Somewhere Between Distorted Guitars, Miami Heat, and Quiet Forests
From artists finding their true voice to albums that feel like places, Heiko’s picks reflect a listener who follows music wherever it leads, as long as it feels honest.
Heiko (@heikos_corner) approaches the July 9 to 11 prompts as someone who finds just as much meaning in an artist's creative journey as in the music itself. His selections move between bold artistic shifts, soothing voices, and album artwork that perfectly complements a record's identity. Together, they reveal a listener who gravitates toward artists who feel comfortable being exactly who they are. The prompts explore those ideas from different angles. One asks which album caught him by surprise, another focuses on the artist he immediately associates with the word "calm," while the final prompt turns toward an album for which he prefers an alternative cover.
Which album caught you by surprise?
I’ve been a fan of Poppy ever since she started posting those creepy YouTube videos and I vividly remember bopping to the cotton candy sounds of her first EP Bubblebath. It was everything I ever wished for in pop music: this outrageously glossy sound that was so rare and so bold in those whisper pop times.
Color me surprised, when her sound started to become heavy. I was never a fan of rock or screamo - but, to my own surprise, I started to dig it. I loved everything about this new era. While it was definitely not pop and definitely not something I would have chosen by myself if I hadn’t been a fan of hers before, this record convinced me. I loved the aesthetic, from the creepy cover to the videos. I loved the way she played with genres, breaking and bending them like some kind of musical Avatar, and the way this felt honest and authentic to her as a person. I loved seeing her come out of this fabricated shell and how angry she sounded on the record, how raw and real the emotions were portrayed, not only through her voice but also through the batshit-insane production. Just listen to “BLOODMONEY.” There’s so much hurt and anger bubbling inside of her, waiting to be let out.
7 years later, I would classify I Disagree as the pillar and dividing block of Poppy’s artistry. Before, there was a persona that was created, shaped & controlled by external forces. Since then, Poppy started to appear as herself, finding her independence & acting out her own vision.
I believe that is what made me connect to and enjoy this record as much as I did: It feels authentic. Even all of this time later, I continue listening to and raging along with it. The chaos, the creative energy, the sheer, unfiltered drive to break down all of the walls, to let it all burn down, and rise like a phoenix from the ashes, are truly relatable. It’s one of the most interesting releases I’ve heard & I’m really grateful that I kept an open mind about it.
Which artist do you think of with the word "calm"?
When I think of the word “calm,” I immediately think about one specific artist, an artist that has accompanied me for almost my entire life now. You might know her as A Fine Frenzy or even under her real name Alison Sudol.
While A Fine Frenzy’s first records are good, what truly defines her to me are her last records, Pines (2012), and Still Come The Night (2022).
On Pines, Sudol explores questions around belonging, finding your purpose and wanting to protect your loved ones over the most delicately orchestrated instrumentation. It’s an hour-long story that is connected through the individual songs, with nature’s elements sometimes representing individual characters. Take “Riversong,” for example, where we get to meet the tree “Pine” who is testing the waters to see where he fits, desperately trying to find a place he can call home.
The record feels both soft and tender, warm and fragile, beautifully hopeful yet earth-crushingly sad. I always come back to it when I need a hug to my ears or someone to catch me, keeping me safe and telling me “It’s okay.” Whenever I need to touch some grass, I know that the world of “Pines” is there to keep me grounded.
The same goes for Sudol’s record, Still Come The Night. It’s a depiction of a love story coming to an end that deals with the insecurities and the pain that comes along with it. The songs are oftentimes a slow-burn, underlined with warm production elements that contrast Sudol’s clear vocals. They’re heartbreaking and healing at the same time and sometimes make me shiver with their beauty.
I’m aware that most people wouldn’t find this calming at all, but to me Alison Sudol is the musical equivalent of a human weight blanket. And while the lyrical content can get quite emotional at times, it's her voice and the production that keeps soothing me, day in, day out.
For which album do you prefer an alternative cover?
I need to start with what is probably considered a really hot take: C,XOXO (+Magic City deluxe tracks) is a really great record and will hopefully have its moment in a couple of years. It’s a really great concept album with an insane production and even crazier features. And it was definitely a bit misunderstood – not aided by the very unsuitable original cover.
On C,XOXO, Cabello homes in on her heritage and upbringing in Miami. The singer cleverly portrays this by linking up with high-profile acts from the region like JT ,Yung Miami and BLP Kosher or by sampling songs like Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service” that she grew up listening to. In this context, the original cover never really made that much sense to me. It doesn’t portray the vibe, the content or the quality of the music.
The Magic City cover is a bit better, with her being plunged in the water, but again, nothing can truly beat how well the alternative cover matches and portrays the essence of the record. It’s very simple but truly effective: we only get to see Cabello’s upper body, probably burned by too many hours in the sun, the title of the record and her bikini top in a stark white contrast marked on her skin, and some bleached blonde hair that falls over it.
When looking at the cover, I can almost see the day the singer must have had: I can taste the salt in the air, feel the torching heat of the Miami sun on my skin, hear the laughter and giggles, the gossip and deep-talk sessions that must have happened. I feel like I am with her and her girls, out in the sun, out in the water, enjoying the music, dancing, laughing, crying about things that may or may not be relevant even by the end of the day and thereby completely forgetting to put on some more sunscreen. It’s about being in the moment, carefree and uncaring. And we’ve all been there, no? We all came home and realized “Oops” but then just started laughing while being grateful for the memories.
It’s such a beautiful and fitting representation of what the album feels like, this specific snapshot of her life growing up in the south. Camila Cabello is taking you on a journey through memory lane and this alternate cover paired with the tracks encapsulates that experience by providing the perfect soundtrack and visuals to her time growing up.
For Heiko, even though the artists change and evolve, a few things seem to stay the same. He still gets excited about discovering where an artist decides to go next. He still enjoys collecting music in physical formats. He still likes songs that can make him laugh just as much as songs that can completely wreck him. There is something really fitting about that combination. The same person who can appreciate a song for making him feel everything can also appreciate one simply because it is fun, weird, or impossible not to enjoy.
Maybe that's because music has never really been background noise for him. It's been there since childhood, from afternoons spent watching music television to the records filling his shelves today. Sometimes it offers comfort. Sometimes it offers chaos. Sometimes it's simply something fun that sparks joy. Whatever shape it takes, he seems perfectly happy to follow it. After all, not every favorite song needs to change your life. Sometimes it just needs to make a moment better.
A physical media collector and lifelong music fan who follows artists wherever they go, finding comfort, chaos, and joy in songs that make him dance, feel, and return for more.
