Sex, War and Robots: Lorelle Meets The Obsolete

Showing posts with label Lorelle Meets The Obsolete. Show all posts

Friday, December 27, 2019

Top 30 Albums of 2019

30. Chat Pile - This Dungeon Earth EP

29. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - And Now for the Whatchamacallit

28. Guided By Voices - Sweating the Plague

<a href="http://marieesioux.bandcamp.com/album/grief-in-exile">Grief in Exile by Mariee Sioux</a>
27. Mariee Sioux - Grief in Exile

26. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats' Nest

25. Gruff Rhys - Pang!

<a href="http://chatpile.bandcamp.com/album/remove-your-skin-please">Remove Your Skin Please by Chat Pile</a>
24. Chat Pile - Remove Your Skin Please EP

23. Beck - Hyperspace

22. Pond - Tasmania

<a href="http://weyesblood.bandcamp.com/album/titanic-rising">Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood</a>
21. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising

20. Guided By Voices - Zeppelin Over China

19. The Desert Sessions - The Desert Sessions Vol 11 & 12

18. Guided By Voices Warp & Woof

<a href="http://exhexband.bandcamp.com/album/its-real">It's Real by Ex Hex</a>
17. Ex Hex - It's Real

<a href="http://feelsband.bandcamp.com/album/post-earth">Post Earth by FEELS</a>
16. FEELS - Post Earth

<a href="http://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/album/fishing-for-fishies">Fishing For Fishies by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard</a>
15. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Fishing for Fishies

<a href="http://robertforster.bandcamp.com/album/inferno">Inferno by Robert Forster</a>
14. Robert Forster - Inferno

<a href="http://themessthetics.bandcamp.com/album/anthropocosmic-nest">Anthropocosmic Nest by The Messthetics</a>
13. Messthetics - Anthropocosmic Nest

<a href="http://cherryglazerr.bandcamp.com/album/stuffed-ready">Stuffed & Ready by Cherry Glazerr</a>
12. Cherry Glazerr - Stuffed & Ready

<a href="http://xiuxiu.bandcamp.com/album/girl-with-basket-of-fruit">Girl with Basket of Fruit by Xiu Xiu</a>
11. Xiu Xiu Girl with Basket of Fruit

<a href="http://bigthief.bandcamp.com/album/two-hands-3">Two Hands by Big Thief</a>
10. Big Thief - Two Hands

<a href="http://obsoletelorelle.bandcamp.com/album/de-facto">De Facto by Lorelle Meets The Obsolete</a>
9. Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - De Facto

8. Thom Yorke - ANIMA

7. JPEGMAFIA - All My Heroes are Cornballs

<a href="http://bigthief.bandcamp.com/album/u-f-o-f">U.F.O.F. by Big Thief</a>
6. Big Thief - U.F.O.F.

<a href="http://carolinepolachek.bandcamp.com/album/pang">Pang by Caroline Polachek</a>
5. Caroline Polachek - Pang

4. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains

3. Angel Olsen - All Mirrors

<a href="http://bmblackmidi.bandcamp.com/album/schlagenheim">Schlagenheim by black midi</a>
2. black midi - Schlagenheim

1. Le Butcherettes - bi/MENTAL

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - De Facto

One thing I might not have noticed on my first listen had I not known already is that Mexican band Lorelle Meets The Obsolete's fifth album is sung entirely in Spanish. Lorena Quintinilla/Lorelle's vocals are typically half-whispered and placed low in the mix, so I have trouble understanding what she's singing anyway. This particular creative decision is a pointed response to the clusterfuck at the border. I don't speak Spanish, but "La Maga" doesn't need a translation.

2016's Balance introduced more streamlined songwriting to the band's palette; as in the past, and particularly on that album, elements of the band's songs are familiar, even radio-ready, but are used as springboards for songs with less conventional payoff. "Líneas En Hojas"'s bass line evokes "Billie Jean", but it's more of a trance than a floor-filler. "Resistir"'s chords would be at home as the intro to a garage rock song, but the song never progresses beyond them, instead gradually adding sound to ramp up the drama. De Facto walks a fine line, relatively immediate in its appeal without filing down the band's edges to the extent that it could be reasonably described as their "pop" album. It is both their strongest album melodically and their most abstract.