success.

The Depreciation Guild – “Water Window”
Download audio file (waterwindow.mp3)

After a time, the novelty, of course, wears off, and one is left simply listening to the music — and you know what? It’s still good. If the world of shoegaze is broad enough to fit The Depreciation Guild, it’s certainly worthy of exploration.

Tracks used without permission of The Depreciation Guild, who offer the album for free download on their Web site. Permission is currently being sought by MusicGeek.org. Matthew Montgomery is the editor in chief of MusicGeek.org.

Now, I hate to admit that I may just be aiming for something that’s not totally desirable: Uselessness, you might say, is bad. I’m not convinced, but for the sake of argument, let’s assume that, yes, things should have some sort of utility. I hope, then, that these columns, despite being useless on the very surface, will be found as something that provides at least something. What that something is, we have yet to see.

Now, I should probably discover some sort of topic, such that I might end this run of somewhat pathetic rambling I’ve — as expected —made into a certain sort of venture. There’s nothing new here, I suppose.

At any rate, I was listening to some Lush as I walked from my home to the university today — 1992’s classic Spooky — and realized that I’m a big fan of shoegaze, and that I’m perhaps getting into it 15 or 16 years too late. No bother, though, as if I were to have been into the style at the time, I would have been a mere five or six years of age, and certainly this isn’t music targeted or intended for people at that sort of age.

Now, the question, put simply, isn’t whether it’s good or bad that I’m listening to music nearly my age — a large population of people listen to music many times older than they are, and there’s no dispute that there ought not be limitations on what music a person can listen to. No, the question hardly involves me, and it’s one I’m intensely curious about.

Is there good shoegaze being produced now?

I hope the answer is yes, but as I’ve really just started my exploration of the genre, I can’t say so with any real assuredness whether that is actually the case. So, I implore you, the reader, to inform me as to quality music coming out of the style, if it exists.

How’s that for laziness?

Lush — “Hypocrite”
httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=buz5D8OWmRc

Waxwall Afterglow – “Floating Family Tree”

Download audio file (floatingfamilytree.mp3)

How would you describe the music you create?
Very intimate. The music we write strikes very deep roots for me. I’d say it’s the closest thing to self therapy for me. Whether I’m writing about the monotony of everyday life that I see people living or about the end of the world or space both lyrically and musically, it’s all pretty much communicating my feelings about how I envision life and the universe. Weaving in and out of sci-fi and real life instances, and then there are just songs about people. I guess to sum it up, I just want to write the soundtrack to the world and universe.

Why do you make music in the style you do?
We just try to write imagery-soaked music. We try to write music that already paints a picture without lyrics then, when the lyrics come in, it’s just the narrator describing the situation. We don’t map out choruses, bridges, or hooks, we just write whatever we feel is necessary to paint the picture.

What are some of your major influences, and how have they affected you?

As for influences, there are a lot. We all listen to different stuff, and we’re all sharing new music with each other, so it’s hard to say what we all listen to. To sum it up, I’d say we’re some jazzy, grunge-loving, noise-rocky, electronic-funky, light-and-airy, chill guys. Our major influence is just life.

People dying, babies being born, people destroying for no good reason, greed, the end of the world: pretty much all the struggle in the world with the mysteriousness of the universe mixed in. I mean, why not write about the stuff that’s real – well, to us, at least — so our music is kind of grim, but not too dark. We have our happy songs. It only makes sense to us to play and write about raw energy and emotions; it’s pretty simple.

For how long have you been making music as Waxwall Afterglow? What inspired you to start?

We have been playing together for about three months. At first, it was just me and TJ, our drummer. We had just disbanded — on good terms — from another project around April, and I immediately started writing.

I learned so much from the people in my last band — in a good way — that I couldn’t stop the ideas from flowing. I just feel that every single person in the band have all gone through so many life-changing events in this year that we all kind of found each other. We all connect and love each other and continue to inspire each other to go to different boundaries with our art.

Oh, and love. We just want to spread love. Our inspiration is positive vibes. Although we write about very grim or dark things sometimes, it’s complemented by a light celestial sound. There’s always a balance. We’re just trying to balance the negative in the world with positive. For every sad lyric, there’s a happier and prettier sound, and vice versa.

Do you find local support hard to come by in the Las Vegas area, or is it something you find in abundance? How have you been benefited by the area?

We haven’t really been exposed to much. We’re kind of new, but we’re brushing up some of the songs and writing new stuff. We’re in no hurry to blow up the local music scene, but it’s definitely getting better. We have our local bands getting their props, and I feel that it will only get better. As long as the bands that promote fighting and stupid shit that gets our venues closed, (there will be problems.) All that is gradually coming to a halt, thankfully. Local support is so-so, but it’s getting better.

What are your plans for the future? Are you interested in releasing a full-length album?

We plan on just fine-tuning the song, just trying to give them life and feel, and working on the countless other ideas that everyone has in the band. We’ve got our plates full with music, and it’s very exciting.

As for a full length, I’m not sure. I’ve always liked the old-school records with like 8 tracks on them. We’re most likely just going to record out of home and put out something nice soon, maybe an EP, who knows? But it will be soon, and there will be plenty more after that.

What is playing live like for you? Is it difficult, considering your style? Do you find it rewarding?

So far, we’ve had only one show. It was kind of a test to see how everyone felt the material feels live. We all agreed that some of it was just too rocking – don’t get us wrong, we love just jammin’ out, but we’re just trying to tighten it up.

It’s not hard at all, because if there’s something we feel that we recorded and sounds cool but is too difficult (for equipment purposes) to do live, then we’ll just feel it out and play it differently — like the remix. It’s the jam-band jazz in us.

Its very rewarding, though. We do kind of set up differently then other bands. We all try to face each other. We play the best when we can vibe, so whether or not we have to play in a circle every show, it doesn’t matter. We’re just there to play some music and vibe with each other; it’s just like we’re practicing and having fun, but people get to watch it.