alternative

There’s nothing like a good sounding alternative rock band, especially when new instruments are added into the mix. The Cordial Sins had me hooked from my first listen to their debut release DAZE, which came out in early November. Combining the sounds of lead singer Liz Fisher’s vocals with a violin and a keyboard, along with the classic rock pairing of guitar/bass/drums, the sounds mix together to form something wonderfully hypnotic.

I can’t help but put play “The Fall” repeatedly. The violin combines with the keys to create a haunting yet compelling sound that is weaved throughout Fisher’s voice, taking moments to pull you in and to surprise you. By the time it’s over, you realize just how addicting it really is.

The lyrics aren’t anywhere to find so far, but one interpretation I have is that the song is a story about fallen people who have left their music to be remembered. I could be wrong, but I like to think that the violin is the song of the fallen people and Fisher’s singing is a person interpreting it in the present. It creates a story in my head that isn’t told through words but through the composition.

Of course, to each his own: for any interpretation, just be sure to let the strings take you away.

For her sophomore LP, New York musician Mitski has revisited her lush orchestral sensibility with a more self-assured and direct focus. The nine songs that make up Retired from Sad, New Career in Business are dynamic, ecstatic and anxious. Mixing out-of-the-norm orchestral sounds with electronics and ‘found’ sounds, the songs are never what you expect but always feel exactly how they need to be. Each harmonic twist and turn, each unexpected structural shift is perfectly calculated and just right. Lyrically, the album, in similarly vague and poetic ways to her first release, explores the anxieties and fears modern youth feel in regards to sex, growing up, and moving on.

To go along with the album, Mitski has also directed a music video for each song. She has been releasing them one at a time each week this summer, and she has four more to go. The videos are part of an overarching story line and you can check them out on her YouTube page.