I was settling into the remainder of my evening when I heard the emotionally moving “Angelene” on one of my playlists. I poked around the web a bit, only to discover this Bay Area (as in San Francisco) band tragically ended, when member Cash Askew died in the infamous 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland. That’s terrible.
Turns out remaining member Kennedy Ashlyn chose to honor her legacy by completing a number of unfinished Them Are Us Too songs, releasing them under the title “Amends.” I’m really glad she did. Because this material is exceptional. And the track “Angelene” is a shining example, overflowing with aural melancholic beauty, and evoking dream-like ambience through elegant cascades of airy synths and softly percussive rhythms.
I’ve been listening to this one over and over as I’m writing this post, and I’m really falling in love with it. I realize it’s marked by an underlying tragedy. But at it’s core, there’s a certain optimism and hope. And I think we can all use a little bit of that in our lives.
“Angelene” from the 2018 album “Amends.”
