I had to skip yesterday’s post. I was at work during the day, then spent the night watching Billy Idol & Steve Stevens perform in DTLA. I’ll get around to that show in the near future. But I just didn’t have any time to get anything written. And since I’ve been getting my rhythm back, in regards to the blog’s upkeep, I didn’t want to skimp on another day.
So I’ve spun the Spotify shuffle and landed on the Austrian ambient post-rock shoegaze duo named MOLLY. The name’s all caps, and probably stands for what you think it does. They don’t really say, but if you give their music a listen, it’s pretty obvious. There’s euphoria and bliss in plentiful quantities of sensory overload. And I bet it all sounds amazing when your rolling.
Anyway, referential substances aside, tonight’s offering is a little lo-fi gem titled “Glimpse.” This track is quite the unexpected journey … and at nearly nine dream-laced minutes, it is most definitely a journey. It begins with a hushed wail of feedback, a quiet tremble and screech of noise, that sounds like whistling banshees set to chill. It almost feels like this one could swing gothic and dark, but instead veers smoothly into 4AD-style vintage dream pop. As I said, not quite what I expected.
“Glimpse” almost feels like a cross between This Mortal Coil and early Red House Painters, both labelmates to the aforementioned legendary 4AD Records label. There’s a lazy calm about the sauntering rhythm, with melodic guitars chiming fluidly, while ethereal vocals glide spacious and soft.
But midway through, there’s a subtle shift in its foundation, the quiet screech of white noise churn slowly seeping back into the mix. It’s barely noticeable, but when it peaks, you can’t miss it. By song’s end, this one goes all-in on the wall of sonic feedback, full-frontal post-rock, heavy, loud and thunderous. It’s completely out of left field, yet feels remarkably organic and naturally earned. In many ways, this guitar grandeur reminds me of instrumental auteurs Mogwai, if they carried a bit more of that aural dream-pop aesthetic.
I’m gonna start the embeds with the music video for MOLLY’s chill pill of aural ecstasy “Glimpse.” Like the song, it’s a slow roll. But it’s the full slow roll, versus an excerpt. And this track really deserves your full attention from beginning to end. Plus, you get to watch some old dude row a boat, which I’m sure is a metaphor for something. Here’s the YouTube embed. Enjoy!
And if this one tickles the senses, here’s the Spotify embed to slip into your own playlists.
“Glimpse” from the 2017 EP “Glimpse.”
