Spotify Spotlight: Twee/Electronic (cheerful and relaxing)
Got Spotify? No? Get outta here!
Oh wait, you do? Okay then. Here are some goodies to stream right now, if the mood strikes you.
This list may not be music for your every day, but rather every now and then. You know that feeling you get when you come home after a really great date? Or maybe you just finished cleaning your whole apartment and can’t get over how nice everything looks. Once all of the worries have gone away and not a single crap is given, you’re ready for a little R&R, you’re ready for this set of albums. Queue em’ up, kick it back, and smile.
Serph Heartstrings
If I were a bit more snooty I might call Serph neo-classical electronica, but I’m not really sure what to file this under. If you’re familiar with the Japanese label Nobel (World’s End Girlfriend, Tenniscoats, Yasushi Yoshida etc.) you might have an idea of what to expect. The tracks are dense, multi-layered recordings that are catchy and super symphonic. Hearstrings features a wide variety of orchestral strings stacked on top of glitchy hi-fi beats that keep the music ever rolling upward. I’ll admit, most days I can’t listen to this because its just so damn happy and whimsical. But when the time is right, the beautiful and intricate melodies that are packed into this album’s fluffy center are exactly what the doctor ordered.
múm Finally We Are No One
Quite possibly the most adaptable album on this list, mum’s Finally We Are No One walks a strange line between somber and playful, making it a perfect fit for most any relaxing occasion. The drawn out tones of synth, strings, and accordion show influence from other Icelandic outfits (such as Sigur Rós), while the beats are blends of acoustic and sample based kits that pack a ton of warmth and texture. The stand out song in the album for me was the more traditional- We Have a Map of the Piano. The warm, whispering female vocals on the first couple tracks are stellar, but the album eventually fades into a more instrumental and ambient experience.
Lullatone Plays Pajama Pop Pour Vous
Check your masculinity at the door, because this album is more kawaii than a Hello Kitty cupcake decorating party. Tweepop/J-Pop duo Lullatone have produced a cute set of tracks that are as beautiful as they are fragile. As a whole the album slowly melts from pop down to ambient, making this a perfect happy/sleepy-time record. Weeaboos rejoice, the title track Pajama Party Pop is your new adorable anthem!
i am robot and proud- The Electricity in Your House Wants to Sing
Shaw-Han Liem has got a pretty good track record, you may have heard him play in the Unicorns, or rocked out to his music in the new PSVita game Sound Shapes. i am robot and proud is a chill, almost nu-jazz project that blends classical piano compositions with light, yet intricate ticky-tacky beats. The songs hold a great level of progression and keep things rolling at a comfortable pace. In fact, I think “comfortable” is the best word to describe this album. It’s warm, relaxed, and cozy. Electricity in Your House never strays to far from its own path, and makes for great stuff to listen to while doing you homework, or knitting your loved one a new scarf.
That’s it for this installment of Spotify Spotlight! Stick around for another one coming soon, it’s likely to have a lot more rock and a bit less buttercream frosting.
About the Author
Joe-Lou is an offbeat musician from Providence RI. His real job involves designing exhibits, but by night he does this stuff.
