Artist: Ural Mountains
Track: Lack of Slackers
Music Video: Kamikaze
Genre/s: Indie/Shoegaze/DreamPop
Today’s joint track of the day and music video of the day is from Shoegaze/DreamPop artist Ural Mountains who hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the first half of my blog, I review the single, ‘Lack of Slackers’. In the second half I review the music video ‘Kamikaze’ in both music and visual terms. The links to both single and video are at the end. With that all said, let’s go!
Lack of Slackers (single): This song starts with a relaxed, dreamy bounce, as twinkling, lullaby guitars and uniquely creative drum patterns underpinned with probing bass shimmy in. The vocals drift into the tune, quite clear in the mix, but both gentle and otherworldly. This tune is lovely and unhurried, as it meanders and eddies. The soft melody is hypnotic and memorable and other pretty instrumentation grows on the track as it effortlessly flows. There’s hints of the Avant-Pop of Stereolab and maybe even the mellower tunes of Alternative Rock band, Luna. However, Ural Mountains creates a soundscape that is like no other. There’s not any fuzz, nor over-reliance on guitar pedals, merely a keen ear for a melody and a gentle, thoughtful and creative delivery of all instruments.
Kamikaze (Music Video): Discordant piano wire guitar and effects serve as an intro, before a Sonic Youth-esque rhythm kicks in. It’s led by the guitar, with the bass and drums providing texture and dynamics. Compared to ‘Lack of Slackers’, this is a harder edged, moodier track. The vocals have a rhythmic annunciation to them, similar to two completely different reference points that sprung to mind. One is the softer moments of vocal delivery by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana- aping the confidence a poet has when they are reading out their own work. The next reference point is of the vocal delivery of Rappers who are influenced by Jazz music, such as the late US MC, Guru. It’s the flow of the vocals, acting almost percussively, that makes me think of these examples. Throughout, there’s a second, more echoey and almost Alternative-Country and Blues flavour guitar. Percussion is at the heart of the song, as guitars and bass have that driving, kinetic sound and form. This song is haunting, the riffs memorable and there is the spirit of Indie legends, Radiohead somewhere, inhabiting the tune. The drum-like flow throughout this tune is it’s strength, creating mood and atmosphere as it glides on.
The video itself is well shot and edited, plus it’s full of striking visuals. Golden Gas-masked characters and images of social unrest, industrialisation and urban decay relentlessly fire at the viewer. These images sit well with the music, adding to the sense of brooding unease and moodiness, conveyed perfectly as a creative package of sight and sound.
Listen to ‘Lack of Slackers’ (single) by Ural Mountains: https://open.spotify.com/album/4iWB7sHNTi28p7UQh3pBsH
Watch the music video for ‘Kamikaze’: https://youtu.be/bmZzQZKNqyU
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