Celebrated in its day (it was even chosen by Pitchfork as the best album of 2001) and today, The Glow, Pt. 2 has lasted the test of time. It’s innovative yet unschooled recording techniques are still distinctive and fresh. The lyrics are in a sweet spot of general and specific, utilizing nature metaphors to describe intense human feelings. The structure of the album also contributes to its impact. It deftly runs through the trajectory of a life-shattering breakup amplified by the throes of youth, composed of painful lyrical tracks interjected by denser, noisier tracks. Even the carefully placed instrumentals play a valuable role in the emotional landscape of the record. 

The initial stretch of three songs that begins the album has an almost legendary status. Perhaps surprising to those who have only heard the virtues of the album extolled by inaccessible indie music bros, the first track, “I Want Wind to Blow” has a very catchy and foot-tappable tune to it. The guitar jaunts onward despite lyrics that tell of post-breakup pain. The end of the song is an instrumental build towards an explosive, energetic climax. Huge, banged out piano chords echo through, beginning to quiet down until the hard hitting notes of the second track, the titular “The Glow, Pt. 2”, jumps in. Quickly, “The Glow” moves from distorted electric guitar chords to frantic acoustic strumming complemented by Elverum’s pained singing. Following this track is “The Moon”, with its initial circularly picked, layered guitar that expands into a field of organ and saxophone and words taken straight from a stream of conciousness journal entry. 

This trifecta defines the tone for the rest of the album, which expands upon central themes of loss, growth, and identity and how those things are all intertwined. “Headless Horseman”, “My Roots Are Strong and Deep”, and “I Am Bored” particularly explore these themes. All of them seem to come from different points in the process of grieving his relationship. “Horseman” is fairly raw, the central image coming from being lost without a head–a motif that recurs a couple of other times on the album. “My Roots”  is more confident and determined–he is proclaiming that his identity is solidly defined. “I Am Bored” describes being at the bittersweet point in a breakup where it’s no longer painfully thrilling to be around the person you once felt so strongly about.

A lot of the album explores the often confusing tumult of emotion that happens during transitional periods of life. There is a lot of yearning for warmth–”The Mansion” describes finding a source of the desired glow with no possible way in. But there are also moments in which Elverum basks in the isolation that came with his station in life, illustrated by “I Want to Be Cold”. Buried beneath the wall of sound that is “Samurai Sword”, the lyrics describe a scene in which Elverum’s ex is represented by a polar bear, and he is a lonesome traveller, sword in hand, stalked by this bloodthirsty bear. The imagery is somewhat silly but stark and affecting combined with this tornado drums and guitars. 

Throughout the entire album, a “foghorn” (it’s actually a heavily tweaked sample of a note played on a bass guitar) ambiently plays between songs for various stretches of time. It creates an atmosphere of a distinct place–laden with Twin Peaks-like mystique and a mournful quality. The final track, “My Warm Blood”, begins with a short piano and guitar melody along with lyrics about Phil almost peacefully bleeding out and dying after the events of “Samurai Sword”. A heart beat fades in, then out, as well as memories represented by clips of previous songs on the album, and the foghorn continues on in the background. Life has moved on despite the fact that we’re listening to our narrator’s end. The next (and final) project by the Microphones, Mount Eerie, begins in a parallel way, signifying rebirth on an album that strives to dig deeper and transcend beyond representation of human motions. 

The impact of The Glow Pt. 2 is incredibly far reaching in the music world and beyond. The song “The Glow” by Sylvan Esso is inspired by singer Amelia Meath’s discovery of the album while she was in highschool. The concept of the glow in Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim plays a critical role in the narrative–it represents the villain’s tactics of emotional manipulation towards Ramona Flowers. Even rapper Lil Peep sampled a couple of tracks from the album (“Headless Horseman” and “(Something)”). And these are just a few examples of the influence the album has had. 

On a personal note, it’s pretty difficult to write an eloquent summation of my feelings on this album. It’s basically become a part of who I am. So much of my work and personal philosophy has been tied to this album and Phil Elverum’s work that it’s difficult to be critical of it and extricate it from myself. Even though it makes my job as a writer challenging, it speaks volumes about the punch that this album packs. My first listen was on a drive home in my highschool friend’s car, and I haven’t stopped coming back to The Glow, Pt. 2 since that day.

Check out our article reviewing The Microphones In 2020, which also serves as an insightful retrospective of The Glow, Pt. 2.

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This album brings together the best of his guitar work and his infectious synth lines, complemented perfectly by some charmingly awkward basslines and every once in a while some pitch-shifted singing. Each track is greater than the sum of its parts. For example, take “Under the Sheets”. On the surface, it’s a very bare song with only a couple of things going on. Yet, that’s all that it takes. The boxy movement of chords and jaunty synth bass keep everything going in a satisfying and steady way. Then, the synth solo swoops in to close the loop and end the song with a melodic bang.

More recent Homeshake projects focus on a dreamier, more atmospheric vision of the Homeshake oeuvre. Snack is in this wonderful sweet spot–it features some of the most variety within one Homeshake album. It basks in some slower, hazier tracks like “Faded” while interspersing fun, danceable songs like “Move This Body”. The opening track is genuinely kind of goofy in the best way possible. All of it meshes to create a cohesive and balanced album with a completely unique sonic profile. 

After a listen, you really get the impression that Sagar really enjoyed making this album. He clearly takes great joy in coming up with these synth concoctions. How could someone not have fun with pitch-shifted vocals? The opener, “What Did He Look Like” magnificently sets the tone for the album. It’s a strange little track that seems to contain a snippet of a conversation about Homeshake, wondering who exactly this guy is. It’s a clever way to not only start off an album, but poke fun at the idea of an auteur–a persona that the anti-celebrity culture Sagar readily shirks. This little bit of dialogue is also a fun play on the ubiquitous R&B trope of the sultry spoken interlude. Homeshake’s cheeky version is a fitting way to incorporate it into his own sonic palette. 

Although Midnight Snack isn’t the most ambitious technical or thematic project, it speaks volumes to the power of relatability and voice. Homeshake’s influences are definitely traceable (you can find them on his monthly radio show), but they come together in a new, interesting, and very compelling way throughout his discography and especially in Midnight Snack. It’s a great album to try out for any first-time Homeshake listener, and one I readily come back to as a Homeshake fan. 

To celebrate the fifth year anniversary, Homeshake released a limited run of records pressed in midnight blue vinyl. Look for them in your local record store. He also released the Haircut EP in July. All proceeds from Haircut will donated to rotating charitable organizations.

The post Peculiar and Innovative ‘Midnight Snack’ by Homeshake Turns 5 This Year appeared first on SCAD Radio.

For the most part, rap music in the mid ‘80s was simply innocent, dancy, and fun. Run DMC rapped about how king-like they were, Grandmaster Flash preached his “Message”, it was a simple genre anyone could enjoy. Then a bunch a dudes from the hood of Compton, California changed all that. Mere seconds into their first official album, NWA (not gonna say what the “N” stands for) showed us the strength of street knowledge, pulling no punches alongside more N or F bombs than every other artist in the genre combined had spit on record at the time. Accompanying Ice Cube’s furious opening verse, background police sirens add to the rough and tumble lifestyle the group brought with their lyrics. Straight Outta Compton ushered in a new era of “gangsta rap” music. Locked and loaded with swearing, shock, and sexual antics, the 1988 debut is certainly not for virgin ears. The titular opening track yanks the listener right into NWA’s world of crime, cops, and mayhem. Through the first song, Ice Cube compares his crime record to Charles Manson, MC Ren boasts about the “good piece of p*ssy” he gets, and Eazy-muthaf**king-E makes it clear he doesn’t “give a damn about a b*tch”.

However, that was all just a pre-game warmup for track number 2…

The stage is set: a courtroom, Dr. Dre is the judge, MC Ren, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E are the prosecuting attorneys, and the man on trial is a police officer. The rappers paint the picture of oppression at the hands of racist police officers with scenario depictions of corrupt cops, with a roaring chant of “F*ck tha Police” repeated in the chorus. Vitriolic vulgarity hangs behind every word on this monumental rap song, as the group brings the war between their black neighborhood and the LAPD to centerstage in undeniably the most controversial song on the album. The harsh six-minute piece memorably resembles a world of police brutality still prevalent 30 years later. The banger ruffled so many feathers, the FBI even sent them an official letter warning of the song’s promotion of disrespect towards law enforcement: a letter now on display at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It makes you think: if Tipper Gore lost her mind over Prince’s scandalous “Darling Nikki”, she must’ve dropped dead when she heard this.

Ironically, one of the gang’s biggest hits was Dre’s moment in the sun without a swear word. Perhaps even more ironic is that Dre denounces marijuana use in the opening verse, citing “it’s known to give a brother brain damage”. Merely 4 years later he released his solo debut, titled The Chronic. “Express Yourself” samples Charles Wright’s song, and Dre carries most of it aside from a short intro with Ice Cube. He otherwise doesn’t have much lyrics on the album, since he served primarily as a producer.

Elsewhere, the hysterical start to “Gangsta Gangsta” portrays a guy hearing police sirens, a tire screech from nearby, then a barrage of gunshots right before Ice Cube declares “Here’s a little somethin ‘bout a ni**a like me, never shoulda been let out the penitentiary”, just one of the LP’s many fascinating quips. Another track good at cooking up some laughs is “I Ain’t tha 1”, where Ice Cube expresses his dissatisfaction with money-hungry girls long before Kanye’s “Gold Digger”.

Amongst all the violence and debauchery, it’s easy to have forgotten the final track, a complete 180° from the rest of the songs. “Something 2 Dance 2” starts with the most genuinely ‘80s bassline on the entire record and a verse by Arabian Prince, the group’s sixth man who departed before Straight Outta Compton’s release. Nevertheless, the funky bopper is still a jumpy conclusion, if albeit an unusual change of pace from everything else. I’m not exactly sure why Arabian Prince left the band, but I imagine it’s probably because he was more interested in making ‘80s beats than rapping about murdering cops and banging hookers.

After the group’s disbandment, the guys went in completely separate directions: Dre dipped more into producing, discovering stars like Eminem and 50 Cent. Eazy-E died of AIDS in 1995, and Ice Cube starred in “Are We There Yet?” (seriously). The nasty breakup was highlighted in NWA’s 2015 biopic sharing the name of the album. Unfortunately, the band’s success was short-lived: there were more diss tracks the members made about each other than actual albums produced while they were together. Straight Outta Compton is the only official NWA album made with the core five, along with one more LP after Ice Cube left, but remains a hip-hop classic that changed the course of music.

SCAD Radio gives it a 9.4/10

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