Tag: rateyourmusic

On other sites · update

10 years on, and where I’m at now

Moons And MelodiesLeave a comment
October 2016: first MAM post hence my first public post about music. The writing is bland as expected (and my typical blunt defensiveness of a Misunderstood Quirky 80s Singer got edited out LOL) but the taste in colors and use of Unico as a symbol endured.

Hello, long time no see. The truth is, I just haven’t been thinking of Moons And Melodies much these recent years. I’ve continued to make those personal comps even through those lowest points where the blog slowed, while my relation to writing complicated to the point I considered stopping or at least setting it aside.

Well, funnily enough I wound up jabbing at it again, at least sporadically; most memorably in a sort of comeback to Rateyourmusic’s front page with a review of an electronic project called Ova Looven, partly as tribute to the singer in light of his recent passing. I returned again this year to write about Siouxsie’s dizzyingly creative Kiss In The Dreamhouse – refreshing after so much forgetting to ‘talk more about her music’, LOL. I followed this with a longer look at Hyaena, if not for the front page. This relative contentment with my writing ‘voice’ seems to come in part from simply more maturity and mental clarity.

I realized ‘damn, maybe Moons And Melodies could have a surprise post or two’; I have all these new interests and all this evolution to show now. For one, there was ‘It’s Living Inside Me’, a mix for Vulpiano’s CAMP Radio series, which was a purposeful 180 into the most visceral, aggressive sounds to inspire me – Blanck Mass, M.E.S.H., and guitar distortion to name a few. I eventually reflected this with my Fangs tracks. Sadly, with Vulpiano on hiatus, I’ve had to release most newer songs by myself.

Image for It’s Living Inside Me

A surreal fact is that this October marked a decade since Moons And Melodies started. It’s hard to say how I feel about lots of old posts after changing so much but it’s certainly been a ride and led to many impactful connections. Either way I admit it’s been hard to have so much drive for truly reviving the blog; for one I never figured out how to get much traction here, and the platform for music writing seemed to grow more neglected. Maybe I wish I found more ‘peer’ blogs/writers for interaction. Like with my own music, I also lacked patience for the ‘promo’ side of things.. I’m not in this for ‘fame’ but it still gets tiring and empty to feel like you’re talking to a wall.

My RYM proved the more fulfilling place to share, as I wound up with some kind of following; beyond some reviews like mentioned, you’ll find many lists. One of which is actually my second-ever interview. Those who liked my posts (or songs) inspired by atmospheric synth styles may be interested by ~ memory in a bottle ~, which got over 100 likes (!) this year. With more going on IRL it’s again sporadic, but it represents the smarter successor to MAM. If the, what, five or six of you who see this happen to miss my posts then, I enthuse you to visit. Thanks again to all who’ve shown support.

On other sites · Playlist · Ultimate Box Set

RYM Ultimate Box Set – New Age Revival

Moons And MelodiesLeave a comment

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Cover Image: Soda Lite – In Eco, 2017

Main list here

Youtube playlist

The 10s saw a slow but steady resurgence from new age in a few different forms. The blossoming period was around 2015-2017. FACT called this story ‘how music’s most maligned genre finally became cool’. Eventually, Simon Raymonde wrote about it. While smaller than many other online-based genres in 2020, I can predict it’s growing. After all, the much-discussed resurgence in calming, nature-centric music is going strong.

To make my best summary, I’d call the revival a few loosely connected scenes in one. Like the original new age, it has a looseness and tendency for overlap. Common roots for these artists are 80s-90s retro culture, lo-fi tape scenes, ambient and psychedelia. Many older artists are long-time fans or collectors; others have experience with all-out meditation.

Finally I can share this, made on-and-off over a six-month period. For my second-ever entry in this popular RYM-birthed series, I put great effort into illustrating this loose, wipe-open ‘scene’. (Check out my first one on 80’s library music too.)

Main features:

  1. Intro explaining some origins and influences
  2. Two-part mix, made from popular or influential releases within the niche, plus a few personal faves
  3. A ‘further listening’ section: ‘close but not quite’ entries in the niche, compilations,  labels
  4. Many quotes and links for full immersion

It began a simple idea for fun; after all, this is super niche and deserves more interest. Given the surprising lack in canons and communities (I thought all small genres had a subreddit!) though? It got tricky to get ‘definitive’ enough. I had at least three moments bordering on giving up. I struggled to find a good collaborator on RYM, since not many users care about this music. The few who did weren’t so active, so I ‘finished’ it alone.

I figure smaller edits will come, then, but I’m surprised I cut this down and mixed it up as much as I did. So please, check this out and discover some new artists!