Alright, so much for continuity! RIP.
When I was in my second year of uni I was 20. I was living in halls in probably the best spot on campus. From my bedroom was the view of the Menai Strait. I enjoyed the pleasures of many stunning sunrises and sunsets from my third floor window. From the view of my kitchen was the peaks of Snowdonia in all their most likely snowy glory. I would spend most of my time playing FIFA 16 while discovering new music through Spotify Discover Weekly. That's how I discovered Destroyer's Kaputt, the song, not the album. I wouldn't listen to the whole album until I was 21 in my third and final year of university when I bought myself my first turntable.
It was by no means my first record I bought, that's a story to be drawn out another time... Perhaps I should outline my process of knowing when to buy a record. I typically only buy mint contemporary records if I have listened through all of it and consider it to be all killer, no filler. If I hear a song by an artist and it really stands out then I check out the album it's from. So far this method has served me well and has saved me from potential buyers remorse many times.
It was maybe the 4th or 5th record I would buy and one that I often keep coming back to today, for the memories of the best year of my life. The album has a consistent sonic style throughout which floats along making it feel like one lush journey. When I hear this album, it reminds me of all the good times of Bangor 2017.
One day during the same year, I was sitting in a coffee shop taking a break with the crew from filming a short film in Conwy. On comes Suicide Demo for Kara Walker. The unexpectedness of hearing it in that moment for some reason stays with me today. I was listening to the record the moment I received confirmation of my last set of results from my work and found out what degree I would get and phoned my mum to tell her the good news.
So much has changed since that era. It's not even been a full year since then, but I don't feel like the same person. The music hasn't changed. Even without the sentimental attachment I have with it, it's still a stroke of genius by Dan Bejar within its own right.
Missed Music Memoir #1? Find it here.