Some months ago I posted a tiny desk concert by Baek Hwong, who performs as NoSo. I just saw on bandcamp that they released a new song three months ago that I missed. It is called Kaitlin...
Why? Lauren's voice and lyrics are something that hooks me and I find playing in my head afterwards in the best way possible. This is made all the better by a definite skill for underlining and punctuating lyrics with the guitar. Love their indie rock with a punk edge and poetic meter.
Where to start?
"They/them/theirs" is the song I first encountered them through and I found myself listening to it on repeat. Like an anthem for the nonbinary soul trying to persist and insist on being seen.
This hook especially rhymes with my soul:
"You are fighting between a rock and why bother
We are floating between two ends that don’t matter"
"Trust Your Gut" is part of their latest album, with Atom Willard on drums (a solid bandmate of many in the scene including Laura Jane Grace with Against Me), and fuck is it a feel right now for me. For all of us broken people navigating what it means to be with people and a part of this world.
"Warm Blanket" is also a freaking mood for me right now. And this music video showcases dancers that are somehow communicating what my depression and heartbreak feels like through dance...which I did not expect 😅
Hehe, I'm glad to see others are starting to join in for #TransMusicMonday ! @VestigialLung had joined me early on, but it makes me happy to have as much music by trans, non-binary, and gender expansive artists shared as possible. 🤩😊
Aside from metal, I sometimes listen to softer music, jazz and ambient most of the time. So I stumbled on this artist while listening to non-metal music. She is Anohni (born Anthony), singer of the Anohni And The Johnsons, a soft jazz experience with alt rock influences. Definitely deserves more than a listening. Your heart will be grateful.
Why? A friend of mine, Jordie, is the drummer for a metal band named "Nevermourn," and we often don't celebrate the many talented trans artists who aren't the lead or face of the band. Not to mention, it's absolutely stellar metal music with an interesting set of themes, and feminine vocals that play both to softer sounds and hardcore gravel.
Where to start?
They recently released a new album, and you can hear Jordie's amazing drumming on it. Girl has got talent and I love hearing her just go at it!
Since I have post deletion turned on, it occurred to me that people stumbling across my #TransMusicMonday posts will only be able to see the last 4 or 5 I posted, which doesn’t seem right, so I’ll be pinning this. I’ve been putting together a playlist over on Spotify of the songs I post. If anyone can’t access this, hit me up, and I’ll happily provide a track and/or band list.
Why? Because this is the kind of folk-y emo punk that I can't help but come back to again and again and again. Unapologetically queer and feminist, with lyrics that you can't help but let turn into earworms. You can also hear how she keeps working on her sound as the years have gone on.
Where to start?
"Gender is Boring" is the kind of awkward, ranty song that the trans heart can't help but sing.
As someone who didn't grow up knowing she was actually a girl, the first verse always hits hard, which ends with:
"Gender never really meant that much to me
Til' people started telling me how it was supposed to be
Til' the people that I loved started to say
Boys don't talk that way
Boys don't dress that way
Boys don't act that way"
Back when I thought I would always be visibly trans and queer, the song "Nvr Pass" encouraged me so much. And now that I accidentally pass more often than not, I still love the unapologetic queer ethos because this will always be true for me:
"So I'll probably never pass
Seems more like hiding than being who I am
And I'll probably never pass
I'd rather live my life visibly trans"
"Kill the Boy Band" is a manifesto criticizing the boring and uncreative music created by the endless cishet guy dominated underground scenes, and the need for radically inclusive and expansive musical acts
Also, I didn't know I needed it until I heard it, but a folk punk cover of Rilo Kiley's "The Execution of All Things" is the perfect version of this song in my mind.
#TransMusicMonday
Here's a Belgian band called K's Choice, the singer Sam Bettens is a transgender man and came out in 2019. I've known this band for a while, I've still got their 1998 album 'Cocoon Crash' somewhere. Decided to check out their new music. I like this song.
Why? Shawna's music as actually had a quiet but meaningful impact in trans communities and literature. More than once I've seen a concert of hers or mention of her pop up in a short story, and there's a reason. Her music captures the joys and struggles of a community on the margins in a way that often only folk or country music can.
Where to start?
"Gender Armageddon" is one of my favorites. It is a tight, well-written, and energetic song that releases something from inside many of us.
It has also been on my mind a lot this last week. The story the song tells parallels a loss and trauma in my own life, and the way the boy those moments centers around comes back to me in my dreams.
Why? Flummox confounds genre and conventions in their music. While their songs always come at you hard, they often remind me of a much more queer or punk Primus, mixing a metal core with elements of funk, punk, and other genres.
Where to start?
Honestly, one of my favorite recordings of theirs is a live E.P. set. Something Flummox astounds me with is that even in live recordings, they somehow balance and mix their sound perfectly so that no part is lost but all is there in full. And this live performance really highlights that: https://youtu.be/TuPOualU60A?t=86
Of course, I think Flummox made their biggest splash a few years ago with "Trans Girls Need Guns." This one feels like someone jazzed up stoner metal that explodes into hardcore punk. Not to mention, a pretty solid thesis to the song 😈🤘
Because I need to "keep my body moving" as Tunde says, and their music helps me move on a Monday morning.
Where to start?
The song that told me I would fall in love with Tunde's music was the first song on their album of the same name, "Transgressor." They sing about breaking through walls, but keeping a brick to remind them of things they've done. If that's not trans power, I don't know what is.
As I mentioned, if you need to get yourself moving this Monday, I suggest "Keep Your Body Moving." It is an irrepressible dance beat that will get you up out of your seat.