When we asked Crater to make an exclusive mix for our Needle Exchange series, the Seattle duo shared a “Sad Girls Club” featuring a “tough all-female roster and experimental soundscapes that inspire us.” Selections run the course from a soothing Karen Gwyer composition to a cutting Björk cover, reflecting the poison-tipped dance-pop of Ceci Gomez and Kessiah Gordon’s own Talk To Me So I Can Fall Asleep record in the process. Here’s their complete track-by-track breakdown, followed by a streaming version of the entire album, a recent Alanis Morissette cover for Rookie, and a handful of videos…
1. Suiyoubi no Campanella – “Ono Imoko”
Being half Japanese, I’m always on the hunt for interesting music coming out of Japan that hasn’t crossed over yet. I found this song after getting so insanely lost on the Internet. I was clicking on link within link within link and stumbled across a crazy animated music video for this group from two years ago. It’s totally nuts:
This discovery led me to do some more digging and I eventually came across their latest full length record. “Ono Imoko” is my favorite track from it. So high energy and manic.
2. Chairlift – “Romeo (Empress Of Remix)”
Ceci and I are big fans of Empress Of AND Chairlift, so when this remix came out we were pretty stoked. Lorely Rodriguez is incredible and everyone should know about her.
3. Ducky – “Rain Dance”
Being from Seattle we highly identify with this song. It reminds Ceci of when a light rain begins and then turns into windy hail.
4. Kate Boy – “Open Fire (Planningtorock Remix)”
Ceci and I have been following Kate Boy for quite some time. “Northern Lights” was my jam last summer, but I especially dig this remix. Always into pitched down vocals and a solid rhythmic backbone.
5. Valesuchi – “Golosynth”
My friend Brian—who is living in Chile right now, using his Fulbright grant to explore electronic music throughout the country—exposed me to Valesuchi. She doesn’t have a whole lot of music readily available online, which makes her that much more appealing to me. Going to keep my eye on her for sure.
6. Jim-E Stack (Feat. Jana Hunter) – “Hyperballad”
Covering Björk is a bold move.This interpretation of it is instrumentally unique and almost hostile, but in a good way! I love how the vocal melody stays true to the original, because truthfully, it’s just too perfect to fuck with. Ceci and I are also huge fans of Jana from Lower Dens. She’s an incredibly talented artist.
7. Karen Gwyer – “Trapezoidal Weekly”
Ceci discovered this song a couple months ago, even though it isn’t Karen’s latest work. She told me that the first time she heard it was while jogging through a cemetery. I’ll have to try that sometime—running through a cemetery.
8. Annika Zee – “Dirty Pictures”
Annika is a Canadian friend living in NYC. This song is super simple, but I love the sonic landscape and arrangement. Expect big things from this one.
9. Ramzi – “Princess of Cups”
Ramzi is one of Ceci’s favorite artists on 1080p, which is a super cool electronic label out of Vancouver.
