Pieces of Thought: Torn Hawk selects

 
Music

Luke Wyatt’s music is not but one thing, it channels a variety of influences and inspirations. Some of these are musical, some are not. 

For many years he has released music, previous outings have been for the likes of Ron Morelli’s infamous label L.I.E.S, Mexican Summer, Not Not Fun Records and Unknown To The Unknown amongst others. Each of his records have represented a different sense of musical style and identity. Now in the present he describes his relationship with music and creativity, referencing his thought processes and the tracks which have helped formulate such a broad background in sound. All of this as he releases a new album called “Here Comes language” on Valcrond Video. 

“This “playlist” will not make sense as something most people would want to play through. These songs just represent different pieces of my thinking that I usually hold in balance when I approach making music. There could be 1000 other songs instead of these; I’m not good at pulling fancy references off the top of my head, or even when I think really hard. I’m more attracted to convincing weirdos that Elton John’s “Sacrifice” is important than pushing obscure gems, that’s easy.  And I do enjoy writing this kind of bullshit, I’m not complaining.”

Buy the new album HERE

Ymo- Wild Ambitions

I played the fuck out of YMO 10 years ago so sometimes can’t listen anymore but have to acknowledge that they are a core template as I move towards making vocal music. This might be my favorite song of theirs, it’s got everything. Find out for yourself, I don’t like describing music with words. I’m reading a biography of the architect Louis Kahn and it’s pissing me off because you can’t write about buildings either, you just have to go be inside, and outside of them.

  • Ymo- Wild Ambitions

    I played the fuck out of YMO 10 years ago so sometimes can’t listen anymore but have to acknowledge that they are a core template as I move towards making vocal music. This might be my favorite song of theirs, it’s got everything. Find out for yourself, I don’t like describing music with words. I’m reading a biography of the architect Louis Kahn and it’s pissing me off because you can’t write about buildings either, you just have to go be inside, and outside of them.

  • Sloan - Marcus Said

    Sloan opened for The Lemonheads at the first real show I ever went to at 13, I had already bought their cassette, they were just OK live, I don’t really remember actually. I had an aspirational crush on Evan Dando so that was what I was paying attention to that night. I’m just telling you they were involved with this special silly event in my early musical life. Anyway this album is not bad as long as you can’t quite tell what they are singing. I still dig the production of this song and had it in secret heavy rotation recently. Nothing to be too embarrassed about.

  • Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name

    This is the only song I do at Karaoke bars. The climax features me doing pushups during the end “Fuck You I Won’t Do What You Tell Me” while I yell that into the mic which is usually bouncing on the floor under my chest— I gotta do one arm pushups and kind of switch hands to grab the mic and yell into it on time. I talk-sing about this spectacle at the end of “The Big Unfollow”, a track on my new album.

  • Group Home - Serious Rap Shit

    This might have my favorite snare sound of all time, maybe not of all time, but that’s how I feel right this minute. It snaps and thwacks with such slouchy aggression, it’s the best. And that synth bass sound or whatever is so nasty and juicy with the perfect level of unfidelity. This whole album is amazing and so inspiring texturally and in terms of vocal cadence and placement. The productions have the perfect amount of empty space to enforce a groove.

  • Def Leppard - Animal

    You probably don’t like this one. People, give it a chance. When I was a preteen I was a real snob about Def Leppard. I still think it’s a stupid band name. The drummer had one arm and still managed to beat up his wife, that’s not cool. Verify that, I might just be spreading rumors. But this song is fucking good. I am an animal, you are an animal, why not get into the idea for four minutes. I walk around NYC on rainy nights listening to this hanging off scaffolding doing half-ass pull ups. I mentioned both pull ups and pushups earlier in this thing, don’t get the wrong idea about me, I’m just a gentle dorky animal.

  • Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Ship Song

    I never really gave post-Birthday Party Nick Cave a chance because a bunch of lame people I knew were into him and he had this odor of literary pretension that seemed to crowd out the purely musical but just a couple weeks ago I listened to him for the first time, no lie, only because I read some things he wrote on his blog that I was impressed with, where he stood up for truth and nuance against the idiotic policers of correct behavior. So I gave his music a shot because I vibed with words he wrote that had nothing to do with music— I was attracted by an aspect I complained about earlier in this paragraph. I like this song.

  • Idaho - Skyscrape

    I don’t advocate any other album by Idaho. It seemed like they went in a less shattered, too songwritery direction later, who knows, I’m not an expert. But the guitars on this album still fuck with me. I love their ambiguity. I’m talking about the feedbacky leads. They kind of make statements but more just melt, hanging out in midair. I like the stark strumming of the “rhythm” guitar too. I think the guitar the guy had was missing some strings on purpose. I missed “The Queen’s Gambit” on purpose, I have no interest. But I support and applaud humans making things they are passionate about. I’m a positive guy.