Today we welcome Trev Elkin, one of the faces behind the ever excellent GoldFlakePaint who writes thoughtful, in-depth, long(ish) form pieces that do more than regurgitate a press release. In other words, he’s one of the good guys.

I Was Always Leaving

by Trev Elkin

1) Song with a city in the title

Soccer Mommy – Moving to New York

This is basically a massive excuse to include a song by Sophie Allison in the list. She has such a great talent. The sadness in this track is palpable and stirs up all those pre-break up conversation and long-distant relationship memories. I have acquaintances who live there, but New York isn’t somewhere I’ve ever been to, or have really been interested in as a place. It seems to attract and turn out some amazing bands and musicians – particularly NYU, so maybe I should!

Stereolab – Tomorrow Is Already Here

Along with His Name Is Alive and Dead Can Dance, Stereolab were significant in shaping my musical tastes at a time when everything seemed to be going through a process of dilution and commercialisation. I loved how Stereolab stood alone in the alternative scene for their Marxist, Surrealist ideals and how they pretty much invented DIY production and publishing with the Duophonic label. They never really got the success they deserved. This track comes from Emperor Tomato Ketchup, probably their most accessible album, but it gave no ground on the politics. The lyrics ring as true today (perhaps more so) as they did 20 years ago: society now serves the institutions originally set up to serve it.

3) Song that brings out your inner cowboy

OP8 & Lisa Germano – Sand

So OP8 was basically a non-commercially-viable side-project by members of Calexico (a theme is emerging here, maybe) and this song comes from their only album ’Slush’ which I recommend if you can track it down. The whole album creates a weird sense of place, like a scene with campfires at dusk, as stars begin to pierce the dusty skies when along comes a UFO and beams down some mysterious figure dressed in 19th Century western gear. The original ’Sand’ was a Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra duet and I like the way Howe Gelb and Lisa swap the gender roles.

4) A song you want played at your funeral

Circuit Des Yeux – Fantasize The Scene

Haley Fohr is another artist I admire so much. An outlier in terms of her voice and the perspective she brings to her songwriting, nothing about what she does is predictable or takes the easy road. For me ‘Fantasize The Scene’ is all about making the most of your life, being and believing in who you are. It’s a hopeful song, an outstretched hand offering reassurance that if you don’t find true love now, you will in another world where anything is possible.

5) A song by the most over rated band of all time

The Strokes – New York City Cops

Ah, The Strokes. ‘Is This It?’ Pretty much sums it up for me. We all have opinions, that is mine.

…and here’s the whole thing collected into a neat EP. Enjoy!

So check out Trev’s work on GoldFlakePaint (if you don’t already), and be sure to stop off next Wednesday for another Mystery Mini Mix.

Photo by William Eggleston

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Trev Elkin appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Adeline Hotel

“Exists within that small and fleeting pocket in time and space that opens just before you take off from a familiar location” – we premièred the first song from an upcoming Adeline Hotel EP

Morning River Band

“Songs about those men down on their luck but too stubborn to change… doomed to making the same old mistakes and who continue chasing the same misguided remedies” – we wrote about Abyssal Chanelling, the latest album from Morning River Band

On The Water

“A strange stop-motion collage that sits perfectly with the lyrical themes of death, decay and, naturally, life” – we premièred a video by Nnamdi Ogbonnaya for ‘Born in Reverse’, the opening track from On The Water’s Cordelia.

Bells Atlas

“Using precise imagery to trace imprecise, unknowable things, the words coalescing with the music to create something unclear but imbued with meaning, as if reaching somewhere deeper within your brain or soul than you can consciously go” – the vibrant and mystical Hyperlust EP from Bells Atlas

Frog

“Queens is the most diverse county in America, and maybe the world. Kind of Blah is about living here, in this city, which is sometimes incredibly wonderful and other times feels a lot like prison and most times probably both at once” – we spoke with Frog about listening to Jagged Little Pill with your mom, the brilliance of Lightning Bolt and some terrible advice from David BermanFuneral Sounds

“Casa Ruby strives to enable people to be treated as people” – a benefit compilation from Funeral Sounds in support of multicultural LGBTQ organisation Casa Ruby

Girlpool

“In a weird way, Girlpool have grown up – becoming confident enough to share their dreams and vulnerabilities and in turn galvanise a lonely generation too afraid of ridicule to live the lives they desire” – Girlpool’s new album Before The World Was Big sees the band offer a sustainable and productive antidote to the pressures of growing up

Advance Base

“Sweetly sad stories about lonely Midwesterners trying to make sense of their troubled pasts” – mark your calendars, August will see a new album from Owen Ashworth’s Advance Base

Two White Cranes

“A clear advancement from anything on Two White Cranes, fleshed out with electric guitar and drums and focussed in its writing” – we previewed Radisson Blue, the forthcoming album from Two White Cranes

Evening Hymns

“I could go on about how [Evening Hymns are] brave and heartbreaking and intensely personal, or how [they] made me feel okay and less alone” – Evening Hymns has us very excited for their new album Quiet Energies

Mitski

“I’m not the white boy. I’m not in a position to be heard whatever I make” – Mitski spoke with Caralyn Green for Pittsburgh City Paper about being an introverted person of colour in music. [See our review of Bury Me at Makeout Creek]

Katie Dey

“I remembered that I had earphones in my coat pocket. I plugged them into my phone and listened to asdfasdf and rested my head on the train window. Closing my eyes, what was initially a gloomy train ride turned into something more cathartic” – Gold Flake Paint talked about Katie Dey’s asdfasdf and the restorative power of music

Ornette Coleman

“A giant of 20th century music, pushing jazz into new harmonic territory and reconceiving the way in which musicians improvised” – Stewart Smith wrote about the career and legacy of Ornette Coleman for The Quietus

Long Neck

“An album with no season, or maybe it’s every season, or maybe it’s just the season when you feel most alone” – Stereogum are streaming Heights by Lily Mastrodimos’s Long Neck

Mitski (again)

Out of Town Films shot Mitski playing ‘I Will’ in the middle of nowhere

Swell Tone’s Summertime Sanity

“Getting lost in the heat and the sense of freedom inherent in the forthcoming season is tempting, to say the least” – Shana over at Swell Tone has put together a selection of summer songs, including Yowler, Girlpool, Hot Palms and The Washboard Abs. Any playlist that opens with ‘Skin of Your Yellow Country Teeth’ gets a thumbs up from us.

Kathryn Joseph

We liked Kathryn Joseph’s Bones You Have Thrown Me Blood I’ve Spilled an awful lot. Last week she played some songs for the Roddy Hart Show on BBC Scotland and it sounded great. Check it out on the BBC iPlayer.

And Finally… the 8tracks Playlist(s) of the Week

This week’s winner is mix-master Adam, AKA Songsfortheday, and his summer soundtracks. There are separate day and night editions, so he has you covered for all your musical needs.

The post Week in Review: #5 (8th – 13th June) appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The collection feels like a treasure trove for fans of that kind of thing and it’s a lot of fun delving in and discovering new acts. Pretty much every artist has a Bandcamp page with more material, so if you hear something you like then follow the trail and find your new favourite band.

The full tracklisting is below – the odd numbers were chosen by GoldFlakePaint, the evens by The Grey Estates:

1. German Error Message – A Lingering (Check our review of Haunts here)
2. Dear Tracks – Alive
3. Naps – Floral Mattress (Check out our review of ‘Floral Matress’ here and the band’s debut single here)
4. Sundae Crush – Toxic Slime
5. Sunshine Faces – TEENAGE PRAYER
6. Fun Home – Can You Feel It, Too? (Sprocket Session)
7. Romp – Drive
8. Echo Courts – I’ve Been Down
9. Plums – Parking Lots
10. Pearl Earl – Karaoke Superstar
11. Fake Laugh – As I Get To Know You Better
12. Littlefoot – Fever Dream
13. two white cranes – two white cranes (Check out our review of Two White Cranes here)
14. No Touching – Lighting
15. Froth – The Eterniturtle
16. Gal Pals – Ex Marionette
17. Wendell Borton – Saucy
18. Sandlot – Sober (Demo)
19. Smiling Disease – Double Locked
20. Dripping Wet – She’s Not Mine

Our current favourite is German Error Message, what’s yours?

You can grab The Pale Light Between right now on the GoldFlakePaint Bandcamp page on a pay-what-you-can basis.

The post The Pale Light Between – The Grey Estates vs. GoldFlakePaint appeared first on Various Small Flames.