Unfamiliar Candy

Model/Actriz “Diva”

The first time I saw Model/Actriz live I was surprised to learn that a lot of the sounds I assumed were coming from “electronic” instruments were in fact being played on guitar by Jack Wetmore. Of course, this is a guitar running through various pedals and devices, so it’s effectively a more traditional conduit for “electronic music,” but the physicality does change the feel significantly. There’s an immediacy and implied violence in how Wetmore plays guitar, and it adds to the malevolent atmosphere of a track like “Diva.” Cole Haden’s vocal relies on this tension in the spoken verses; the most mundane details of his European travelogue imbued with a sense that something could go terribly wrong at any moment. But the feeling is more about (homo)eroticism than terror, and the sung chorus flips a very Korn-ish melody and vocal affect into a specifically masculine expression of sexual vulnerability.

Buy it from Bandcamp.

Brad Stank “Chenchi”

Brad Stank owes a lot of his aesthetics to King Krule and Mac DeMarco, but even compared to the stoned, drowsy vibe of those guys, Stank’s music feels like the result of gobbling Benadryl and high potency weed gummies like a bag of Skittles. “Chenci” is a slo-mo ballad with the frequencies pushed to extremes – womb-like bass, guitar treble rendered like squiggles of neon light. I’m particularly fond of the way he doubles his low-register lead vocals with a sensual high harmony on the “I’ll change, I’ll change” chorus. It’s relatively subtle in the mix, but the contrast opens up the heart of the song.

Buy it from Bandcamp.