While no Terminator style threats were given… I am back. Let this mark the beginning of an end: as my last year at NYUAD is already a quarter of the way done, I would like to make every music column from now on a special one. Whether thematic or just extra experimental and underground, expect the unexpected from the upcoming music columns.

This one is dedicated to comebacks: some great returns, some serendipitous rebirths, some cautionary tales. It is only fitting to mark the comeback of my favorite pastime and, hopefully (though perhaps unrealistically), your favorite column.

Getting Killed by Geese

Forget that GQ called them “America’s most thrilling young rock band,” that is unimportant. This GenZ music project from Brooklyn might as well be the savior of punk.

Their latest album is a gripping, thrilling, exalting whirlwind of experimental sound and simple, yet punchy lyrics. Musically, the album is an homage to all things Americana – the country, the blues, the jazz, the underground rock, the post-punk… and singing about not wanting to do your taxes. Reminiscent of The Velvet Underground, Ramones and maybe even The Rolling Stones (especially in “Cobra”), Geese definitely mark the comeback of a golden era in rock.

Since that era, we have seen the rise of some more experimental, alternative and indie acts, such as alt-j, Queens of the Stone Age and Greta van Fleet, who paved a way that Geese are now stomping on with a marching-band force and vigor. While the influences are clear, the ingenuity of Getting Killed is not lost in them. The album shines as a sign of something new and exciting: it is polished, precise and as close to perfect as one could expect from such a young band.

As Getting Killed reaches its apogee with “Long Island City Here I Come,” one realizes they are left breathless. The reckless and unforgiving pace of Geese’s comeback is exactly what GenZ needs — just the right amount of rebellious energy to get us out of our heads (and our phones) and into the real world.

Saigon Supersound Vol. 2, collected by Jan Hagenkötter

I stumbled upon Saigon Supersound so randomly that I do not even remember the exact circumstances. I must have been studying or researching something for my Global Jazz course. Surely, there was some other international jazz involved in the mix… in any case, whatever I was listening to before got so overshadowed by the compositions in this series of 1960s-70s Vietnamese pop and jazz.

Saved from oblivion by two DJs, Jan Hagenkötter (the producer and founder of Saigon Supersound and Saigon Soul Revival) and Datodeo (record collector and original savior of the old recordings), the songs featured are rare gems from a so called “Golden Music” era in Vietnam, produced only during the years of the Vietnam war. The music is a fusion of Western pop, jazz influences, and Vietnamese traditional music.

Out of the 4 volume series, Saigon Supersound Vol. 2 stands out to me as a perfectly arranged and remastered album. I am fascinated by the craftsmanship that went into restoring the original audio files, digitalizing them and putting them together in a beautifully nostalgic, yet futuristic compilation. What should sound like quite the frankensteined album is actually one of the most exciting and original pieces of music, further complicated by its history: its rise, fall and almost complete disappearance.

It is also a poignant reminder that even in the darkest times, art persists and music remains a common language of the basic necessity for survival.

The Light for Days by Jacob Collier

A cautious recommendation, and that is coming from a Jacob Collier superfan. His live performances are a once in a lifetime experience. However, after the quite frankly, unimpressive and questionable Djessi Vol. 4, the final installment of an otherwise very successful and inspiring album series, even I am a bit skeptical about this new project. I am a believer in second chances and will be giving Jacob Collier one. Maybe you could join me too.