Midwife sees Johnston joined by Tucker Theodore, and the pair’s new album, Like Author, Like Daughter takes the foggy melancholic ambience of Sister Grotto and amps it up to new levels. The album was created during Johnston’s last year as a resident at Rhinoceropolis, a DIY space in Denver that was closed as part of a US-wide assault on creative spaces. This led to Johnston being essentially evicted from her home, and so forced to confront a lot of negative feelings and struggle to remain resilient. It’s therefore an album with a rich and complex palate, the whole gamut of emotions swirled together into something that feels like it has many faces and hidden depths. “[The album] internalizes loss, addiction, abandonment,” says label Whited Sepulchre, “and wrings them through distorted power chords, powerful leads, sheets of drone to create building, aching monuments to past-selves and lost relationships into a positivist statement of resilience and self-love.”

As such, Midwife sound like the perfect middle ground between shadowy wide-screen post-rock and Grouper’s fuzzily affecting drone, with a dash of Beach House’s undulating slo-mo pop thrown in too. Theodore’s instrumentation brings density and an abrasive edge, with power chords crackling through sheets of static distortion to create something oddly anthemic and unquestionably moving. Opener ‘Song For an Unborn Sun’ sets the tone, a shadowy but charged pop song that’s somehow glacial too, layers of big distorted guitar and slithering feedback grinding over one another. The song’s most cathartic moment comes near its end, as Johnston’s vocals seem to gather together and puncture the noisy murk.

‘Reason’ is just as humid and foreboding, but at a distance, like watching an approaching thunderhead roll across the sky and rumble and crack in the distance. “RTD pt 1’ is a stark and lonely instrumental, though ‘RTD pt 2’ reintroduces Johnston’s vocals, again smothered in a thick shroud of effects.

The primarily restrained and morose ‘Names’ sees the vocals peak in pure emotion, jagged streaks of triumph or desperation ringing out like a lonely radio broadcast screaming through a calm and moonlit night. Theodore takes over vocal duties on ‘Haunt Me’, with its understatedly turbulent guitar and rainstorm-style bursts of emotive vocals, while ‘Way Out’ sounds almost uplifting, and ‘Liar’ like a pop song filtered through oceanic currents, subject to unseen lunar rhythms. Closing track ‘You Don’t Go’ is stretched over 9 minutes in what feels like a culmination of everything that’s come before, a gossamer juggernaut that floats and drags and peaks and drops, filling your ears and head.

On Like Author, Like Daughter, Midwife have made an album of dualities. It sounds both powerfully elemental and somehow intangible, the unrestrained power of nature versus the invisible waves that surround us, emotionally pure messages coded in digital distortion. This duality goes for the atmosphere too. It’s impossible to pack the album away into an explicit genre or emotion, somehow conveying the whole spectrum, swelling triumph and crushing defeat, bright white hope and oil-black despair. But, ultimately, almost unbelievably, the message is positive. Even during the moments where the music sounds like the apocalypse, a tangible, sonic manifestation of loneliness and despair, Johnston provides a thread to hold on to, a reminder that the human spirit is the one thing that can, and will, endure.

You can get Like Author, Like Daughter now via Whited Sepulchre from the Midwife Bandcamp page.

The post Midwife – Like Author, Like Daughter appeared first on Various Small Flames.

And the usual disclaimer applies, there were too many great tunes to include them all, so treat this more as a selection rather than a comprehensive round-up of the year. Enjoy.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – Constellation

“You’re used to quiet words
and so am I
so I’ll just whisper“

Tiny Ruins – Dream Wave

“always a dream wave drawing you off track
dream wave, a coast calls you back“

Magana – Get it Right

“You were red but my gold turned you green
So you stood there lying through your teeth“

deer scout – holy ghost

“I could find a new kind of devotion
I could know you by another name“

Hovvdy – Meg

“Speak because i know you feel a certain way
but ill pass it along anyway“

Bedbug – Leaving Town, Moving to a National Park <3

“I’m too young for that anyways
everyone’s just tryna skip town these days“

Soccer Mommy – Skinned Knees

“i left
burning streets in tennessee
for a north east feel“

Mitski – Your Best American Girl

“Your mother wouldn’t approve of how my mother raised me
But I do, I finally do“

LVL UP – Hidden Driver

“God is peeking
softly speaking
fucking everything
until I slowly do see“

Lisa Prank – Starting Again

“You say you’re not still drinking
you just started again
I swear I don’t still miss you
I just started again“

Dicktations – Dicktations Forever

“It’s hard to say when I first figured out something was wrong“

Joyride! – Running on Empty

“Young and running on empty
you said that you thought I looked pretty with my makeup on
so I went home and I took it off“

Sioux Falls (now Stranger Ranger) – Dom

“Spending too much time on the internet
are you ok? you don’t seem very into it“

Camp Cope – Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams

“It’s the trophy wives raising trophy wives raising children on TV
Scared of people like you and me
Just don’t ask questions you’ll sleep peacefully
We will not go out in silence and we will not go quietly“

Fake Boyfriend – BUMTOWN

“Why do I cling to the threads that mean the least?“

Outer Spaces – I Saw You

“I saw you, a shedding snake“

American Enthusiasm – Holy Wow

“Make a note of all the words I cough out on my death bed“

The Hotelier – Soft Animal

“Fawn, doe, light snow
Spots on brown of white 
make me believe that there’s a God sometimes“

Beach Slang – Future Mixtape for the Art Kids

“We’re not lost, we are dying in style
We’re not fucked, we are fucking alive“

CHUCK – Death

“You hold on to whatever kin
that keeps on breathin’ in
that keeps you from driftin’
like paper in the wind“

You Won’t – Ya Ya Ya

“So your daddy was a poltergeist
sent your little sister screaming down the hallway
well I don’t know about the afterlife,
but I can help you to forget about the old days“

Mountain Almanac – Kids Playing Outside

“Saturday morning, cartoon time, let’s go“

Basement Revolver – Johnny

“Please just stay away from Johnny
cos I love him understand“

Boy Scouts – Did You See My Cry

“walking walmart shopping center
i’d never been better
on my own two feet
i guess“

Free Cake For Every Creature – First Summer in a City

“i’ll be singing when i’m 90
climb a tree to see
what tastes to smokey sweet
first summer in a city“

Haley Heynderickx – First I’m Sorry

“Mother knows I drown in my lies
Father knows I learned my lesson the second time.
Ask me where I’ll go I’ll say do not know
No, I do not know“

ARMS – Missing

“I don’t want to force your hand
but wishes disguised as plans will never do
Like the king of deathbed regrets
and the queen of last requests could ever choose“

Naps – Bad Vibrations

“Can’t stand up to the world’s expectations
I’m living on a bad bad vibration“

The Washboard Abs – Day Draws Nearer

“Your backyard
you talked to God
about the heartbreak you forgot“

Trace Mountains – Forgiveness

“old dirt you thrown underneath the stair
is right there
right where you said i’d tremble and stare
at the vast unforgiving spirit lurking there
but it takes time, to realise forgiveness“

Nassau – Desert Blues

“I took a marker and wrote your number on the bathroom stall
That’s just my way of reaching out cos I’m too proud to call“

Adeline Hotel – Near You

“Sleep better tonight
In the heat of red moon light
Whatever we are, whatever we’ll be
I used to live near you, you used to love near me“

Simon Balto – Foothills

“I’ve never been a faithful man
I’ve always been too proud to pray
But won’t you come out to the foothills
And hold me together for one more day“

Cloud Cult – No Hell

“There’s no use in running unless you run like heck
The best things we’ve learned we learned from the wreck
Jesus coming back as a woman this time
Handing out hugs in the clinic line
Someone tell the devil we don’t need no hell
We’re all pretty good at beating up ourselves“

Slingshot Dakota – Break

“And in the end there’s two of us
it was always two of us“

Good Good Blood – No Sadness/Furrowed Brow

“We’ll have no sadness/furrowed brow
There is no shame in dying now
I said from my death bed“

Ben Seretan – Bowl of Plums

“My friends call me when they’re feeling low
We talk quietly for hours and walk the room
Flowers growing in a coffee can
Our lives are wonderful and sad sometimes“

Chris Bathgate – Big Ghost

“I got a Big Ghost
of static in my throat
from coming up too short“

Wintersleep – Metropolis

“The man that you are, the man you were, the man you left
Turn into stars, flowing in through the wilderness“

Mothers – Lockjaw

“I don’t want your kind words
I want your ghost inside a thimble“

Car Seat Headrest – Drunk Driver / Killer Whales

“You build yourself up against others’ feelings
And it left you feeling empty as a car coasting downhill
I have become such a negative person
It was all just an act
It was all so easily stripped away“

Space Mountain – Never Lonely

“Met a friend today
And im feeling okay
She’s in my head
I’m never lonely“

Hallelujah the Hills – What Do the People Want?

“What do the people want?
The people don’t know what they want“

Mount Moriah – Calvander

“Carry on and on and on on
With your cosmic reach
Newport river whispered fate
Spells cast with every crashing wave
Neon lines and a new name“

Frederick Squire – Bike Thief

“The lights are on
And we are sinking way down in our chairs
We don’t say much of anything
Even though there’s still a lot to say“

Kevin Morby – We’ve Been Here Before

“Running my mouth off at the storm
Yelling, “man, what the hell did you do that for?“

Sam Moss – Vertebrae

“Did you watch my vertebrae
Slendering out
Or did you watch your own?
Stretching skin over the bone
I’ve grown
Learning to be proud“

Arlo Aldo – House & Home

“O’er the mountains out past the trees
where the grasslands, meet the sky
you’ll find me singin’ my songs
with my lover in my mind“

Will Johnson – Nervousness Fangs

“Jesus what a mess
what they’re all selling
and what’s being sold“

Jeremy Squires – After All

“There’s an old painting of Jesus on a wall
and a tapestry that hangs by a cross
that weighs heavy on my shoulders now and then
I get caught up with why the things we love ain’t never last“

The Dead Tongues – Stained Glass Eyes

“Fifth wind brought a howl got me in a storm
I saw a lighthouse spinning at the edge of the world
like looking through a window to the day
I was born“

Kyle Morton – Automatic

“It’s my head, it’s my head
breaking itself to make a thought but instead
Just some pornographic images to stave off my death
It’s all automatic“

Keaton Henson – Alright

“Obviously
My wounds are open to see
But don’t take them seriously
I’ll be fine“

Talons’ – Work Stories

“Is this what the end of the world looks like?
Or is this just life?“

Jordan O’Jordan – A Lonely Road

“There are truths we may or may never know friend
and that is the point“

Mal Devisa – Sea of Limbs

“Honey-lover
keeper of the bees
Soft-spoken
seldom-seen“

Young Jesus – Hinges

“I’m pretty sure I’m a kind of collection of things
scattered throughout the backyard
under the moon
pulling weirdo slow dance moves
maybe always losing it a little
i am ashamed to believe in myself!“

Lung Cycles – For a While

“I feel like sharing
so I’ll press record
and I’ll tell you that I had a vision“

Sister Grotto – UNCANNY

“When we go, we go alone“

John K. Samson – Virtute At Rest

“You should know I am with you, know I forgive you
Know I am proud of the steps that you’ve made
Know it will never be easy or simple
Know I will dig in my claws when you stray“

If you missed it, you can see the list of our favourite albums of 2016 here, and stay tuned for our collection of the best name-your-price releases on Bandcamp next week.

The post Wake the Deaf’s Favourite Songs of 2016 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Remember, we’re on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, so don’t hesitate to get in touch and let you know your favourite tracks from June. Or July. Or whenever.

Tracklisting:

1) Gofer – Yucky Duster
2) The End Parts One and Two – Paper Bee
3) Pas De Deux – Brenda’s Friend
4) Mostly Homely – Exam Season
5) rosy – Long Neck
6) Cool It! – Terry vs. Tori
7) best thought – Honeyuck
8) buttery sprouts – Trace Mountains
9) Green Ennui – Flying Circles
10) Memento Mori – Jake Bellissimo
11) Same Light – Tim Lannen
12) Golden Car – Tincho
13) Can’t Take My Mind – Skyjelly
14) E.V.I.L – Medicine Boy
15) Bike Thief – Frederick Squire
16) Oh Well – Adeline Hotel
17) Offering – Loone
18) Something Profound & Meaningful – See You At Home
19) Bowl of Plums – Ben Seretan
20) Muted Colours – Chain Wallet
21) Little One – Aaron Holm
22) Fear O’ the Light – Katie Dey
23) Protracted – William Ryan Fritch
24) Dizzy – Danielle Fricke
25) Uncanny – Sister Grotto
26) Hands in Our Names – Karima Walker

The post June 2016 Roundup: A Mixtape appeared first on Various Small Flames.

You Don’t Have To Be A House To Be Haunted, is a three track EP based on a poem by Emily Dickinson, and can be summed up with the poem’s opening stanza.

“One need not be a Chamber—to be Haunted—
One need not be a House—
The Brain has Corridors—surpassing
Material Place—”

Opening track ‘Videotape’ is built on a sparse droning piano line, with an occasional jag of percussion that sounds like a burst of static energy and a morose cello (courtesy of Wendy Warshawsky) that adds to the thick and heavy atmosphere. If it sounds unplaceably familiar, it’s because it’s an adaptation of the Radiohead song by the same name, possessing the same pulsing piano line. Johnston is joined on vocals by a choir, who together deliver just two repeated lines:

“Burn it to the ground
what was it you thought you saw down there?”

‘Uncanny’ is a similarly haunted track, Warshawsky’s cello again weaving around the base of a piano/synth line. The vocals here are delivered by Johnston alone, distorted to the point that it feels like several people singing at once, her voice pulling others from the ether, pained ghosts from the distant past. The lyrics make this at once a love song and a dirge, hugely affecting in their simple poetry and strangely emotional delivery.

“There is no second I have lived
that you can’t call your own.

But when we go we go alone”

Closer, ‘Witness’, is the second track to break the ten minute barrier, Johnston’s vocals barely more than a whisper throughout. It sounds like something conjured in a dark and dusty attic at midnight, not a malevolent force straight out of Hollywood but something slippery with sadness.

You can buy You Don’t Have To Be A House To Be Haunted on cassette or digital download via the Sister Grotto Bandcamp page.

If you like what you hear, Sister Grotto also recently released a cassette on Salt Lake City tape label Heavy Mess. Blindside is almost forty minutes of superior ambient/drone, the A-side similar to what you can hear on You Don’t Have To Be A House To Be Haunted, what Johnston describes as “a love song for an absent lover”, saying it’s about “internalizing new feelings of loss”. It’s as patient and eerie as I’ve come to expect from Sister Grotto, part meditation, part elegy, Johnston’s vocals coming in gusts like fingers of mist on the breeze.

“Are you blind?
You already know
Are you blind?
I’m not at home”

The B-side acts as the A-side’s shadow, altogether more nebulous and indistinct. It comprises of beautiful wordless drone, the sound in your ears in a silent room, the hum of oncoming sleep or the swirling currents of your roommate’s dreams, like thunderheads passing above your roof in the dead of night.

You can order Blindside on tape now via the Heavy Mess Bandcamp page.

The post Sister Grotto – You Don’t Have To Be A House To Be Haunted / Blindside appeared first on Various Small Flames.