From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #3693 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, September 6 2024 Volume 16 : Number 3693 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Loma [D B ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2024 22:06:36 -0400 From: D B Subject: Loma Back in late July I was scanning Spotify for something new, since I'd been playing the same music repeatedly for months. I noticed a name that was interesting, both for its simplicity and its choice of name. Loma. I would describe their sound as laid back, mellow, and casual. Some of their stuff is great for helping me relax and wind down, but one, Arrhythmia, has an addictive beat that I just love. Spotify suggested what turned out to be their latest release, "*How will I live without a body?*" I listened to several of their songs, but none really struck me until "I Swallowed a Stone". The style and delivery were calm and deliberate, and this song had a story to tell. At one point the singer's words evoked a sense of emotional warmth and closeness, and I was hooked. I started to listen to Loma more seriously from then on, and it wasn't long before I fell in love with several other songs. The entire release really resonated with me, in a way I haven't felt since Wye Oak's "*The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs*". Maybe I'm a sucker for albums with sentence-long names, I dunno. Currently my favorites are listed below, in order from best to least: How It Starts A Steady Mind I Swallowed a Stone Arrhythmia Affinity Broken Doorbell Turnaround Unbraiding Pink Sky Dark Trio I've had this album on repeat for weeks now...the top four above have become earworms in my head. The only song that doesn't do anything for me is Dark Trio, but I think it's more of an interlude or something. They're now one of my favorite groups. Loma was formed when the lead member of the band Shearwater discovered a husband/wife team performing under the name Cross Record. He dug their music so they formed a new group together. I haven't listened to Shearwater; Cross Record is a lot like Loma but is less accessible, at least to me. There are some noteworthy songs there, but nothing that really stands out. - --Doug ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #3693 ****************************