Tag Archives: MinaWiebe

Billie Eilish’s 2019 “Bury a Friend” – An Homage to Horror

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By Mina Wiebe

In an eerie blend of pop and horror, Billie Eilish’s new track “Bury a Friend”—for the lack of a better term— gave me the heebie-jeebies. Usually I’d refrain from describing a song as “creepy” because it’s such a vague and indeterminate descriptor, but this song is creepy. It starts out with this low, jittery beat with an almost immediate lead-in to Eilish’s airy falsetto. Her vocals are layered over the faint sound of an incredibly deep voice singing the same lyrics, which creates this unsettling rumble.

At this point, you’re intrigued by the appeal of Eilish’s sweet and airy tone, but don’t be fooled by her angelic pitch—this is by no means your average radio-bop. There’s a brief break of total silence after Eilish sings “[w]hen we all fall asleep, where do we go?” and a man’s voice eerily whispers “come ‘ere” followed by a sharp, piercing screech.

Half of what makes this song so creepy is the deep, rattling beat that plays throughout, accompanied by an array of familiar horror movie sound effects. A third of the way in there’s this low, showstopping rumble that sounds like something you’d hear in a slasher movie as the killer approaches his attractive yet oblivious female victim.

To me, this song is one big, gorgeous homage to the horror genre. It’s clear that the song is heavily influenced by it, and my hunch was confirmed when I watched Eilish’s music video for the track. A demon-eyed Eilish is seen hiding under an unsuspecting victim’s bed, as well as floating dramatically midair in a poorly lit, dingy hallway. It doesn’t get any more horror than that.

The other large component of creepiness for this track, is Eilish herself. Her soft and delicate vocals juxtapose the harsh horror sounds, conforming to one of the genre’s most utilized strategies of pairing creepy music with an innocent, child-like voice. As an avid scary-movie watcher, I can appreciate a song that is simultaneously catchy and bone-chilling, so for me this is a win. I’m incredibly excited to see what the rest of her album is like when it comes out in March.

Lana Del Rey’s “Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have” (2019)

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By Mina Wiebe

Yet again, Lana Del Rey has managed to outdo herself in what I find to be one of her best tracks to date. Recently she released “Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like me to Have”, a teaser-track for her upcoming album “Norman Fucking Rockwell”, and the song is stunning. (But I mean, with a title that long, it had better be).

The song is incredibly cynical, with the title being one of the central lyrics of the piece; it sets you up to realize that this isn’t going to be one of Lana’s more playful songs. She delves into her internal struggles in which she relays her battle with fame, death, narcissism, and a handful of other issues. The minimalist piano accompaniment was in my opinion a perfect artistic decision for the song because it provides necessary breathing room from these dark subjects.

To my delight, the track is absolutely layered with my favourite “Lana” characteristics. There’s drama, melancholy, and best of all, every time I listen to it I never fail to get chills—all signs of a good Lana track. She’s no stranger to the theatrics of music, whether it be through her dark lyrics or captivating voice, and this song is no exception. You’re presented with her usual haunting vocals, and there’s also an added soulful richness that I’ve definitely heard in her previous songs, but never to this extent. Her singing is simultaneously delicate and strong, and you hear this intense longing in her voice that is somehow both innocent and scarred.

If melancholy were a sound, it would be Lana’s voice—perhaps this song specifically.

Although I credit Lana’s vocal abilities as being the primary source of the song’s hauntingly beautiful resonance, like for any recording artist, there’s some editing and vocal effects involved. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing—in fact, I think her sound really benefits from the addition of the slight echoing effect found in many of her other songs. It creates that iconic, angelic tone that Lana is so known for and it’s applied beautifully in this track.

Choosing this track for early release was smart—it’s captivating, and I’m excited to experience the album to its full extent. But now the bar is set high, and I’m hoping this won’t be the album’s only crown jewel.

Open Mic Night? Pass the Booze

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By Mina Wiebe

“Ugh, an open mic night? Do they at least sell booze?”—these were the first words out of my boyfriend’s mouth when I invited him to come with me to the Green Bean Café’s live music event. Suffice to say, I took that as a solid “no”.

Let’s face it, open mic nights don’t exactly have a reputation for being riveting musical experiences. I’ve called it “pretentious karaoke” in the past because quite frankly, they’ll usually let anyone up on stage. The Good, the bad, and the really bad. But as a lover of live music (and a lover of being stubborn as all hell), I was determined to find a talented example of the night’s lineup to prove him wrong. Out of this, I stumbled across Ron Leary.

I looked the local self-proclaimed folk artist up on Spotify and found myself charmed by the singer’s smooth vocals. He sang about lost love, a past of drinking, and other melancholic subjects that hooked me. I found myself listening to him on repeat until the night of the show, and armed with the ammunition I needed, I suddenly found myself with an optimistic tag-along.

The Green Bean Café is a cozy and quirky hangout favored by local university students. Oddly enough it’s located in a church basement but aside from the exterior architecture, you’d never know. The walls are decked out in charming fairy lights, abstract art, and other zany décor. A buzz of conversation fills the room with that recognizable warm, fuzziness that comes with the comforting atmosphere of a typical, local café.

We initially settled for the two seats closest to the stage, which I soon realized would create for a somewhat awkward experience since we were a mere three feet from where the singers were set to perform. Not wanting to be that cozy, we opted to move back a table. No sooner had we begun to sip our foamy drinks, had Leary plugged in his acoustic guitar and announced he was going to start off the night with a few tunes. And start off the night, he did.  

Pen and notepad at the ready, I almost immediately pushed them aside once Leary began to sing. While the others around us chose to continue typing away on their laptops and chatting amongst their friends, I gave my full attention to the stage. His sweet, breathy voice captivated my attention, and without hesitation I began to sway to the music.

Compared to what I had listened to over the past week, there was a noticeable difference in the performance; my company agreed, going so far as to lean over and whisper (and I quote), “well damn”. Whether it was due to my crappy headphones, or the fact that I was accustomed to Leary’s vocals accompanied by a mixture of guitar, drumming and banjo rather than the presently minimal acoustic guitar, we were surprised by a newly recognizable richness and depth in his vocal performance. In true folk style, his old-timey vocals were almost bouncy with varying pitches and shifting levels of raspy undertones.

As Leary transition into his second song of the night “Baby I’m No Good”, I clapped enthusiastically in recognition of my favourite song from his album “Tobacco Fields”. Again, I noticed a sharp difference from what I had grown used to on Spotify. The live use of a simplistic acoustic guitar left so much smore space to notice the texture and passion in Leary’s voice, and I appreciated the setup in its ability to allow his singing to be at the forefront. While the recorded layering of instruments and vocals was splendid, there was a certain raw crispness that begged me to listen during the live performance.

Leary ended up playing a set of five songs to open for the rest of the night’s performers, briefly interacting with the crowd in between. While I was annoyed by the lack of crowd response, it was also endearing to see that the passion still continued to ring in his voice. Open mic night or not, he gave a performance that I’d happily enjoy sober any day of the week.

Toro y Moi’s “Ordinary Pleasure” (Outer Peace, 2019)

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By Mina Wiebe

Oddly enough, this funky tune pulls you in with bongos—yes, bongos—before layering the beats with basslines. I was unsure how to feel at first, mainly because I was confused; it felt like a hippie drum circle had been interrupted by some groovy, 70’s disco band. But within seconds the rhythms became cohesive, and suddenly the two instruments thrived off one another.

The song is a toe-tapper at the very least, and I wouldn’t put it past listeners to want to dance to this bubbly tune. But labeling it as a mere “dance-song” doesn’t quite feel complete. The bounciness of the bass paired with the smooth and cool vocals of Chaz Bear (also known by his stage name Toro y Moi) creates this strange yet fascinating strain that is simultaneously upbeat and laid-back.

Sure, it’s a song you can dance to (my mind immediately imagines John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever” doing his disco finger dance—you know the one I’m talking about) but it’s also a song I’d be content to listen to on a road trip or a casual hangout with friends over drinks.

The seemingly effortlessness behind Bear’s satiny voice makes you listen to the lyrics. The repetitive “Maximize all the pleasure, even with all this weather/ Nothing can make it better” initially confirms the idea that it’s strictly a dance-song; the singer himself is telling you to maximize your pleasure, and as the perky bass plays you can’t help but take pleasure in dancing along.

But as Bear’s smooth voice continues to earn your attention, the singer delves into some deeper topics when he examines a contemporary world that is too loud and “[m]akes it hard for [him] to feel what [he’s] thinking”. When you actually listen to the lyrics, you almost question if you should be dancing to it.

I can’t tell if Bear is telling us to ignore dark feelings by maximizing our pleasure, or if he believes the two simply coexist as a part of our reality. Regardless, the track seems to embrace a disenchanted world with an optimism relayed through disco.

Deerhunter’s “Death in Midsummer”

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By Mina Wiebe

Back in 2011 you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing that one song by Foster the People—you know the one I’m talking about. “Pumped Up Kicks” was this smooth indie/pop- psychedelic tune that pulled you in with an upbeat drum and an oh-so-catchy chorus. I remember how obsessed everyone was with it, but I also remember that (seemingly) out of nowhere, people suddenly realized that the song was about a school shooting, and they were pissed. What amazes me to this day is that people were so shocked; the song doesn’t exactly hide its meaning—this wasn’t a moment of reading in between the lines. “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks/ You’d better run, better run, out run my gun” pretty much speaks for itself.

I get it though, I do. You hear the allure of upbeat instrumentals and vocals, and your brain automatically assumes it can rule out the possibility that the song is about such a dark topic. This is exactly what happened to me when I listened to the first track from Deerhunter’s newest album.“Death in Midsummer” is a track that tackles the dark existentialism behind the inevitability of death, and strangely enough it’s accompanied by an upbeat harpsichord. By title alone, I suppose I should have expected the dark themes, but my expectations were totally blurred by the delicate twinkling of the instrument and lead singer Bradford Cox’s smooth and bright vocals. When I finally listened closely to hear lyrics such as “[y]our friends have died/And their lives, they just fade away” along with “[a]nd in time/ You will see your own life fade away” I was shocked to say the least. Unlike the furious “Pumped Up Kicks” fans however, I didn’t feel a sense of betrayal. On the contrary, I was wildly amused at Deerhunter’s ability to mess with my expectations.

The harpsichord is definitely the song’s pièce de résistance, and it’s accompanied by simple keyboard playing and much-needed drumming. I say “accompanied” because it honestly feels like the rest of the music (aside from the vocals) is accompanying the harpsichord; it’s quite literally the first thing you hear, and it remains a focal point for the remainder of the song. Not to mention it provides a necessary lightness to the grim lyrics, almost acting as a counterbalance to the heaviness of the existential dread. The burst of drumming later in the song is absolutely necessary though, and I was relieved they brought it in when they did; as much as I enjoy the  unique sound that the harpsichord produces, the unchanging melody and rhythm would have been overwhelming on its own.

Most importantly though, the harpsichord does for “Death in Midsummer” what the upbeat drumming and vocals does for “Pumped Up Kicks”: the lyrics hide behind the bounciness of the sound, but once realized, blow your mind and remind you to pay attention to the damn song.