Here at Tape Mtn. HQ we have been listening to a lot of the newish Kiss Hello* album Summerdata. I got a chance to see and play with these guys on my most recent trip to LA and now the album is here in massive digital form. Take it in slowly.
Certain themes come up repeatedly - loss, love, loss of love. Lyrics pop in and out and are repurposed. "Summer" is in the title (good title), but the vibe is autumn melancholy to my ears. Holding on. A data dump about past summers more than experiencing summer in the moment. "Someone's Life Has Just Begun" explains this vibe better than I can say it.
There's some really impressive musicianship here. How-did-they-do-that moments like the prog-adjacent epic "Western/Whatever." Over-the-top guitar solos when they are called for.** Detail to get lost in. Some moments of wabi-sabi that I appreciate. It gets genuinely dark in spots.
I have some theories on album sequencing that I've been working on since I was in elementary school:
- One of them is that the next-to-last track on an album needs to be the most vulnerable one, the track where you've established trust and you need to get it out and take the most risks before wrapping things up with a bow on the final track. This album does not disappoint on that front. Penultimate track "Awful Bliss" is the sound of the protagonist falling apart and melting in the rain, while
- Final track "PSLGO" does wrap things up with a shiny pop bow sonically, but leaves the listener on the ostensibly unanswered question "You turned to me and asked do you love me?" Good trick.
- One rule of mine that IS violated, however, is that the track "1717" is track #16. If there is a number in a track title, do what you need to do to make it work.
You may find that you enjoy certain stretches more than others. You may find that you are happier if you burn a CD with certain songs and listen to it that way. That's what I did. I treated it like Julio Cortázar's Hopscotch, with more than one acceptable path through the tracks.
Bonus points for Very Ned liner notes from Friend of Tape Mtn. Ned R.
*Obligatory conflict of interest note: I have known Friend of Tape Mtn. KH Linus for essentially his entire life
**The official Tape Mtn. Secret Blog position is that over-the-top guitar solos are a good idea
