Nothing is cooler than the deep cut. The University Times have dug through the virtual crates of Spotify and found three artists with 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify to ease your TikTok malaise, and make your friends think you’re the protagonist of a Nick Hornby novel.
Acetone
Acetone was a three piece band formed in Los Angeles during the early 90s. Labelling themselves as an alt-rock band, they recorded four albums and one EP before disbanding after the suicide of frontman Richie Lee. The band achieved minimal commercial success during their time together, but have experienced a noticeable resuscitation in the collective consciousness of music fans following the release of a sixteen song compilation album by the Seattle-based reissue/archival label Light In The Attic in 2017.
Their sound is languid and smooth, it drags you into a swampy sedation- akin to the softer sections of The Velvet Underground’s discography. Acetone is undoubtedly subdued and dreamy, but there is a discernable melancholy to their music that you don’t catch on your first listen. ‘Pinch’, from their debut album, documents Richie Lee’s experience of heroin withdrawals, ‘This is not a joke/ There’s nothing in my mouth/ but I feel like I’m gonna choke’. This is accompanied by guitarist Mark Lightcap’s jagged yet slick progressions and the punchy drums of Steve Hadley.
You can hear echoes of Neil Young’s Zuma and the sun-soaked sadness of The Beach Boys (Acetone released their last two records on the former’s label Vapor Records), but comparisons to Acetone are futile. No one really sounds like them. A friend introduced the band to me in February, I haven’t stopped listening since.
Evanora Unlimited
Evanora Unlimited is the project of 25 year old Orion Ohana (also known under the aliases Marjorie -W.C. Sinclair and housepett) . Ohana’s music is difficult to place into a genre, it jumps from hardcore to noise to industrial-electronic to rap. His youth is intrinsic to his appeal, everything about Evanora Unlimited feels new. Ohana is wading into undiscovered sonic territories.
Ohana has described his music as being ‘birthed from doing too much molly’. There is a frenetic quality in every aspect of his artistry. He paints his face with blood for his live shows. His videos are disjointed and hypnagogic. The son of two DJs, he spent his earliest years at their raves, in a dog bed behind the speakers of the booth.
Alsace Lorraine
Named after the north-eastern region of France, Alsace Lorraine were a three piece Synth-pop band active during the early 2000s. The band cycled through three vocalists over two albums, recording their second record entirely with Argentinian singer Isol. Isol, previously a member of Entres Rios, is primarily an illustrator for children’s books.
Listening to Alsace Lorraine, you can feel this- the band has a very tangible sense of whimsy to their music. Their songs are sweet and jangly, while also being laconic and airy. Featuring lyrics about passing notes and writing with chalk, and songs titled ‘Summer Days at Home’ and ‘Name Etched In Home-Room Chair’. Alsace Lorraine conjures a dreaminess and a nostalgia that is almost painfully pretty.
