The Light That Comes From A Smile

Monster Rally & RUMTUM “Raindrops”

I’m not sure what song is being sampled here, but I love the way Monster Rally and RUMTUM bend this honey sweet voice so it forms a coherent phrase – “heaven offers the raindrops.” It’s like those activity book games where you fold the paper so different lines connect to reveal an answer. It fits perfectly into the music too, in which the atmosphere of it and the shifting elements recall the uncertain weather just after humidity breaks and produces a sudden summer rainstorm. It’s an interesting sensation, like “oh, so this is what relief feels like.”

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Patience “White On An Eye”

It’s funny, this is essentially retro early 80s synth pop – the New Order and Vince Clarke fandom is right out in the open – but it makes me nostalgic for the early days of this site in the early ‘00s, when embracing this aesthetic was fresh and a bit contrary. “White Of An Eye” sounds like the work of someone who has immersed herself in early New Order and late ‘80s twee UK indie to the point of completely internalizing the best artistic instincts of that music. It’s an exceptionally charming tune, and structured for the ideal balance of cuteness, angst, and bop-ability.

Buy it from Bandcamp.