더벅머리 (Messyhair) - Fruitiger Amplifier

 

Released: August 29

In what is ostensibly their first album, (Messyhair) takes on post-rock and shoegaze in a vaporwave-adjacent piece of work that is both warm and familiar as well as odd and novel. There is quite a bit of sampling used here, although it is not quite clear what is and is not sampled at times. But it’s all put together in an interesting package with plenty of late ‘90s and early ‘00s type of sounds that come across as sounding much like the ghosts of the past in their sonic treatments. “2006 goodbye” captures the essence of the album quite nicely, opening with soft synth pads and a gentle beat that starts out sparse and gradually comes into a fully fleshed out drum riff as near the end. “and never…” strikes a similar note and with the addition of indistinct vocal samples it comes across as a vague representation of that feeling of seeing a live band and trying to talk to your other people in attendance, trying to be heard above all the other noise. 

The album leans heavily into alternative rock and pop of the era it calls back to, including a few bits that reminded me heavily of some of my favorite (and some less than favorite) songs and general musical motifs popular at that time. The guitars on the album seem to be mostly live but sometimes sampled and looped depending on the track. “(Daydream)” is one of the few featuring extensive guitar riffs, with a primary riff hammering along with the rhythm while a brighter guitar part plucks out a minimalist but twangy bit of melody on top of it. This track was a little more difficult to place for me, but the extensive riffing and the looping synth melody makes it feel strangely like home. The final track, “over the summertime” is where that unplaceable sense of nostalgia comes in for me. There’s hits of nearly everything I enjoyed about pop/rock in the early 2000s, including that almost Gorillaz-like synth riff that comes in on top of an alternative rock rhythm that really drives everything forward. The whole album overall is great at combining these themes but the final track really wraps everything up quite nicely.