EMA “The Future’s Void”

EMA

The Future’s Void

[Matador; 2014]

Rating: 8

On EMA’s debut Past Life Martyred Saints, Ericka M. Anderson exposed every weakness and flaw imaginable on what would be one of the most emotionally raw albums of 2011. To expect her to return to the well of misery again would be masochistic, and fortunately with The Future’s Void, she’a turned the mirror on the listener, exploring our self-image and how we mold, mutilate, and mask it via the internet. While Martyred Saints examined how we see ourselves, 2014’s The Future’s Void dissects how we want other’s to see us and the self-inflicted vulnerability that comes with it.

Anderson has claimed that The Future Void isn’t a concept album. Despite this assertion, every song on the album seems to merge at some point back toward references to what she sardonically labels as the “superhighway.” From the cover image of her holding up a vacuumous virtual reality headset to the songs’ reoccurring imagery of “Big Brother” watching over us, this album definitely has a focus if not an overlying theme. This message is best found on album highlight “3Jane” where Anderson laments “Feel like I glued my soul out across the inter-webs and screamed/…It left a hole so big inside of me.” The song builds over a rolling piano as Anderson whispers out her futile frustrations.

The War On Drugs “Lost in the Dream”

The War On Drugs

Lost in the Dream

[Secretly Canadian; 2014]

Rating: 8.5

In the world of music journalism, the act of writing about one’s self within an album review is frowned upon. I try to adhere to this detached, information-based approach, although I probably fail to keep my own experiences out of a review more than I’d like. Take the latest War On Drugs album Lost in the Dream as an example. I’ve sat down several times over the past few weeks to write about this album of unrestrained synth-rock, but each time the review spirals into a therapy session on how this introspective music affected me in a vulnerable moment.   Despite my inability to write about this album without bringing in my personal connection to the music, I still feel compelled to review Lost in the Dream, an album that has meant the world to me the past month.

It all started three weeks ago with a jarring text message from a friend, received just moments before the workday began: “James died last night at midnight.” My friend had been battling with leukemia for two years, and I’d already been warned that his final days were approaching. Regardless, I still wasn’t ready for the news – I guess we never are. The combination of shock and the workload in front of me helped me to quickly move on with my day, sweeping the horrible news under the metaphorical rug.

BDWPS Podcast #24

 

In this episode I revisit my week at SXSW, discussing some of the bands that made 2014 another successful experience. Also, I continue my look at Bob Dylan’s life, this time visiting his college days in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Check out the latest episode HERE or subscribe at iTunes (search: BDWPS).

Playlist:

Guided By Voices “Salty Salute”
Cloud Nothings “Just See Fear”
Vertical Scratchers “Pretend U Are Free”
Urge Overkill “Bottle of Fur”
Black Lips “Boys in the Woods”
Upset “She’s Gone”
Eagulls “Possessed”
Bob Dylan “Bob Dylan Blues”