The Manic Energy of SOPHIE, Sheena Ringo, and Splatoon 2

I have a weak spot for more chaotic visuals and sounds, something that can come across as a total mess if not carefully crafted… but no worries: this week I’ve got three examples of expertly executed styles for y’all.

SOPHIE — OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES

SOPHIE’s debut album’s finally out after months of half the gays I know on Twitter doing free album promo for her. Sonically, it’s totally in line with her last three singles (the ones have been annoying my coworkers for weeks) but a little weirder and with more depth than I expected. SOPHIE’s thematic gaze is on identity and the changing self, a topic especially fitting for an artist so obsessed with anonymity before placing herself front and center in the video for this album’s lead single. Looping and lush, OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES is hyperproduced but still emotional… thematically transcending the pre-packaged emotional distance that seems to be an intentional aspect of most PC music.

Sheena Ringo — Full Discography

One of my favorite artists of all time, Sheena Ringo is on Spotify at last, so I can easily recommend her music and toss her songs into my compulsively constructed playlists. Her 2003 album 加爾基 精液 栗ノ花 (embedded in some form over there on the left) is an all-time best, mixing synths, string sections, flutes city sounds, vacuum cleaners, and more into something gorgeous and chaotic.

I’ve always wanted to write something more in-depth on her, but I think that’ll have to wait for another day. In the meantime, listen to 加爾基 精液 栗ノ花 (Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana)… or 三文ゴシップ (Sanmon Gossip) if you want something a little more straightforward and (jazz-inspired).

Here’s to hoping, for the sake of my playlists, that Joanna Newsom’s days off Spotify are numbered.

Splatoon 2 — Octo-Expansion

I can’t think of a series that burst out the gate with a stronger aesthetic than Splatoon. Splatoon (and its essentially identical sequel) has been able to drag my terminally noncompetitive attention span into its endless buffet of 3-minute bites of ground-covering ink-combat. Its obsession with fashion and style bleeds into its soundtrack, which is, in my mind, a frontrunner for best ever, using different in-universe bands to explain totally different tracks all based on the same gargled vocals and manic instrumentation.

Splatoon 2, like its predecessor, has been receiving new maps and weapons to be used in its competitive modes (and cooperative horde battle mode) on a monthly basis since its release, but until last week’s expansion there hadn’t been any additions to its single-player modes. The Octo Expansion fleshes out its single-player content in the form of smaller, focused stages with excellent aesthetics that draw from deep sea creatures and dilapidated urban spaces to create something that fits perfectly into the aesthetic of the series while feeling totally different and exciting.

I just finished up all the bonus content in the expansion yesterday, unlocking the few rewards that have any influence on the ever-popular competitive turf-covering mode (which amounts to some new character models and clothing). The Octo Expansion is Splatoon’s shooter-based platforming at its most inventive and thrilling, making it more exciting and valuable to me than anything that’s come from its slow-drip of multiplayer content.