40
Crystal Castles “Wrath of God”
For their third and final album, Crystal Castles chose Samuel Aranda’s photo of Yemeni tear gas victims for the cover. The explicitness behind this decision was familiar ground for them, and when I see stories about race relations in the US or the Syria War and every other shit show that goes on in the world I wish the band had not broken up. Whenever I’ve lost faith in humanity I turn to Crystal Castles and do some brooding.
Christen them with paraffin
Sterilize Samaritans
Contravene loyal ties
Migrate them through the pesticide
They’ll strip you of your heritage
Heritage
They’ll strip you of your heritage
You can see why I wish they didn’t break up when I feel this way. Theirs is the dark addiction that I crave when I feel down in the dumps.
EDIT APRIL 16: THEY’RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
39
Titus Andronicus “In A Big City”
One of the most mystifying things in the American punk rock universe is that Titus Andronicus is not huge. I don’t understand it. They should be the next Nirvana.** Their lyrics are prophetic, their guitar riffs superb, their reverb an out of body experience. And it’s songs like this one that make me bang my head even more trying to come up with an answer. “In a Big City” is crazy catchy by the first notes, and by the start of the first verse, you’ve already begun to question your role in a society where “life begins at the moment of consumption.”
**Cultures Weren’t Opinions: Could a Band as Loud as Nirvana Ever Be Popular Again?**
38
Sun Kil Moon “I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love”
During Mark Kozelek’s 2014 Pygmalion performance he made a couple of sexist remarks and practically yelled at the student journalists trying to get his photo. And yet, for a jerk who wrote a song about a band sucking his cock, he is a morose and incredibly sad man who writes amazing songs about his turmoils. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not among those naive enough to call his diss track witty sarcasm and I agree with the likes of Perfect Pussy lead singer Meredith Graves. It’s important to call a song like “War on Drugs: Suck My Cock,” what it is: male-pattern violence and emotional abuse. So when I listen to the songs about his uncle and second cousin dying in separate aerosol can fires or the music about his disabled neighbor and the warm, loving tributes to his parents, I’m conflicted. Kozelek knows that no one is perfect–least of all himself–and for better or worse, he will show us that to be complicated is to be human.
37
Katy Perry “Teenage Dream”
Got a motel and
Built a fort out of sheets
I finally found you
My missing puzzle piece I’m complete
NOBODY HATES BUILDING A FORT OUT OF SHEETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I exclaimed in a recent feud over Katy Perry lyricism. There’s a lot of unbelievably catchy pop out there, but Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” might take the cake. People can’t get enough of this song and it’s probably because we never hear the chord that the song is written in. This creates a powerful sense of suspension, like constantly being at the apex of a roller coaster ride. The writers knew exactly what they were doing and the entire song revolves around the power of Katy Perry’s voice. And when she hits that arpeggio (“Imma get your heart racing in my skin tight jeans be your teenage dream tonight”) YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the roller coaster flies down the track. Also sheet forts are %&*$ AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
36
M83 “Raconte-moi une histoire”
“Tell me a story,” is not so much a command to hold boredom at bay as it is a request to feel alive. And for M83’s Anthony Gonzalez, the leap of faith he took to include a little girl talking about a frog in the middle of his double album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, was not as much a risk as much as it was the point. There is a manic obsessive fawning over the martyrdom of innocence in this world, and as we grow up that idea gnaws at our conscious. We wish we were children again with not a care in the world, but I believe that this is a debilitating social construct that should be destroyed. Our childhood isn’t gone forever but rather there to be embraced. Gonzalez is afraid that this song holds one of the best albums of this decade back because he knows adults who act like children are susceptible to ridicule. Through this song’s inclusion however, he suggests we relentlessly and optimistically become “the biggest group of friends the world has ever seen, jumping, laughing, forever.”
“It would be great, right?”
35
Above & Beyond & Gareth Emery pres. Oceanlab “On a Good Day (Metropolis)”
Mental illness is not taken seriously probably because it is not understood. Depression, stress and anxiety take huge tolls on the body, and in some cases are linked to poverty and police brutality. “Fine,” and “I’m okay,” are meaningless answers to the often hollow inquiry “how are you today?” But for those struggling to live life, “feels like me on a good day,” can be the most compelling and convincing answer to that all too common question.
I’ve been talking to myself forever
And how I wish I knew me better
Still sitting on a shelf and never
Never seen the sun shine brighter
And it feels like me on a good day
34
Robyn “Call Your Girlfriend”
If Robyn were to play a show in Oberlin….Okay fine that’s not very realistic. If Robyn were to play a show in Cleveland, the entirety of Oberlin’s student body would attend. Outside of my alma mater, I have not met a single person who even knows who she is, and I’m not exaggerating. But if you ever heard a Robyn song at Oberlin, everybody would smile and love it and probably go nuts. This song is her best. “Call Your Girlfriend” is a breakup song, but she’s the one benefiting from it. She’s the new girl, and that makes for one hell of a fresh addition to pop’s love canon.
33
Ex Hex Don’t Wanna Lose
Garage pop rock is not something that one hears on the radio anymore, although it totally should be. And Ex Hex’s “Don’t Wanna Lose” should lead the charge.
32
Michael Braugher “Americans Anonymous”
This track is brutally honest. I repeat: this track is brutally honest. Am I guilty of almost all of what Mike Braugher raps about? Most likely. Music isn’t always easy to listen to, but that adds to it’s dangerous beauty. After all, honesty is by nature threatening. “We as a people are equally fucked up,” and sometimes I agree with Mike: I’m not always sure we’re doing anything to improve ourselves.
31
John Powell “Forbidden Friendship”
As far as cinema is concerned, this is the perfect composition for one of the most beautiful animated film sequences this decade. Pets are therapeutic miracles that give more than they take, and the power of their friendships cannot be overstated. Gorgeously perfect and seamlessly crafted by John Powell.
The Ponderings of a Deej 
