The genre of Chillwave (or Glo-Fi):"Ride chill waves conjuring nostalgic images of youth."
5 replies, posted
Imagine a synthpop band from the 80s. There's a sort of lo-fi feeling to that conjured thought, a sort of nostalgia that we feel when we think back to music of past decades. Chillwave (or Glo-Fi) takes that feeling of nostalgia and translates it into music. It's like the Synthpop and New Wave of the 80s, only more filtered and lo-fi. It tends to use heavily filtered vocals with simple catchy melodies. It's weird, it's relaxing, it's fantastic.
I read once the perfect description of the genre. "Ride chill waves conjuring nostalgic images of youth."
Here are a few of my favourites of the many bands that could fall into this genre:
[quote]Neon Indian
Baths
Washed Out
Memory Tapes
Toro Y Moi
Moss of Aura
Wild Nothing
[/quote]
I love listening to Chillwave to wind down from a stressful day, or when wandering around downtown on a sunny afternoon. It's calming and magical. It's also a little weird, so you may end up hating it, but I love it. How about some examples for you to listen to yourself so you can form your own opinion?
Let's start out with one of my favourites, 6669 (I don't know if you know) by Neon Indian from the album Psychic Chasms, it's eerie, it's ethereal, it makes me feel like I matter, it makes a warm day even warmer. Check it out:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC6wxMDxzow[/media]
Up next is Hope by Moss of Aura. This tune starts out slow and melancholy and builds up with perfect pacing, perfectly conveying it's title. It maes me feel like I can do it, whatever "it" is. It makes me want to climb a mountain and listen to it again and again and again:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMQr1ydOdfo[/media]
Here's another favourite of mine. Hall by Baths from their album Cerulean. The simple melody coupled with the distant subtle synth parts layering themselves ever so gracefully over the irregular percussion track. This song brings with it a unique feeling that I have only felt from very few other tracks. Check it out
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJhgsrqTzSk[/media]
Do you like it? Do you hate it? Have any other bands that fall into this description? Lemme know, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I only like death metal and hardcore rap.
I think this is like the quintessential chillwave song. I'm pretty sure chillwave is people born in the late eighties/early nineties acting like they remember the late eighties early nineties. And boy was it golden and hazy and chill as fuck, apparently.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DkslcOhytU[/media]
This is my other favorite although it's a little more instrumental hip hoppy:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muMJtcXcM2c[/media]
I fucking love chillwave but I can't really listen to it until the summer again. Something about the lack of light/temperature in the winter makes me really picky and boring with my music.
Monomate is kinda like chillwave, but has a more noise/bitcrushy sound.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdrCaHzhEl0[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr6My6Tle5A[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5mqmSRcZJA[/media]
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, I would definitely classify them as chillwave
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc_CMLGkBuE[/media]
Also, @OP Neon Indian is awesome, thanks
I love Ariel Pink, and it definitely fits with the same kind of feel. I'm not sure I'd call them chillwave though. Chillwave tends to be more electronic and sample based, But the genre is super vague as it is so what the hell, let's through them in there.
Chillwave's definitely my genre right now. It has a profound neurological effect on my brain, and I feel almost sedated while listening to it.
My favorite artist mosdef is Toro Y Moi.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gqh4e1S6j0[/media]
I also got to go out to see Small Black 4 days ago, they were amazing live. Towards the end of their last song the let everyone get up on stage to dance. I was up there taking some photos.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorybernardjones/5558917823/][img]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5558917823_8fa9a6cdb9_m.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorybernardjones/5558917823/]Surreal[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/gregorybernardjones/]BernieBones[/url], on Flickr
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcQN8YCE4ts[/media]
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