Late last month, Will Wiesenfeld released two volumes of previously unreleased and remastered Baths tracks titled Pop Music / False B-Sides. These collections of odds and ends come three years after Wiesenfeld’s brilliant 2017 LP Romaplasm – one of our favorite albums of all time. Although I admit I can be somewhat skeptical (and, let’s be honest, afraid) of the effects of constantly evolving technology, which steers me away from highly synthetic instrumental and ambient tracks, I absolutely adore glitch pop like that of Baths. Upon reflection, I think it’s ultimately because I can still hear the faintest traces of humanity and vulnerability lingering in the nooks and crannies of even the most computerized and manipulated instrumentals, those little moments where human emotion is able to prevail just for a moment before returning to the synthetic effects and flourishes. The tension between these extremes always succeeds in beautifully redefining what music can be – something that constantly and proportionally challenges both your head as well as your heart.
Out of the tracks with lyrical narratives, personal favorites “Tropic Laurel” and “Be That,” both from part II, not only gorgeously capture the above sentiments, but also Wiesenfeld’s immense skill in composition. In talking about humanity and vulnerability, “Tropic Laurel” seems to evoke the former, existing as a stunning, heartwarming narrative about imagining one’s future child (“My kid does all the things I thought about/ Runs into nature as I chase her down/ Here’s a crown I found of laurel leaves/ Queen of all the things in sunbeams / Anoint me”). Wiesenfeld’s vocals are genuine and honest, heavy with pure sentimentality in the midst of sharp, jagged synth. You can almost see the sunlight piercing through the trees, you can almost perceive the scent of pine, the feel of moss under your feet.
“Be That,” on the other hand, evokes the latter, with an empathetic, vulnerable tone to both the throbbing, pulsating synth and the narrative on the oscillation between shameless yearning and stable self-respect when it comes to romance and relationships. The most beautiful moments are where the synth floor falls through and Wiesenfeld is left suspended alongside orchestral instrumentals (and even banjo) as he ruminates over his thoughts and feelings. He explains that while “I wish I could be that,” for the other person, that “I lack the love you have,” he insists repeatedly that “I feel it/ I feel it/ I do,” the words growing, as is the case with all of Baths’s music, more and more precious and real each time they’re repeated.
Pop Music / False B-Sides I & II is out now.
P
photo courtesy of artist
kid with a vinyl 