Katie Stelmanis is always making political statements through her art, from her time with riot grrl band Galaxy to her more muted project, Austra. Stelmanis wrote Future Politics before the election results giving the album’s Inauguration Day release a looming and inescapable subtext. “I was kind of worried it wouldn’t be something that people would be interested in, or connect to… [but it’s] become more relevant than I could’ve ever imagined,” she told CBC.
Future Politics filters Austra’s previous sound. Pareing it down to produce straightforward, minimal music similar to club artists like Marie Davidson or Kate Wax. Even Stelmanis’ voice, capable of great force, sounds less operatic than deliberately hollowed-out.
While writing this album, Stelmanis was into science fiction and political manifestos—in particular, the Accelerationist Manifesto and Marge Piercy’s canonical Woman on the Edge of Time, a novel whose utopian visions reach its main character amid abuse and institutional detention. “It needed to have a purpose other than just my own ego,” Stelmanis said. And while Future Politics isn’t impersonal—throughout it runs an undercurrent of loss, partly the result of personal and professional departures in Stelmanis’ life—the album concerns itself primarily with the dark side of “the personal is political,” the slow parallel rot of self-contained depression and political turmoil. When the definition of disordered thinking resembles, so closely and measurably, a world increasingly disordered and unmoored from fact, what do you even do? How do you think? How do you begin to conceive a way out?
Despite all this, Future Politics is an optimistic album presenting solutions. First: self-care is important. “Deep Thought,” a minute-long, a cappella harp palpitation at the end of the record, is reminiscent of dream pop or chillout, or even ASMR—soothing genres. Second: make connections. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to write in a major key,” Stelmanis said (partly in jest) while touring Olympia, but “I Love You More Than You Love Yourself” accomplishes this musically and metaphorically, taking an idea last seen in dull dance backfill and turning it into an ode to redemptive love. “Utopia” has the album’s lushest arrangement, a whirlwind of chiming trance synths, cheery octaves and airy background vocals, and its most indomitably romantic lyric: “I only want to hold your hand my own damn life/I can picture a place where everyone feels it too.” It’s got the highest notes and most triumphant melodies of the album. It’s music to be escaped into, whether on dance floors or alone somewhere, filled with a little less despair.
Good morning! Nice read, that article. Is it yours, or does it originate with the CBC?
It’s heavily based on a pitchfork piece
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22796-future-politics/
Good morning! I have to admit, I didn’t love the new Austra, but Austra isn’t really my thing to begin with.
I also have always found what tunes I’ve heard from Austra to be somewhat monotonous, literally.
Good morning!
Nice horse.
An American woman who was in intensive care after having her jaw smashed at a gig has criticised violence at music shows.
Emily Hoffman says she was assaulted at a gig by Code Orange in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“Some guy was there who decided to wear steel toe boots.
“He round house kicked me in the face. He hit my jaw so hard that it moved the entire thing to one side breaking it in two places on each side,” Emily wrote on her Facebook page.
“When you hit someone in the face then you see her unconscious and you run off to not get caught. You’re something else, I really don’t have the words for what you are.”
The hardcore band say they’re talking to Emily and her family about what happened at their gig.
Read more
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38795567/us-fan-criticises-violence-at-gigs-after-having-her-jaw-broken-and-wired-shut
That’s a terrible thing to have happened at a show, but I’m trying to picture the circumstances. Were there so few people at the show, that steel-toe boots guy felt he had the room and ability to roundhouse kick to the music?
janet, they’re hardcore punk, so don’t look for feelings or self-checking of “abilities” in the (male) fans! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Orange_(band)
…or good judgment, or caring about others, etc…
Hmm, guess my lack of experience with hardcore punk shows is showing.
Good morning everyone! Just fired up the Austra playlist, it’s a good start.
Well, that’s tomorrows post created
Hooray!
Don’t get too excited, it will only increase the disappointment when you actually read it
Good article on Austra Garf. I will have to give it a listen. I haven’t been a big fan of Austra in the past but didn’t mind the song I heard last week.
The Austra stuff is alright… She is playing Holocene here in Portland on Feb 13. http://www.holocene.org/event/1379374-austra-portland/
I like when I hear Cdn Indie music being used when I am watching TV. On the weekend it was a song by Adaline I heard.
Thanks for the article and playlist, Garf!
alright, I’m listening. Long time no-visit. Thanks for the FB post, darbstar. 🙂
Hiya Centro and Fresh Ginger! Thanks for dropping in! 😀
Jeremy Fisher making lemonade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaHnIMKqHdI
hmmm. my two-bit analysis of the new Austra… dreamy, mellow, Bjork-ish. (Not gonna add it to my Faves list).
Julie Doiron & The Wrong Guys are on tour now. I don’t think I am going to make it on Wed night here in Regina but I would like to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX8tRaeC4To
Re Austra: There were a couple tracks I liked but overall not my thing.
Thank you for the facebook promotion DBS
I’m going bid you all a good night, I don’t know if I will be on here tomorrow but I should be back for a while on Wednesday
No problem Garf.
Is it Royal Canoe time? Have a great time if it is.
hmm. I guess Garf couldn’t put up that thing he prepared yesterday, or plain forgot to.
I am looking into it Benoit. The post is there and says it has been published but I can’t seem to figure out what the issue is yet. I have put a call out for the troops to help!
I got an email with this link in it this morning http://wp.me/p7OxQf-CB, but when I follow the link the page can’t be found.
It is there now! It just didn’t have a photo it seems.
When I clicked on Janet’s link, it did take me to the page and there was no photo at top. That clued me in. Thanks Janet.