For their new album Fairy Rust, Louisville trio Wombo leaned on the low-fantasy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm for influence, replicating the subtle surrealism of those stories meant as guideposts for everyday life by injecting their lilting indie-pop sound with some of the most unconventional riffing and unpredictable percussing this side of Friend Opportunity. With guitar, bass, and drums all weaving in and out of sync over the course of the album’s 12 tracks, Sydney Chadwick’s vocals—and subconscious-sourced lyrics—often feel like the only adhering quality between a succession of tracks like the post-punk of “Regular Demon” and the bizarro free jazz of “Below the House.”
Yet rather than sharing a list of influences on the qualities that most superficially define their music, Chadwick, Cameron Lowe, and Joel Taylor have shared a playlist of blissed-out songs that inspire them to relax. From an Aphex Twin piano piece to a near-ambient exhalation by labelmates Pure X, these 11 songs keep the band grounded. “We’ve heard our music is chaotic before, so for this playlist we picked 11 songs that chill us out,” they share.
Hear the playlist below, and read on for each band member’s notes on their contributions. Fairy Rust arrives this Friday via Fire Talk—pre-order it here.
Syd:
Virna Lindt, “Underwater Boy”
I’ve been playing this nonstop lately. It makes me drive better too.
Narciso Yepes, “Romance Anonimo”
This one seems kind of more on the longing side of chill. I really enjoy sad guitar music, especially if I’m making things.
Camile Saint-Saens, “The Swan”
I’ve listened to this one since I was very young and it always made me sit still no matter what I was doing. It’s very haunting yet peaceful.
Dorothy Ashby, “Come Live with Me”
She is one of my favorite musicians. It’s one of those you should put the whole album on and listen through.
Cam:
Pat Metheny, “You Are”
My stepdad was always a big Pat fan growing up, and I like how this song builds off the very simple notes from the beginning into something really grand.
Aphex Twin, “Avril 14th”
It’s a very pretty song that’s chill and uplifting to me.
Monster Rally, “Cuban Velvet”
I love Monster Rally,and this song in particular moves me. It’s great running music.
Joel:
Gabor Szabo, “The Lady in the Moon”
Such a powerful song. This mixing/recording on this album is perfect. “Dreams” is easily in my top five desert island albums.
Sean Nicholas Savage, “Propaganda”
I absolutely love this guy. His music feels very raw and vulnerable to me. He takes chances and is not afraid to sing at the end of his range.
Wes Montgomery, “In Your Own Sweet Way”
Wes is really special. His tone is so gritty but pretty. He played guitar using a non-conventional picking technique with the meaty part of his thumb. I use the same technique but much worse. Tommy Flanagan’s piano on this track is stellar too.
Pure X, “Heavy Air”
Been jamming these guys for so long, and now we are technically “label mates.” Life is crazy. Their music is for straight-up chillers.
