LA’s Liily could perhaps best be described as a rock band. But to do so would be an injustice to the sheer disregard they show for sticking to one particular style or genre in creating the cacophonic anthems that make up their new record, TV or Not TV. Yelping and swaying, grooving and gutter brawling, the band have a raw frenetic energy that enlivens the senses. 

Still all in their early twenties, the group are not bogged down by impact or legacy. Their intention seems to be to soundtrack the dystopia of the here and now and blaze a trail of angular stabs of – well yes! – rock music while they are at it.

In the run up to the release of TV or Not TV, we spoke to the bands Maxx Morando to find out the five tracks he is spinning at the moment:

Girl Band – Shoulderblades

Girl Band is a noise rock / post-punk band from Dublin, Ireland. I found this band just after they released their album The Talkies in 2019. Shoulderblades was the first song I came across through a random spotify playlist shuffle, and was blown away. The way this band wields rhythm on every instrument, the dissonant and emotive vocals, and abstract lyrics, are unbelievable and incredibly original. I feel that this song is a good intro to the band, as the song encompasses a lot of what you can hear from them. We all really look up to this band. It opened up the gates for new inspiration and possibilities when making our latest full length LP, TV or Not TV. Highly recommend you listen to this entire album and the rest of their discography. Also, the video for this song is amazing.

Wingdings – Four Tet

This one is a personal favorite.

An extremely cryptic and unreadable electronic artist, who is in fact FourTet’s alter ego / side project. I’ve been a fan of Four Tet’s music and discography for a while, and stumbled across this particular song during quarantine in 2020 through a recommended youtube video. The way he textures his sounds, drums, and mix on this track are impressively layered and sound amazing. Highly recommend checking out the other tracks under this alias and, of course, Four Tet if you haven’t already. 

Also, the symbols that he’s using for his alias are called ‘wingdings’.

Clown Core – Computers

I found this song in 2020 through a You Tube video recommendation. It’s not explicitly expressed or confirmed, but the two piece is most likely comprised of Louis Cole (drums / synth) and Sam Gendel (saxophone / synth / etc.). I had known about Louis Cole for some time now because of his extraordinary drumming on his youtube channel. The video for this song, and the entirety of this album, is recorded (audio and video) in a gutted minivan which should definitely be watched with a listen. The drums on this song are insane, the song itself is insane, and there’s a beautiful saxophone solo in the middle. Definitely check out clown core’s youtube videos which include another album recorded in a porta potty.

Oneohtrix Point Never – Sleep Dealer

I’m cheating with this one as this came out in 2011, but this is more of a, ‘just listen to all his music’ thing. This is just one of many of my favorite songs by him.

Oneohtrix Point Never (Daniel Lopatin) is one of my favourite artists of all time. 

His use of sound manipulation, synth work, melodies, and ambient soundscapes are absolutely incredible. This song and album in particular is one of my favorites. Although I don’t listen to what current vapor wave is, this album is arguably one of the most influential and earliest forms of the vapor wave genre, alongside Boards of Canada’s early material. Using a randomised selection of ripped audio from 80s commercials all the way to a hank hill from king of the hill saying ‘up’, alongside beautiful synth soundscapes and drones, he creates one of the coolest and cohesive projects i’ve ever heard. That being said, his extensive discography is definitely worth diving into. 

Emma-Jean Thackray – Movement

A jack of all trades, Emma-Jean Thackray is an English bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, singer, DJ, and producer. I found her through a related artists page on spotify last year. All of her work is extremely impressive, and with wonderfully arranged horn sections. This song in particular is one of my favorites by her and will get you up and moving. The horn lines in this track are phenomenal, and my favorite element. Definitely worth checking more of her work out if you enjoy this tune.

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