Tennyson is a tasteful producer who blends creative samples, unique drum loops and catchy melodies to make music that is distinctly his own. The Kollection teamed up with him this week for the latest installment of At Home With. Keep reading to hear what he had to say about the playlist and its inspirations.
During the last few months of winter, I’ve been spending an hour or so each night solving “killer sudoku” puzzles. They are similar to normal sudoku puzzles except they require a lot more mental addition, so the kind of music I listen to can’t be too noisy.
Here’s a playlist of stuff I might put on. It’s a combination of old favourites and some interesting songs I’ve found lately.
Give At Home With: Tennyson a listen. You’ll learn a little more about the artist, the world, and yourself along the way.
The Breakdown
1. Sigur Rós – Takk…
I’ve been obsessed with the texture of this song for a long time. The soft chords at 0:45 are both comforting and a bit frightening, like being carried through the air to somewhere unknown.
2. Mid-Air Thief – White Room
Something in this song gives me chills from start to finish. I haven’t translated the lyrics, but it makes me think about how difficult it is to feel a true connection with the past when our oldest memories, translated and reassembled too many times, have become nightmarish. The pitch bent electric piano reminds me of this Canadian children’s show called The Big Comfy Couch, or maybe trying to make coffee inside an old piano. I melt every time the entire song tremolos.
3. JYOCHO – つづくいのち
I really like math rock that sounds like taking a exciting road trip to forget about something terrible. It’s also really fun to sprint to. I’ve noticed a lot of music from Japan has intentionally out-of-key vocals. I’m not sure why, but to me it’s a reminder that we’re all human, and makes the song so much more beautiful.
4. Chris Hyson – Chaps
This song feels like simple positive affirmations: Everything is good! Don’t be too hard on yourself!
5. Masakatsu Takagi – Amamizu
This song sounds like actual magic. There are so many different sounds all of different scales. Big crowds of people, tiny bubbles and bells.
6. Feist – Caught A Long Wind
This is one of my favourite songs. All the instruments are played and mixed together so delicately. Feist is definitely the reason I love spring reverb so much.
7. ICO – heal
I just learned that this is part of the soundtrack for a PlayStation 2 game released in 2002. The feeling I get listening to this is already overpowering. I can’t imagine what it must be like to listen to this with nostalgic memories of playing the game 20 years ago. If I could travel back in time to when I was six years old, the first thing I would do is play ICO.
8. Teen Ravine – Hall of Horrors
I heard this song while running in the woods last summer. There’s a million ways to sing “I’m lost without you” but this song gets it perfect. When the line came up my knees buckled a bit and I almost fell over. The line “a mirrored hall of horrors” reminds me more of “the backrooms” than a spooky carnival funhouse, maybe because the album artwork is also a liminal space.
9. Björk – Frosti
Another old favourite. I was obsessed with Björk when I was 16. I used to walk around school with big headphones on listening to Homogenic and Vespertine on loop. Lately I find it very difficult to enjoy solitude like I used to, but while listening to Björk, I can almost remember how. There’s just something about the two repeating notes at 0:34 that peak out from the main melody…
10. Big Thief – UFOF
This song sounds like it’s endlessly falling down a hill. I love how the chords and melody all tumble into each other.
11. Gen Hoshino – Sayonara no Umi
Just a nice sweet tune with a unfittingly ominous first few seconds! It’s nice to sway back-and-forth to and forget your troubles.
12. Four Tet – She Just Likes to Fight
I like songs that force me to think about being human, and embrace all the nervousness for the future and nostalgia for the past. This song feels like it’s saying “Keep going! Just do your best, and try not to forget what is truly important.”