{"title":"Genre - Indie \/ Folk \/ Pop","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"arthur-russell-calling-out-of-context","title":"Arthur Russell ‎- Calling Out Of Context","description":"\u003cp\u003eLike Another Thought, released ten years prior, \u003cem\u003eCalling out of Context\u003c\/em\u003e stitches together an hour's worth of songs left behind by the late, increasingly known - and therefore unceasingly beloved - Arthur Russell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to liner notes from Audika's Steve Knutson, the content here pulls from a finished 1985 album that never made it past the test-pressing phase, along with an unfinished LP that was recorded and toyed with throughout the latter half of the '80s and the dawn of the '90s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the multiple sources, the consistency of the tracks - which all carry a hazy, memories-of-events-that-never-happened feel - and the sympathetic sequencing make the disc seem more like a proper album than a vault-clearing compilation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're familiar with the sound that Russell and his accomplices made on singles like \"Let's Go Swimming\" and Indian Ocean's \"School Bell\/Treehouse,\" you'll be familiar with the sound here. On these recordings, Russell (who plays cello, guitar, keyboards, and percussion) is joined primarily by Mustafa Ahmed and Peter Zummo, and the three of them produce an abstract cross between pop and R\u0026amp;B, constructed with drum machines and more organic instrumentation on top. None of these songs woo a crowd of dancers as so many of Russell's short-lived aliases did before; instead, they're more rooted in song-based pop. This goes for the structure of the tracks, and it also goes for the subject matter of the lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the greatest joys of listening to these songs is the regular presence of Russell's gentle, somewhat timid voice, which delivers one heartwarming line after another. If you're thinking this might possibly resemble a shoestring-budget, avant-garde version of Jam \u0026amp; Lewis, you're not too far off. With the many hats Russell wore, \u003cem\u003eCalling out of Context\u003c\/em\u003e should hammer home the fact that he was also a dynamite writer of heart-on-sleeve love songs - not just a formidable cellist and innovative disco producer. - \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/album\/calling-out-of-context-mw0000338961\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAllMusic\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"300\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.spotify.com\/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A6MKaaq8TAp1ebJ1FOnTHU8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eItem description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable width=\"498\" style=\"height: 435.151px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/search?q=%22Arthur+Russell%22\"\u003eArthur Russell\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCalling Out Of Context\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/search?q=%22label+-+Audika%22\"\u003eAudika\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Limited Edition, Repress\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis reissue: 2015 | Original - 2004\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElectronica\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStyle:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"height: 54.3939px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeftfield, Abstract, Disco\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Audika","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41456447422622,"sku":"880301100117","price":45.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/products\/c9056b3cfbac55786081b5626440df8a8705e5fd.jpg?v=1646290616"},{"product_id":"cigarettes-after-sex-i","title":"Cigarettes After Sex – I.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWistful Brooklyn band with an EP of melancholic, androgynous pop noir set in smoke-filled darkness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInspired by the Trinity Session, Cocteau Twins, Red House Painters, Mazzy Star and the sound of early ’60s records like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eI Love You How You Love Me\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e by the Paris Sisters, they recorded their first proper EP, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eI\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e., live over the course of a single night in the stairway of a four story building.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Cigarettes After Sex is an ambient pop collective led by songwriter Greg Gonzalez \u0026amp; is currently based out of Brooklyn, NY. In a feature for Noisey by Vice, Christina Cacouris describes Cigarettes After Sex as \"elemental, hazy and romantic, but with a noir edge underneath Gonzalez’s androgynous voice\" as well as \"sweet and sentimental\". \"As the band’s name suggests, it’s reminiscent of lying in bed, but its ambient qualities don’t prevent it from being music you can dance to.\" Gonzalez cites Françoise Hardy as his favorite singer and Miles Davis as having great impact. The band also includes The Cowboy Junkies' album The Trinity Session, Julee Cruise and Cocteau Twins as influential. The music blog Eardrums Music describes the band as \"slow, dreamy and beautiful with gorgeous, tender vocals and very good lyrics.\" and compares it to Mazzy Star and early Red House Painters. Music bloggers behind Swell Tone describe Cigarettes After Sex as a band producing \"melancholy, slow pop that will sweetly rock any listener into a listless stupor.\" – \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cigarettes_After_Sex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eWiki\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"300\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/5fzwP4FRJjFQBBmhKJwpWn\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eItem description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable width=\"498\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 148.014px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 321.432px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/search?q=%22Cigarettes+After+Sex%22\"\u003eCigarettes After Sex\u003c\/a\u003e ‎\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 148.014px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 321.432px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 148.014px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 321.432px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/search?q=%22Spanish+Prayers%22\"\u003eSpanish Prayers\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 148.014px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 321.432px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVinyl, 12\", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 148.014px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 321.432px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2017 (Originally recorded: 2012)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 148.014px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 321.432px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRock, Indie, Pop\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 148.014px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStyle:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 321.432px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRock Indie, Indie Pop, Male Vocals\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Spanish Prayers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41456544481438,"sku":"655003842340","price":38.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/products\/1a0884071f249ccb613c3be7aaf8435437d6667a.jpg?v=1646291876"},{"product_id":"arthurrussell-worldofecho","title":"Arthur Russell - World Of Echo","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArthur Russell's definitive work, World of Echo, is a deeply meditative album of awe-inspiring grace and remains a timeless work of sublime beauty.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Deeply mysterious, original, and beautiful\" - \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eNew York Times, 2004.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn incredible assemblage of solo versions of this influential and unique downtown musician. .. Subtle, transcendental with gentle rock beats and new music influences in patternings and textures. - \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/album\/world-of-echo-mw0000461741#review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAllMusic\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArthur Russell’s \u003cem\u003eWorld of Echo\u003c\/em\u003e is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of sound, where minimalism meets deep emotional resonance. Originally released in 1986, the album strips music down to its core elements—Russell’s voice, his cello, and sparse effects—creating a dreamlike, meditative atmosphere. World of Echo defies easy categorization, blending avant-garde experimentation with pure emotional honesty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"300\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/7hodLjVNQZSsNEqvG77ZkI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLabel: Audika ‎\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormat: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Reissue, Remastered, Repress\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReissued: 2014 (Original: 1986)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGenre: Electronic, Rock\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStyle: Leftfield, Soft Rock, Ethereal, Experimental\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Audika","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41456773922974,"sku":"880301100216","price":45.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/products\/d4395fbecc1cd68b146648de30afb9a5c63434c4.jpg?v=1646296783"},{"product_id":"oliver-sim-hideous-bastard","title":"Oliver Sim – Hideous Bastard","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard \u003c\/em\u003eis the debut album from Oliver Sim—best known for his work as songwriter, bassist,and vocalist of The xx. Produced by bandmate Jamie xx, \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e is the culmination of two years of writing and recording, inspired by Sim’s love of horror movies and his own life experience, unpacking themes of shame, fear, and masculinity. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThese themes are front and centre on new single “Hideous”. Enlisting the help of lifelong hero and “guardian angel”Jimmy Somerville on guest vocals, the single sets the scene for the forthcoming album and sees Sim speaking publicly for the first time that he’s been living with HIV since the age of seventeen. It debuts with a video by another personal hero, French director Yann Gonzalez, who has also collaborated with Sim on a forthcoming queer horror short film of the same name that premiered yesterday as part of the Semaine de la Critiqueat the Cannes Film Festival. — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/oliversim.bandcamp.com\/album\/hideous-bastard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eLabel\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3r4I6tz72Q4?si=SglYrKHOP57pZ8aq\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUgly, beaten down and bloody; hidden and lonely; sick and perverse, all around at his worst: This is where we find Oliver Sim as he opens \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e. Over a serpentine bassline and big, weepy violins, Sim lances the infected wound of his self-esteem, asking over and over, \"Am I hideous?\" He doesn't get an answer, but he does come to a realization: \"Radical honesty might set me free if it makes me hideous.\" Herein lies the central conceit of his debut solo album, that we may reclaim power for ourselves by embracing what makes us monstrous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSim is far from the first artist to turn to horror imagery to reckon with queerness; populated with unloved experiments and villainous boundary transgressors, horror has always contained an allegory for the queer experience. From the ostracization for same-sex intimacy in Carmilla, one of the earliest works of fiction about vampires, to the denial and disbelief in the supernatural that seals the protagonist's fate in the ghost story of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House or the gender dysphoria of serial killer Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, queer horror fans have long seen themselves in parts of these stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore and more often lately, modern horror is explicitly centering queerness in shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and What We Do in the Shadows and films like It: Chapter Two and Bodies Bodies Bodies. In the music world, \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e joins recent releases like Rina Sawayama's \"This Hell\" and the music video for Lil Nas X's \"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)\" that say: \"If you can't join 'em in heaven, it's time to reclaim hell.\" Across 10 tracks, \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e utilizes the sonic and narrative hallmarks of horror to interrogate Sim's own relationship to his sexuality and the visage he presents to the world, while — like the best of that genre — side-stepping easily packaged resolutions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaybe it's that iconic debut album cover, black with a bold white \"x\" in the middle, maybe it's the monochromatic wardrobe or the nighttime moodiness of the music, but members of The xx have always seemed at home in darkness. In the airy arrangements of the band's music, Sim anchored wispy musings on the cliff's edge of love and loss, spun alongside bandmate Romy Madley Croft and Jamie xx, with fluid bass playing and his plaintive baritone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith room to move on his solo debut, Sim hones in on that darkness and the storytelling possibilities of the low end. A growling, pitch-shifted bass vocal adds harmonies to half the album's songs, lending menace and mixed feelings to lovelorn recollections (\"Romance With A Memory,\" \"Never Here,\" \"GMT\") and mocking weight to crises of confidence (\"Unreliable Narrator\" and \"Confident Man\").\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a focus befitting the album's monstrous theme. Our villains often sing to us in trembling depths of pitch, from opera (Don Pizarro from Fidelio), to musical theater (Javert from Les Misérables, Hades from Hadestown), and Disney movies, too (Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Even outside a musical context, horror films have long utilized distorted bass effects and vocal doubling to convey that otherworldly evil is in the room, that ordinary characters are talking in its voice. On \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e, that subterranean sound allows Sim to take on the voice of the villain, as he grapples with identity, shame and expectations of masculinity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn \"Unreliable Narrator\" in particular, the only song in which this monstrous bass harmony backs every line, Sim sings about modulating his voice in an attempt to fit a certain perception of manliness, losing himself in a facade even as he \"tried hard to be authentic.\" A horror and psychological thriller buff, Sim says the song is an intentional mid-point in the album — just as those films often destabilize viewers' expectations of who the protagonist can trust part way through the runtime, Sim here encourages the listener to consider if he himself is wearing a mask.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimilarly on \"Never Here,\" a personal reflection on how we distort our own memories by choosing what we capture and preserve, Sim wonders if he exists at all when his feelings of insecurity contradict the evidence. \"Pictures fade, technology breaks \/ I know the moment don't exist within its color and shape,\" he sings over an eerie, arpeggiated synth line reminiscent of The Twilight Zone's theme. As the song spirals into breakdown, Sim backs up from the mic and screams \"I was never really here\" again and again, much like a man hoping to be proved wrong. It's a bite-sized example of what can happen when collective queer history is erased: the demise of the individual queer self sometimes seems inevitable; doubly so when you feel greater kinship with the evil witches, serial killers and disfigured monsters of film, who inevitably meet a gruesome end, than with any traditional hero.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSim doesn't just sing like a villain on \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e; he also takes inspiration from several in particular. He says \"Unreliable Narrator\" was inspired by Patrick Bateman's monologue in the 2000 film American Psycho, in which Bateman coldly confesses that there is simply no one there under his elaborately constructed persona. Later, on \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e's closing number, \"Run The Credits,\" he sings, \"Disney princes, my god, I hate them \/ I'm Buffalo Bill, I'm Patrick Bateman.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Those characters were the ones who were being cast away for being hideous in some way,\" he said in an interview with the podcast Midnight Chats. Like many queer horror fans, Sim says he saw himself in those villains who face hostility from society, identifying with \"a repressed queerness\" he saw in them. Sim's interest has a historical precedent: The monsters of fiction have long been caricatures of societal fears, and several of Gothic literature's famous authors grappled with the taboo of homosexuality — sometimes their own — in their work. Bram Stoker used the hateful fervor around Oscar Wilde's homosexuality trial as inspiration for Dracula, and the monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is called \"More hideous than belongs to humanity\" by the doctor who created him, rejected by the person who is by all intents his parent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's the latter that Sim takes clearest aesthetic inspiration from in Hideous, the short film that accompanies the album. In it, Sim plays an artist who, after coming out on live television and performing the undeniably celebratory \"Fruit\" with sensual self-possession, transforms into a clawed, horned and green-skinned monster to exact violence on the production crew that mocks him. If an ignorance of queer history can make a person feel doomed by their narrative, then by regaining our history and re-centering it — as Sim does in both the film and the album by stepping into a monstrous persona — we can finally begin to reclaim agency over our own lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShame's journey is never over, and it isn't linear, but it's not without moments of reprieve. There's a playfulness in Sim's work, too, connecting to queer horror's habit of having fun with absurdity, referencing The Twilight Zone, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the hopeful ending of the film and throughout the album, Sim weaves a lighter narrative using the voice of Bronski Beat's Jimmy Somerville. The collaboration was the result of Sim's real-life desire to seek guidance from a queer elder before publicizing his HIV-positive status; throughout the record, Somerville's countertenor floats through moments of uncertainty, bolstering Sim when, like every villain, he falters in a song's third act. It's Somerville who encourages Sim to \"be brave, have trust\" and \"be willing to be loved\" on the opening track, after which \"Am I hideous?\" becomes a defiant rhetorical question instead of a self-effacement. Somerville emerges from the spectral mist of \"Confident Man\" as Sim's chanting of the chorus begins to feel frenzied; his voice is a reminder of what further possibilities exist in direct contrast to the toxic ideas symbolized in the bass vocal, which never reappears by itself to torment Sim after this song.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistory may erase, society may discriminate, the self may succumb to shame. When others accuse you of dancing with the devil, \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e argues — like decades of queer-interpreted horror before it — you can show them how he really moves. But though there is liberation in revelry and taking ownership of villainy, masks are meant to come off. A queer figure alone in a conformity-obsessed society can be a tragic one; when you live like that, it's easy to internalize that tenderness is not available to you. But care and community are instrumental to survival. If there is power in reclaiming monstrosity, \u003cem\u003eHideous Bastard\u003c\/em\u003e posits that there is also power in reaching out our hands — be they clawed, scarred or deformed — for kindness, and receiving it in turn. — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/09\/17\/1123472010\/on-hideous-bastard-oliver-sim-mines-horror-tropes-to-embrace-queer-identity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eNPR\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"380\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/4l3zlqIjR8K1tB1b8Yyn0f?utm_source=generator\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e↓\u003cbr\u003eLabel: Young\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Vinyl, LP, Album\u003cbr\u003eReleased: 2022\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Pop, Electronic\u003cbr\u003eStyle: Indie Pop\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFile under: Alternative \/ Indie \/ Pop\u003cbr\u003e⦿\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Young","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42073689325726,"sku":"889030028310","price":45.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/products\/Oliver-Sim.jpg?v=1663739978"}],"url":"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/collections\/pop.oembed","provider":"The Analog Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}