3/7
Myths 002. Upon initial listen to the four tracks on the EP, I was slightly underwhelmed and a part of me was relieved that there were only 14 minutes of sound. Natalie Mering’s voice (Weyes Blood) seemed to blend together in a redundant wave of high pitched sadness that I didn’t really understand.
Over the course of a week I gave the 14 minute EP a few more spins on Spotify, and although this wouldn’t be my first choice in the morning for music, I grew to appreciate the ghostly qualities of Weyes Blood and the cool monotone of Ariel Pink. The mixing of the two voices together evokes a short, delirious fantasy between two singers who appear to be lost in themselves and not necessarily each other.
The best song on Myths 002 is the third track, “Morning After”, sung entirely by Weyes Blood. Melancholic and longing, I got the sense she was searching for someone who left and probably would never return. Giving the lyrics a bit more time, I finally understood what Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood were trying to get at in the EP. The first track, "Tears on Fire,” is about a confused regret of physical desire for somebody else, the lines that stuck out to me were; "The joke was from the heart / I’m just high not a liar / it’s really all my fault / I jumped up on desire."
I think this portrayed a theme in the EP as a whole of two people who ultimately wanted different things out of each other, trying to figure it out, and concluding the whole ordeal with “On Another Day." They come together and realize that maybe in another place or time they’d work out, but for the present moment, that is not where they’re meant to be and it’s sadly okay.
For how short this record was, I feel like I got a snapshot glimpse of the feeling of “right person wrong time,” and that is how I choose to appreciate it. I still don’t think I could casually throw this album on, it’s too muddled and confusing to pick it apart. I’d say this is an album of contemplation, not necessarily carefree musical enjoyment. I also realize I spent a long time analyzing the album to a point where I feel others would need to do the same to understand it and find their own point of view. The album becomes interesting with intent. However, I’d encourage everyone who listens to Myths 002 to give it time, and it just might grow on you.
