"ROSE QUARTZ" TORO Y MOI (2013)

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 2013

Continuing my journey down south with a stopover in Columbia. It’s Chaz’s hometown. Where he went to high school - and formed a band. He also stayed local for college, majoring in graphic design at the University of South Carolina, before turning his focus to music. These are not the kinds of sounds you expect to come out of the region. Chaz didn’t just borrow the template. He’s one of the first names I think of and associate with chillwave and ambient.

Toro y Moi has always surprised me with what he’s able to accomplish with a synthesizer, extracting sounds and arrangements I’ve never heard before. “Rose Quartz” is maybe one of the best examples of his experimental side. It explores. It grooves. The synth orchestration washes over you in one instance and delicately brushes past you in another. It’s one of those tracks that defies genre labeling because there’s simply nothing like it.

“And if I fall into the sea, don't let me go.”

"SUICIDE UNDERGROUND" AIR (2000)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

The French ambient duo Air wouldn’t be where they are today without Sofia Coppola. The director’s decision to include the band’s songs on her movie soundtracks – including The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation and Marie Antoinette – gave them unprecedented exposure. For The Virgin Suicides, Air also got the green light to develop the music score, which got the attention of critics and is considered one of the finest scores composed in the modern era.

There are a couple of relatively well-known tracks on it, including “Playground Love” and “Highschool Lover”, but the whole score is worth listening to from the opening track to its closer, “Suicide Underground”. The spoken word narration on this track adds a gravitas that cannot be achieved by standard vocals. Air’s meandering bass line, acoustic guitar and mesmerizing synth notes offer a sterile backdrop for the words to soar on top of. It’s not a standout Air track by any means, but it’s a powerful end statement for an exceptional music score.

“Fleeing from the house, we forgot to stop at the garage.”

"ROSE QUARTZ" TORO Y MOI (2013)

For the next 30 days, I’ll be taking the #AprilAcrossAmerica challenge, picking one song a day as I make my way across the country and across genres at the same time.

Day 14: Columbia, SC

Continuing my journey down south with a stopover in Columbia. It’s Chaz’s hometown. Where he went to high school - and formed a band. He also stayed local for college, majoring in graphic design at the University of South Carolina, before turning his focus to music. These are not the kinds of sounds you expect to come out of the region. Chaz didn’t just borrow the template. He’s one of the first names I think of and associate with chillwave and ambient.

Toro y Moi has always surprised me with what he’s able to accomplish with a synthesizer, extracting sounds and arrangements I’ve never heard before. “Rose Quartz” is maybe one of the best examples of his experimental side. It explores. It grooves. The synth orchestration washes over you in one instance and delicately brushes past you in another. It’s one of those tracks that defies genre labeling because there’s simply nothing like it.

“And if I fall into the sea, don't let me go.”

"ALONE IN KYOTO" AIR (2004)

This month, I’m looking back at movies and tv shows to rediscover songs that graced the screen. The scenes and the music are inseparable. They’re engrained in our heads and our hearts. And they’re proof that the best music we have doesn’t exist in isolation. It attaches itself to a moment or an experience. #SceneSongs

Movie: Lost In Translation

The Lost in Translation soundtrack is a rare gem. It celebrates established revered acts like dream pop pioneers The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. It also gives us an early look at two bands – both from France, but representing opposite ends of the electronic spectrum. One is Phoenix on the synth pop side, the other is Air on the ambient side. My favorite track on the soundtrack is Air’s “Alone In Kyoto”.

“Alone In Kyoto” is a powerful reminder of the simplicity and beauty of an instrumental. With no lyrics to hide behind, every single note and texture is perfect. Every element is critical, not fluff. “Alone In Kyoto” took a classical approach to ambient, painting a rich, delicate soundscape that captured the feelings of isolation stewing throughout the movie, as Charlotte strolled by Kyoto’s beauty on her own.

"MEDITATION VI" SUFJAN STEVENS (2021)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Out of the pandemic came Sufjan Stevens’ most prolific recording era. Everything that has happened in the world, in many ways, left him speechless, which led to a comprehensive instrumental project. Convocations is 49 tracks long, representing the five stages of grief. There’s a lot to sink your teeth into there – and a lot to reflect on. But the Meditation series is my favorite because it suited the ambient music approach so well — and I’m especially drawn to “Meditation VI”.

Without any vocals and lyrics, “Meditation VI” and the entire Convocations project takes out one of Sufjan's strengths: storytelling. But in doing so, he invites the listener to explore his emotions — and helps us to examine our own. Like a space-age hymn, “Meditation VI” ushers us into the presence of something far greater than ourselves. It’s the kind of recording that feels like it needs a visual to accompany it. And then we realize that the whole point is Sufjan is inviting his listeners to discover that image on their own.

"ALONE IN KYOTO" AIR (2003)

Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.

The rarely mentioned Lost in Translation soundtrack is a bit underrated in my opinion. There’s some gold in there — with early Phoenix, a Jesus & Mary Chain staple and a My Bloody Valentine distortion fest. But my pick is an underrated song from an underrated soundtrack: Air’s “Alone in Kyoto”.

“Alone in Kyoto” is a powerful reminder of the simplicity and beauty of an instrumental. With no lyrics to hide behind, every single note has to be perfect. Every single note has to be critical, not fluff. “Alone in Kyoto” took a classical approach to ambient, painting a rich, delicate soundscape that captured the feelings of isolation stewing throughout the movie.