Music of the Month: May | Zafira
Hi!
So I admit, it’s been a while. I took some time off to just get my university life in order and my general life too but I was also feeling a little lost on what to do on here. I’ve become feeling a little refreshed and have a few ideas under my belt that I’m beyond excited to start writing about and sharing on here!
And just like that, it’s June. My favourite month of the year. It’s summer, my birthday is this month and hopefully, we’ll be taking some slow steps into transitioning into some sort of normality. May was honestly a massive blur.
Due to popular demand (like 3 requests), I’ve decided to bring back Music of the Month and because it’s been a while since I last shared one of these, I have so much new music I’m excited to share with you.
You can listen to my entire May playlist here.
Here are a few of my favourite songs, artists and albums:
machinegum - conduit
Love is not a strong enough adjective to describe my affection for this entire album. It’s rare for me to be able to sit through an entire album without honestly getting a little bored but each song on Conduit feels like a hug or a slow dance in the rain and I’m completely smitten with the entire thing.
machinegum is actually formed by Fabrizio Moretti, drummer for the Strokes which I find a little surprising because this entire album is nothing like anything I’ve heard from the Strokes. It’s so calm.
One of my absolute favourites from the album is definitely Walking Habits. It’s so vibraphone-y. The entire album is but this one especially. I feel like I could listen to this every day at sunset. I love O Please too because it feels so retro and groovy and puts me in such a good mood but the one song that really stood out for me on Conduit was Sugar and Vice. Again it’s retro and groovy but at the same time, husky and accompanied by vocals you can barely make out.
I found the cutest music video some guys had made for Sugar and Vice and it feels like the epitome of summer. You can check it out here.
Gus Dapperton - First Aid
I just want to preface this by saying, in my personal opinion Gus Dapperton’s work is more than that popular song on Tik Tok that I kind of hate. His other songs are pretty and deserve attention too.
First Aid is quite the emotional song. It’s still pretty upbeat and definitely one of those songs you could sing a little too loudly in the shower but the overall tone is very melancholic. You can hear that this has a sense of loneliness. I read that this song was about his sister, Amadelle, who is also featured in the song and how much they’ve helped him and you can really hear how thankful he is in the lyrics.
I cannot wait to hear the rest of the stuff he’s been working on later this year.
Air - The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack
Every time the sun comes out one of the first films that come into mind is the Virgin Suicides. I think it’s because, throughout the entire film, you can almost feel the heat. It’s hard to describe if you’ve not seen the film but everything from the tones to the outfits to the green green grass and sprinklers spraying on the fake gardens of homes that aren’t really homes just scream summer to me.
I’ve always had a bit of fascination with the film but when I listened to Fashion Grunge’s podcast a few weeks ago I felt this urge to listen to the soundtrack properly and since then I just love having it on in the background when I’m going about my day. I also love listening to it whilst I’m reading the book because I think it fits in with the book version just as much as the film.
One of my all-time favourite songs from films, in general, has to be Playground Love. It’s used repeatedly throughout the entire film and is so perfect for it. The film is very much about youth and ideas of love but has this dark undertone to it since the film revolves a lot around death and this is exactly what this song is all about.
I also love The Word Hurricane, well more specifically the beginning of it. It starts off by putting you in an almost trance-like state and then you have a little dialogue period followed by absolute chaos. It’s amazing.
Parcels - Parcels
Parcels have recently come into my life and have transported me into a very late 70’s disco funk era and I’m not mad about it. This band is so chill and is exactly the sort of stuff I’ve been into at the moment.
A few of my favourite hits from the album are Lightenup, Exotica and Withorwithout. Lightenup is the first ever song I heard by Parcels. It’s very Bee Gee’s esque and I love love that. A lot like something they’d play in some sort of retro disco whereas Exotica and Withorwithout feel like falling in love on summer’s day.
In my opinion, this album is something I can see myself listening to for the rest of my life. It’s weird how they can sound so out of place within our current generation but somehow fit in a way that’s different and still appeals to so so so many people.
The Black Keys - Weight of Love
I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve been listening to a lot of Air but the beginning of this song starts off with extreme Air/Vibraphone-y/Soft Psychedelic vibes which I can’t seem to get enough of at the minute.
I’m a big big fan of this. I play it so many times a day and you should too. I will definitely have to listen to the entire of the Turn Blue album after hearing this gem. I also get extreme Pink Floyd vibes from this song which is magical.
Yung Lean - Starz
Yung Lean released a new album this May and it’s been exactly what I’ve needed this quarantine period.
I think ever since Stranger, Yung Lean has been one of favourite sad boy musicians. His music is so mellow and melancholic but is yet so modern and cool.
Starz carries on that sadness yet coolness but in such an experimental way. One of my favourite songs on the album is Starz which features another one of my favourite artists, Ariel Pink. I would never in think that they fit together as well as they do on this song.
I also love Yayo which is about his rise in the industry, Violence and Boylife in EU which he released as a single a few months back. It’s the ultimate “I’m feeling lonely and sad" song.
Duffy - Warwick Avenue
I wasn't going to include this because it’s the most random song I could possibly put in here but I cannot get enough of it recently.
I was 12 when this came out which makes me feel a tiny bit nauseous because that was almost an entire decade ago. I have the most vivid memories of watching the music video of this where Duffy is sat crying in the back of taxi on the music channels. 12 year old me was so moved by this and honestly so is current me.
She kind of disappeared after this and came back a few months ago. It’s heartbreaking to hear what happened to her but I’m glad she’s okay now.
Hare Squead - Minor Gangsters (gully)
Like a lot of what I listen to these days, I found this through COLORS which is a YouTube channel where a bunch of different artists perform against various coloured backgrounds. It’s amazing and visually the most aesthetic thing ever.
I’ve heard a few songs by Hare Squead, my favourite being Herside Story with Goldlink but Minor Gangsters is very different to that. What drew me to it mostly was how animated they were performing for COLORS. I loved watching them perform and loved how much they enjoyed it. What’s so great about COLORS is that they post all their studio versions on Spotify which makes my life that little bit more enjoyable and easier.
I personally prefer the COLORS Studio version over the original because it sounds a lot more raw and gritty which are two aspects I quite like in a song.
I could sit and watch COLORS Shows all day.
