Note: Today’s letter is a guest post from fellow writer & music lover Chevanne Scordinsky.
Chevanne writes The Flare, a great read at the intersection of short fiction, music, and life as it happens! You can also see her work on Medium.
Music discovery is often temporal. It goes in reverse and tumbles into the present.
Bless YouTube algorithms, because I found this unique track thanks to the analysis of one of the bands they influenced.
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division was the band's most recognized hit in their short-lived career. After lead singer Ian Curtis passed away in 1980, the remaining members formed New Order. I was wrapped up in the song's story and how it touched so many artists but recognized all their influences except one: German band Kraftwerk.
Kraftwerk can arguably be considered a seminal band in electronic music. Their influence echoes through various genres and artists, from Depeche Mode, Björk, The Cure, U2— all the way to a hip hop artist Vince Staples.
After downloading Kraftwerk's albums and cycling through some of them, I stumbled upon an unexpected and delightful song: "Computer Love." Fans of Coldplay will recognize the beginning melody from their song "Talk" off the X&Y album, as I did on the first listen. The track has an air of melancholy behind its punchy synth riff, and its repetition takes the listener through its 7-minute run time in mere moments.
“Computer Love” by Kraftwerk | Computer World, 1981
What do you think of today’s pick? As always, I’d love to know!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—