Hi Pal,
Welcome to Sound Geek Journal. In this newsletter, I open up the doors to my personal space and let you in what’s going on in my world. Of course, there will always be music recommendations but I have other stuff that I hope you’ll enjoy reading about. First, a little housekeeping…
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I have some of my best music listening experiences at bedtime. Though I can’t quite remember when I began listening to songs to sleep, I have memories of listening to the radio and my walkman as a kid, sneaking two different Sony Ericsson flip/slide phones into boarding school and downloading my favourite songs on mp3 sites for my laptop during the early days of university life all for that sacred silent interlude between the moment I lay my head on my pillow and when I drift off.
Now, I know that sleeping with music isn’t anything particularly unique or novel. But I find that I tend to have shifting moods when it comes to my sleeping music. There are seasons when I listen to metalcore before bed — which may be jarring for some, but it works for me. I’ve had electronic phases, lo-fi weekends, experimental electronic night obsessions and many more themes. I rarely pick them, they usually end up choosing themselves.
For over three weeks now, I’ve been in a Shoegaze space and I’ve found myself wishing that we had more Christian shoegaze bands/acts.
Shoegaze is a variation of alternative rock and indie, it is usually identified by dreamy and obscure vocals, guitar effects and distortion. Some would argue that shoegaze is not a genre of music but a “deliberate experience” that a song tends to create when it fulfils the necessary requirements.
I agree with the experiential sentiment because it is quite possible to have 10 different shoegaze bands sound completely different and yet still evoke the distinct mood that all shoegaze songs share in common. The expression ‘shoegaze’ is not so much a definition but a description of the guitarists in these bands who tended to stare at their effect pedalboards which they manipulate with their feet.
From fusion genres like Blackgaze (black metal + shoegaze) and Noisegaze (noise rock + shoegaze) to variations like Dream Pop and neighbouring genres like Post-Rock and Ambient; I have spent years enjoying this unique style of music.
On the Christian scene, it would be disrespectful not to recognize bands like Starflyer59, Joy Electric, Bon Voyage and The Prayer Chain (to mention a few) who — to varying degrees — created music that had shoegaze and dream pop influences and sensibilities between the late 90s and early 2000s.
Today, some artists/bands have tracks or albums with Shoegaze or Dreampop sensibilities. Zambroa’s Travelers & Balconeers album of 2020 had interesting shoegaze slants. Laity also dropped what was essentially a Dream Pop worship album titled LET YOURSELF BE LOVED in the same year. Adryelle, Mirours, Lovelite and Taylor Armstrong have also dropped numerous songs that have strong leanings in this area.
As much as I appreciate all the musicians I’ve mentioned already, Shoegaze simply adds to the richness of their sound. I can’t call them core Shoegaze artists or bands.
There are only two projects I can call Shoegaze bands on the scene currently: Medical Morning and Victus. In typical Shoegaze fashion, these two projects are as different as they are similar.
Medical Morning is characterized by walls of sound, droning guitar and driving sections. The project creator, Travis Estes, has another project called Daygraves which is a Blackgaze project that is far heavier than his MM sound. Victus, on the other hand, is calmer in approach and feels more like an echo chamber of soothing sounds. Even with these differences, they both have the shoegaze feel that hits with every listen.
This is where I’ve spent most of my nights recently, hoping that we have more Shoegaze in the modern Christian alternative scene while enjoying some of these brilliant tunes.
Lately
I’ve Been Reading
The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown
On the fictional end of things, I’ve been busy with this epic sci-fi trilogy by Pierce Brown. This is technically a re-read but it’s been six years since my first encounter with this trilogy, so it felt almost completely new. Red Rising follows the story of a young man called Darrow who exists in a hierarchical society where his people occupy the lowest rank. Circumstances bring him face-to-face with the members of the highest rank and he is forced to exist in their world and play by their rules while pursuing his own private and necessary mission. This series is full of epic large-scale battles, political intrigue, moral queries and twists that will keep you guessing.
The Pastor: His Call, Character and Work by Faculty and Friends of ‘Old’ Princeton
While I tend to breeze through novels, books like this tend to take my time because I need to digest things. I’ve been reading this for about four months now and I’m only halfway done. On the surface, it is a book about Pastor and Elders in the local assembly and their approach to their calling and duties. However, on closer inspection, it is simply a book that emphasizes the necessity of virtue and Godly character in the life of every Christian, with more emphasis on those who must lead.
I’ve Been Watching
Ousama Ranking (Ranking Of Kings)
This is an anime that took me a little while to warm up to because of the quirky art style. I recognize that this is a creative choice, but even now, I can’t shake the feeling that this anime would get more attention and respect if it had a more conventional art style. In some ways, this approach is a perfect parallel to the protagonist of this story, a young prince called Bojji, who does not possess the typical characteristics that the people in his world use as a metric to measure strength. Yet, he has hidden qualities that make him stand out from everyone else.
Ousama Ranking is a story with a lot of heart, a dynamic cast of characters and surprisingly good action sequences that resonated with me once I gave it a chance.
Alchemy of Souls
There was a time, I never thought I would be watching anything close to Korean Drama, but here we are. My fiancée — who loves these shows — pitched this to me as a ‘fantasy series’. I’m a huge fantasy/sci-fi fiction fan so I figured it was worth the try.
Two episodes in, and I realized I had been bamboozled. Sure, the story is set in a world that has strong fantasy elements but at its heart, Alchemy of Souls is a drama. Luckily for me, it’s a good drama. It follows a young man whose ability to learn magic was taken from him as a child (Jang Wook) and a powerful assassin (Nak-su) whose soul gets trapped in a weakened girl’s body which prevents her from accessing her abilities. These two cross paths and begin to build an interesting relationship as they try to help each other become strong.
I’ve had a blast so far and I can’t wait to finish the series.
I’ve Been Listening
This section isn’t about music, it’s about podcasts.
Teaching(s)
Sermons of Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones and Derek Prince Ministries Podcast are a constant on my playlist. Sometimes I wonder how two men who have been gone for this long still have a profound impact on my spiritual life and growth.
Meditation & Sleep
I ran into this one recently and I find it fascinating. It’s called the Abide Bible Sleep Meditation, and it’s exactly what it sounds like — biblical stories and spoken word presented over peaceful and soothing sounds.
Lifestyle
The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast is also a recent discovery for me. As the daughter of the famous Dr Jordan Peterson, I thought I knew what to expect. Somehow, she still managed to surprise me.
In many ways, she’s very much her father’s daughter but she is also very much her own person with her own distinct opinions. Adding this to the unique — and sometimes — contrasting perspectives of the guests on her show makes for interesting conversations that I enjoy.
Word Of The Day: STILL
I can’t say with any measure of confidence that this will be a reoccurring content category. But sometimes, things just jump at you and they feel right.
I’ve suffered quite a few earworms recently with songs that have this word, so I figured I’d pass that on to you.
That’s it for today. Feel free to tell me what you’ve been up to in the comments.
Until next time.
Keep listening!
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