Every Moment Always Hanging By A Thread

Dora Jar “Puppet”

The arrangement of “Puppet” is very dynamic, with news sounds and ideas arriving every few measures in a way that gathers momentum and keeps the ear entertained, but not in a way that makes the music too busy or incoherent. (Having the song anchored by a groove that’s a cousin to the classic Krautrock motorik beat is a great way to glue it all together.) Dora Jar is singing about feeling untethered and in imminent danger, but the playfulness of her lyrical scenarios and the rush of energy in the chorus make it clear that the risk-taking is thrilling rather than fully terrifying. I’m particularly fond of how she stutters the first line of each verse, and the way she stops the song cold for a moment in the third verse as both a punchline and yet another way to get a fun bit into the song.

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Actress “Its Me (G 8)”

If you’ve been reading this site for some time you know that I’m a sucker for chopped up vocal samples that carry melody and emotion, but scramble the lyrics beyond comprehension. “Its Me (g 8)” is an extremely good example of this approach, particularly in how the vocal samples seem to expand and contract without ever becoming fully intelligible. I don’t recognize the sample sources but there are elements here that remind me a lot of what No I.D. did with Jay-Z’s “The Story of OJ.” It’s in the way a few bass notes unintentionally cohere into a minimalist bass line, and the way the music feels like it’s rewinding at points rather than looping.

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