Michelle Zauner
Twenty-nine-year-old Michelle Zauner is a Jewish-Korean American musician who remerged back onto the music scene as Japanese Breakfast in 2016. It was that year that she released her first solo album, Psychopomp, a highly personal project which depicted her experiences of loss, grief, healing, and survival after her mother died from cancer. Two weeks before the death of her mother, Zauner married long-time partner and fellow musician, Peter Bradley, so that her mother could attend their wedding (Siemsen). The two are still married today, and Bradley even plays in the band with Zauner and tours with her (Gaca). Psychopomp garnered Zauner more attention than any of her previous collaborative projects ever had. Additionally, the widespread positive reception of Psychopomp provided her with enough momentum to produce a second album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet, which she released to even wider audience in 2017 (Gaca).
Soft Sounds: What’s the Story?
Narratively, Soft Sounds from Another Planet somewhat picks up where Psychopomp left off. Psychopomp explores Zauner’s immediate raw reaction to the loss of her mother, and Soft Sounds is a reflection on what the pain she has endured since then has taught her, and what the rest of her life could look like moving forward. Moreover, there is no overt science fiction narrative that is continued from one song to the next in this album. In other words, although robot existence is mentioned in one song, listeners do not follow the story of the robot’s adventures through space throughout the entire album. Conversely, the use of narrative in that manner is more so applied in Monáe’s Metropolis, which we will explore later. Zauner’s use of narrative on the other hand is more abstract. She employs the base theme for our class, that another world is possible, to tell a story about her experienced pain and hardship that is contrasted by alternative realities that are kinder, and perhaps could have spared some of her struggle. Additionally, she aims to envision a brighter future.
A Look at Lyrics Pt. 1: “Diving Woman”
Diving Woman
(Verse 1)
I wanna be a woman of regimen
A bride in her home state
A diving woman of Jeju-do
(Chorus 1)
I want it all
I want it all
I want it all
I want it all
I want it
(Verse 2)
The men have gone and left again
And no one's shocked or blames theme
Another day is shot, my friend
I'm picking up the pieces
That's the third dead dog I've seen on this highway
These treads are wearing thing
When I get back there, baby
I'm gonna make it a home
(Chorus 2)
You'll have it all
You'll have it all
We'll have it all
We'll have it all
I'll have it
This theme, and the science fiction concept of the album, are more heavily executed through Zauner’s lyricism and music production. Lyrically, each song tells an individual story that contributes to the overall theme of the album. We see this idea of juxtaposed realities in almost every song. For example, the album’s first track, “Diving Woman,” compares the more matriarchal, or least more equitable, society of Jeju Island in South Korea in the first verse, to the patriarchal society experienced in America in the second verse. The song was inspired by her fears of criticism due to being a woman musician on tour, and not adhering to the expected domesticity of being a married woman (Boilen). She intersects the two verses with a chorus where she sings, “I want it all,” in which she expresses her hopes for a world where she would not be expected to choose between her marriage and a career. Similar to the women divers of Jeju, the Haenyeo, who are highly respected for their work as divers that allows them to establish economic stability for their partners and families, and often gain their children access to education (Ko). The song ends with the imagining of a more inclusive future as Zauner sings, “You’ll have it all/We’ll have it all/We’ll have it all/I’ll have it,” suggesting that the world will not always require women to choose.
A Look at Lyrics Pt. 2: “Soft Sounds from Another Planet”
Soft Sounds from Another Planet
(Verse 1)
I wish I could keep you from abusing yourself for no reason at all
Counting backwards, things you endured
Pitting them up against happier lives
(Chorus 1)
That's not the way to hurt me
That's not the way to hurt me
I'll show you the way to hurt me
(Verse 2)
In search of a soft sound from another planet
In search of a quiet place to lay this to rest
Striving for goodness while the cruel men win
There's no par of me left that can feel or hear it
(Chorus 2)
They'll never let you hurt me
They'll never let you hurt me
I'll never let you hurt me
(Hurt me)
Another example of effective lyricism is featured on the album’s title track, “Soft Sounds from Another Planet.” The song revisits a relationship Zauner once had with a jealous partner whose insecurity motivated him to act cruelly towards her, likely as a result of fragile masculinity, which she sings about in the first verse (Boilen). In the following chorus Zauner sings, “That’s not the way to hurt me/I’ll show you the way to hurt me,” which seems like a taunt to her old partner explaining that his viciousness could no longer damage her. Once again, the theme of two opposing worlds arises, as Zauner sings in the third verse, “In search of a soft sound from another planet/In search of a quiet place to lay this to rest,” where she once more expresses her desire for a gentler world where partners perhaps are not so cruel, she can heal her wounds from Earth, and start over anew.
A Look at Lyrics Pt. 3: “Jimmy Fallon Big!”
Jimmy Fallon Big!
We aren't bound by law
We aren't bound by anything at all
Just you
If you decide to show
Just if you decide to show up on time
Why walk when you can show up on time?
Why walk when you can show up on time?
On time, on time, on time
Finally, the albums eighth track, “Jimmy Fallon Big!” provides an interesting use of lyricism to support the albums theme. The song is free verse, therefore there are no numbered verses or choruses, just a mere eight lines sung to music. The song was inspired by a member of Zauner’s old band, Little Big League, leaving the band for another that he felt had a better chance of becoming successful enough to play on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Boilen). Zauner was hurt, because, as she depicts in “Jimmy Fallon Big!” she did not understand why he would leave the band for another when they could just work harder, “Why walk when you can just show up on time?” However, this song has a double meaning, because while it reflects a turning point in Zauner’s musical career, it also suggests the possibility of a turning point within our society. Zauner contrasts the stagnancy of our society with what could be if perhaps more people took action to enact change. This song could also act as a call to action to those who are in a position to interfere in social inadequacies, by explaining that, “We aren’t bound by law/We aren’t bound by anything at all/Just you/If you decide to show/Just if you decide to show up on time.” In other words, the actualization of a kinder world could be sooner realized if we made more of an effort when possible.
Soft Sounds: The Music & Genre
Similar to the way that lyricism expresses Zauner’s desires for a softer planet through words, the music production of the album unifies all of the songs through creating another worldly atmosphere that persists from beginning to end. Moreover, Zauner’s use of genre is a key factor that allows listeners to feel as though they have been transported to another planet. Soft Sounds has been classified as an experimental combination of shoegaze and dream pop. Both genres aim to create music that feels atmospheric and dream-like. Aspects of shoe gaze are evident in Soft Sounds as there is a heavy focus on guitars, distortion, sci-fi soundeffects, feedback, and edited vocals (Wiseman-Trowse). Additionally, shoegaze was a genre created with the intention of producing music that encouraged introspection and day-dreaming which is helpful in accomplishing Zane’s vision (Wiseman-Trowse). The appearance of echo, breathy vocals, and synthesizers linked to dream pop are featured in the album as well. The features of both genres help listeners feel as if they are somewhere else which lends to Zauner’s success in envisioning a new world. In this album, the worlding is best executed through the music.
What’s that Sound Called? Pt. 1: “Diving Woman”
When discussing the way a song sounds, I include a high quality live performance when possible, because live performances can display to us where specific sounds come from and how they are made. However, in some live performances, not all of the computerized effects are always included. In this performance, the laser beaming sound effect is not included, therefore I included a spotify link to the studio recording as well.
Reconsider the album’s first track, “Diving Woman,” this time paying attention to the way the song sounds. Key worlding happens on this track, because it is the first song listeners will hear and the artist wants them to be drawn in. “Diving Woman” is a grand six minutes and thirty-three seconds long and is the longest song on the album, thereby setting the tone for all that follows. One of the key musical SF components in this song is the sound the song begins with. The first ten seconds of the song are solely a simple reverb on repeat, and it reminds me of the way starting a car engine sounds, but as if it were underwater – perhaps this is what it sounds like when a spaceship turns on instead? Either way, the distorted reverb certainly sounds other worldly, and it displays to listeners in the first ten seconds of the album that this project is intended to take them to another planet, or to encourage listeners to envision a world of their own. Once the first ten seconds are over, the layering begins. Soon, the drums quietly enter, then the light strumming of the electric guitar and the bass emerge, and for the first thirty seconds the layering of the four sounds fall into one another to build a new world and invite the audience to join it. Zauner’s breathy vocals emerge thirty seconds in, and fade in and out throughout the rest of the song as long instrumental periods build and take the spotlight. Weaved sparingly throughout the song are science fiction sound effects including, the sounds of lasers beaming and notes fluttering in resonance.
What’s that Sound Called? Pt. 2: “Planetary Ambience”
Another two songs that are key musical worlding moments in this album are the instrumental pieces, “Planetary Ambience,” and “Here Come the Tubular Bells.” The album’s fifth track, “Planetary Ambience,” serves as a nice reminder to listeners that they are on another planet. The reversed keyboard loop fades in and crescendos in the first ten seconds of the song, settling in at a loud volume. Midway through the song, soft whimsical beeps are dispersed through the music until the track’s completion. In an interview with the National Public Radio, Zauner expressed that she, “wanted it to sound like two satellites talking,” and that the track reminded her of Wall-E (Boilen). The instrumental tracks are special on this album, because rather than suggesting that a new world exists, they create them through sound.
What’s that Sound Called? Pt. 3: “Here Come the Tubular Bells”
Furthermore, the final song on the album,“Here Come the Tubular Bells,” is a forty-one second instrumental track that features a low sustained chord which is eventually layered with the ringing of tubular bells. The song is short and simple, but provides all that is needed to conclude the album with hope. Tubular bells mimic the sound of church bells or bell towers, both of which are associated with new beginnings. Church bells are often tolled after wedding ceremonies, and bell towers toll at the start of a new hour, therefore when Soft Sounds ends with the tolling of tubular bells, listeners are immersed in an overwhelming feeling of the newfound possibility of a better world.
Course Parallels Pt. 1: “Machinist,” The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and Love, Robot
While there are several topics in Soft Sounds that could be related to course materials, the strongest connections lay in the songs, “Machinist,” and “The Body is a Blade.” The albums third track, “Machinist,” follows the fictional story of ill-fated love between a woman and a robot. The song features vocoder harmonies, a deep computerized voice that serves as the voice of the robot, and an auto-tuned Zauner’s voice, to make it seem as if the song follows a futuristic dialogue between Zauner and her robot lover. This song relates to the relationship between Jenks and Lovey in Becky Chamber’s novel, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, because as displayed in the song’s music video, Zauner yearns to build her partner a body. Additionally, Zauner seems tobe in love with a machine that looks like it could be an AI. The way in which she sits, asleep, at the table filled with computers and wires where her robot love interest exists reminded me of the way in which Jenks used to sleep in the room where Lovey operated, laying against her cold surface and wires. This relationship in both “Machinist,” and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, imagines a world where two very different beings can fall in love, regardless of the challenges. The music video also features Zauner drinking from miscellaneous liquids from various tubes and wires. Whether or not the wires are apart of the robot is unclear, but it reminded me of the poems we read from Margaret Rhee’s book, Love, Robot, where liquid is a reoccurring motif. Furthermore, we discussed in class how robots can be used to imagine queer relationships, because a robot’s gender is not always clear or binary. This is also displayed in the music video for “Machinist,” because the robot is merely a series ofcomputer screens and wires, none of which possess any attributes commonly associated as markers of gender.
Course Parallels Pt. 2: “The Body is a Blade,” and The Strange Bird
Additionally, the album’s ninth track, “The Body is a Blade,” examines Zauner attempting to survive her trauma through relying on her body to physically move her through her days. Furthermore, she examines how she may attempt to pursue a brighter future without letting her trauma consume her. In class we read, The Strange Bird, by Jeff VanderMeer, where the main character, the StrangeBird, is physically mutilated in the middle of the novel. After undergoing such a horrific trauma, the Strange Bird faces the same question Zauner was met with after her mother died, how does one survive trauma and move on? In the case of the Strange Bird who underwent trauma to the body, she could not rely on her body as a method of survival, so instead she used the motivation of discovering her purpose to keep her going.
Feminist Sci-Fi Sounds 