SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: MAC DEMARCO

Following on from yesterday’s ‘Song of the Week’, I have decided to flash the spotlight on Mac DeMarco, the legend of surf rock.

I first got onto Mac after the release of his most recent album Salad Days. It became the soundtrack to my annual beach holiday and was the perfect accompaniment to the rainy Torquay days as well as the sunny surf days. But I didn’t stop listening to Salad Days when I got home, in fact I began to listen to it more and more and more. I remember he played a concert a week before my 18th birthday and I was shattered that I was a week too young to attend. It was at that moment that I realised I hadn’t listened to much of his earlier stuff (I’m still confused as to why I didn’t think of exploring his discography until)
So this week I shall pay homage to the goofiest of indie rockstars, Mr Mac DeMarco…

1. Goodbye Weekend– Salad Days (2014)
I play this song on repeat for an hour on a Sunday night and then again one last time on my commute into uni on a Monday morning. The wobbly guitar and soothing sound of Mac’s voice makes that hard goodbye a little bit easier…

2. My Kind of Woman– 2 (2012)
The innocent guitar lingering in the background of this song just gives such a romantic vibe to this song, accompanying the lyrics so well. This song combines desperation, love and surf rock in such a beautiful way… The music video for this song made me smile- I mean cute lil Mac putting on lipstick.. come on guys nawwww

3. Chamber of Reflection– Salad Days (2014)
Yep, synth, killin me Mac!!!
This is my number 2 favourite Mac DeMarco song. The bass is so smooth and just gets me in and don’t even get me started on the synth. His voice is so relaxing and angelic in a sexy indie way. I actually can’t even describe it because as I am listening to it right now, I am being sent into a complete state of relaxation and my mind is just asdghklsfhdjkslh.
It is such a beautiful song that makes for a killer bedtime tune but also gets me groovin’ at the same time. And the music video is hilariously quirky!

4. Ode to Viceroy– 2 (2012)
This song is one of his more well known, and you can tell why. The strong guitar layered with the subtle bass and the finishing touch of Mac’s kooky lyrics and style.. ahhhh 🙂

5. Passing Out Pieces– Salad Days (2014)
This is my absolute favourite song of Mac’s, and one of my all time favourite songs. I can’t even pick my favourite elements of the song because I love it all. I love the meaning behind the lyrics and just everything. I love it all.
I listen to this song at least once a day and is one of those songs that suits all seasons (I love it most on a rainy day). I know I will love this song forever and I hope you fall in love with it too!

Hopefully one day I will be able to see the smooth, cool and quirky Mac DeMarco live in concert, but for the time being, I will just watch the rain fall and listen to him on repeat…

SONG OF THE WEEK

This week’s song of the week has been on repeat all week- it has overtaken ‘Tusk’ as the number 1 song on my ‘Top 25 Most Played’ playlist… It is ‘Freaking Out the Neighbourhood’ by Mac DeMarco.
I have been a Mac DeMarco lover for a while, mainly listening to his most recent album, Salad Days, because it’s so freakin good! And the music videos are so freakin’ crazy cool.
I was watching his doco on Pitchfork’s youtube channel late the other night and it was clear that Mac must be the topic of discussion for not only my ‘Song of the Week’, but my ‘Saturday Spotlight’ which will be coming your way tomorrow!
Also, he recently announced that he will be releasing a mini LP in August- I SERIOUSLY CAN’T WAIT!

‘Freaking Out the Neighbourhood’ is a seriously addictive 2 minutes and 55 seconds, filled with Mac’s cheesy lyrics and surf rock vibes. My favourite bit of the song is the guitar sequence at the end- it’s so funky and retro and it just gives the song an extra 10000 cool points (like it wasn’t the coolest song already?!)
No matter what the weather is like outside, this song makes me feel like I’m surfing waves back in the 70s in my American Apparel swimsuit… Don’t ask why, just listen for yourself- Mac DeMarco, ‘Freakin Out the Neighbourhood’

Media 1 Workshop 6

This week we discussed our ideas for Project Brief 3; who we were planning to portray and what aspects of their personality/story we aim to express through our multi-media masterpieces.
As discussed last week, I plan to do my Nonno who recently passed away. I found it tough to talk to the class about how i planned to portray him as I am still recovering from the loss. However, I am looking extremely forward to putting the finishing touches on the film as I want to honour him in the best way possible. I plan to fish through my home movie archive this week to try and find the footage of when my he taught my brother to drive the go kart, which Nonno made himself.
It was a really special moment, especially now as I look back on it- because he never had the opportunity to teach either of us to drive, except for that day.

It was interesting to hear what my peers planned to do for their portraits and how they planned to execute it. I am looking particularly forward to seeing Annie’s, as she is doing a portrait to honour someone close to her heart; her Nan who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. I know she will do an amazing job- Annie is so talented and has an amazing ability to work messages into her work in such a unique and deep way.

I am listening to a lot of music to try and even out the feels of stress, sadness and happiness that Project Brief 3 has brought along with it. At the moment I am obsessing over Mac Demarco, even more than I have been for the past year or so.
My current favourite song is ‘Freaking Out the Neighbourhood‘ and I will hopefully be doing a Saturday Spotlight on him in a few weeks time! Stay tuned boys and girls!