Pop Mythology Pop Mythology: Movie, Book, Comic reviews & commentary
As of the time where I am in East Asia, FAWM is now over, and I’m pleased to report that I have “won” it! That means I was able to do at least 14 songs during the month (as of this writing I’m at 19). Granted, I only wrote lyrics so it’s really not the same thing but considering that I started on Feb. 17 and had never written lyrics before, and that half the time I’m in a zombie-like daze due to ailing health, even my self-effacing self can say that’s pretty cool. Or as FAWMer @mattblick so amusingly put it, it was an “epic fail at just being a listener.”
For my picks this last week I applied the same rules on myself as the ones from Week 3: keep my commentary super short and don’t post more than one song per artist unless it’s a collaboration. Lastly, I’m not including any of my own songs in this article so as to allow more room for others’ but I’ll share mine in a separate post since I’m quite proud of them and it’s the least that my collaborators deserve.
Lastly, every week I keep telling myself I won’t include artists I’ve already covered repeatedly. But they keep going and writing awesome songs, doggone it. And once again, as many songs as I’ve got packed in here, it is still a woefully inadequate list. You just have to experience FAWM for yourself to see what I mean.
@adforperu @susyblue “Keeping UP Infinity”
Truly phenomenal production and sonic texturing with the inimitable voice of Susy Blue.
@bradbrubaker “Oh! No! Lost Out at Sea”
I’m guessing @bradbrubaker’s got a thing for the ocean if his two sea shanties in this year’s FAWM are any indication. I liked both of them (as well as all his other songs overall) but this one’s among my faves this week.
@burrsettles @deliciouspastries @goldeen “Precipice of a New Vibration”
The founder of FAWM and his fellow FAWMing buddies rock out in this terrific song that starts out like something from the 60s before leaping forward into 80s-era Jesus and Mary Chain territory.
@caterwauler @sapient “The Eternal Return”
Yes! The result of my artist-specific challenge to these two to do a song together. They even honored me by using a snippet of my lyrics in the process.
@caterwauler “Surcease”
Cat has taken me on a true journey this month, sonically and spiritually. This track brings her epic concept album to a fitting close while balancing some of its lighter and darker elements.
@celaphane “Saturn”
Reminds me of Enya in parts. Soothing and celestial.
@clioem “Serge’s Song”
A number of Clio’s songs have been influenced by classical music but this one is pretty much straight up classical (albeit within a sci-fi context). Rich and plaintive.
@debs @cowex “In Pieces”
Please just listen to this. It is magnificent and one of my all-time favorite things that Debs has worked on. And The Cow Exchange merely confirms why I immediately fell in love with his music. Click over and read the lyrics while listening as well.
@defaultdave “Donald Duck and His 4K Ton Death Machine”
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. 😉
@devin “Gravity”
Devin and I recently had a brief chat about the movie Gravity. I don’t know if that’s what inspired this song but it’s great and I love it when he does classical guitar.
@devin @leslie “Jedi Princess of Power”
Devin and Leslie have a geek band together called Copy Red Leader (whom we’ve reviewed on this site) and I sure hope this one goes into the next album. It rocks hard and makes me want to use my Force Headbang power.
@errol @pallidust “I Hear Your Song”
I raved over @pallidust’s rapping in my Week 2 post. And now I find out her singing voice—no, one of her singing voices—sounds like this too!
@fearlessflight2014 @mattblick “Where Did the Time Go?”
A jazzy tour-de-force lamenting the lack of time to write more songs. But if that’s what it takes to give birth to songs like this, I say make FAWM even shorter.
@gregthehero “Up”
Such an aptly titled song as “up” is exactly how it will make you feel. Supremely catchy. Nice work, Greg.
@hbusse “Sabbath”
Along with @debs’ “In Pieces” (see above), this song contains some of my favorite lyrics in this year’s FAWM: vivid imagery, deep spirituality and clarity at the same time. “I clothe myself in the thick garment of all that I do / It covers me up like a shield that protects me from who I might be.”
@jacobeverettwallace “Electric Frenetic”
Proof that cool titles can inspire cool songs. The artist says he was just at Starbucks getting some coffee when he suddenly thought of the title which gave birth to this song.
@jibbidy34 “No Matter”
Written to meet FAWM’s official “epic outro” challenge of Week 4, this song met the challenge and then some.
@juravial @johnny “Cowboy Pride”
Juravial’s singing and guitar here brought Mathew Sweet to mind, though Sweet probably wouldn’t write lyrics with such delightfully raunchy sexual innuendo as Johnny here has done. Try to catch what he means by “cowboy pride.”
@kiwafruit “Fatal Flaw”
Eminently lovely country folk by an artist who has expressed frustration at not getting more new songs onto FAWM. But I’d rather have three songs like these than 20 that aren’t.
@leslie @sapient “I’ll Take the Pyre”
Holy sweet Christ. Leslie unleashed with Sapient lending her dragon wings.
@leslie @sapient “You Can’t Touch Me Now”
Leslie in dragon form continues to incinerate everything in her path. Sapient just keeps fanning the flames, smiling.
@lexicon503 “Porcupine Pussy”
Um. Ouch?
@loveonamixtape “Chores: or the Joys of Living With an Anxious, Depressive Artist”
I found this to be a delightful take on something that anyone who’s ever lived with the moody, artsy type can relate to. There are a few noticeable mistakes but that’s what FAWM is about! You just get it done quickly and post it.
@mdavisto @sciren “Enemy”
Few things send me into as much ecstasy as when such evocatively socially conscious lyrics meet a phat groove.
@mdavisto @sciren “Amazing, Actually”
This is song is amazing, actually. I got goosebumps at 0:54. These two artists are among my happiest discoveries this FAWM.
@meriamber @errol “FAWM All Night”
The first collaboration between Errol and Meri Amber. Made me want to go out and buy a white pimp suit so I could hit the disco.
@meriamber “Film Strip”
This was a perfect kind of song for Meri Amber to cap off her remarkable 90s concept album for FAWM.
@nuclearbubblewrap “The Fault in Our Death Stars”
Lots of awesome song titles in this week’s picks. This one just might take the cake, though.
@robynmackenzie “Seriously, Cat, You Couldn’t Leave That Alone for One Second?”
This obviously speaks to anyone who’s ever owned a cat but it does in particular to FAWMers who own cats that won’t let them concentrate!
@saumera @zecoop “Junkitor” (feat. @bijoubasil)
Three FAWM heavy hitters show you what happens when you multiply awesome cubed.
@scarybearsoundtrack “Can’t Go Gluten Free”
My Lyme-specialist doctor says my immune system is making anti-gliadin antibodies and that I should eventually wean myself off gluten. I play him this song in response. Just kidding, I’m gonna do it. Just after I finish this entire baguette.
@sync “My Day Was Ok”
This one was tagged by the artist as “sappy buddhist psychedelic power ballad” which pretty much says it but only if “sappy” is meant in a good way.
@tcelliott “Look in the Mirror”
Is it just me or does this song do something super cool and unexpected at 0:55? All of a sudden it feels like reggae and yet the elements of that were already there in the beginning of the song, somewhat concealed.
@tesla3090 @cairobraga “Infinity”
Using @cairobraga’s philosophical lyrics @tesla3090 flexes his ambient muscles and creates this thing of beauty.
@the3queens “I’m in It for the Love”
Wonderfully catchy and poppy. Don’t you dare press “stop” before the song ends or you’ll miss the golden moment at the end.
@valeriecox @cindyrella “Skinny Dip Cove”
Valerie Cox’s voice is muscular and sexy as hell. Here she perfectly captures the sense of carefree freedom of @cindyrella’s lyrics.
@vomvorton @owl “Et in Arcadia Ego”
Two of my favorite FAWMers collaborate in a dreamily beautiful song. Dig that weird sounding thing in the beginning, whatever that is.
@wickedmessenger1 “I’ve Never Fought in Another Man’s War”
I love songs like this that tell an old story. They stir something in me that I’d almost swear were the ghostly remnants of a past life.
@wyatt @marvsmooth “Dirt and Gravel”
A simple song celebrating the simple life. @wyatt is one of the lyricists on FAWM who has encouraged my own late, spontaneous foray into lyric-writing and I’m happy to feature one of his songs.
@yellowgrassband “Put Some Pants on Your Jesus”
Put some pants on Jesus and keep Jesus out of bed. Sound advice funnily delivered in a nice melody.
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