NAILED Songs of the Week #36
“Sometimes, in my dark moments, I think this world has died”
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Matty Byloos, Publisher and Contributing Editor of NAILED:
"The Grass Is Always Greener" – Say Hi
There's this thing that happens when you put a guitarist together with a delay pedal. It can go in so many directions, too, from the minimal soundscape all the way over to the heavy noise experimental. In the case of "The Grass Is Always Greener," the single from the newest album by Say Hi, it's not exactly in the middle but the restraint is applause-worthy and the result is classic Say Hi. Driving guitars hedged in with a straightforward beat, heavy on the bass but nothing complicated. Throw in a video that's characterized by a one-shot closeup of the proverbial green green grass over there on the other side of the fence, and you've got some kind of recipe for mundane, breath-centric contemplation, the sort of which could just yield the next great piece of your personal artistic inspiration.
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Guest Editor: Kat Gardiner, Fiction Writer and Culture Critic
“Money Spent” – Steal Shit Do Drugs (aka SSDD)
Before condo Deathstars, before Amazon technodawgs, there was Rainier beer and there were cigarette butts. There were house shows in dingy basements too short to stand in, too dense to breathe in, windows caked over with dirt. There was not giving two fucks.
Sometimes, in my dark moments, I think this world has died.
It has not.
And, yes. Dave Berman might have been right. Punk rock might have died when the first kid said, Punk’s not dead, but it sure makes for one mean ghost. And yes, messy hooks still sound this good.
FYI, SSDD’s debut EP First Comes Money came out July 15 on cassette from Help Yourself Records.
Live on KEXP Seattle:
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Carrie Seitzinger, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of NAILED:
"Sprinter" – Torres
Mackenzie Scott of Torres has a hint of anger in her voice, a flag of symbols ready to be read. Her truth bleats beautiful and isn't looking to make anything prettier than it is deep inside. There is a strength in telling it like it is and deciding to do something with what you've got. Stop rushing/running through your life and shed some light. Go grab the sun. There's plenty to share.
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Shenyah Webb, Arts Editor of NAILED:
"Ghoroobaa Ghashangan" – Sexwitch
Sexwitch's self-titled debut album was released just today. It's a side project of Bat for Lashes' Natasha Khan and rock band Toy. The project formed and was recorded spontaneously; Khan and producer Dan Carey shopped for some 70's obscure psych records from different parts of the world, invited Toy into the studio, and they all hammered out six covers in a one-day marathon session. The results are odd to me, a strange medley for sure, almost confusing, but super alluring.
Did I just eat a tab of acid? Or was it the garam masala cut with phong phalo that I just snorted while filming that exotic porn? Whatever it is, I like it. A lot.
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