AOTW 2: After Fillmore County

AOTW 2 (3 Days Late Edition):

After Fillmore County

[recording due soon pls wait thanks]

Greetings again, welcome back if you have returned to enjoy my ramblings again and welcome to anyone else with the misfortune of stumbling into this. I have managed to miss my own schedule by the second iteration of this blog by releasing on a Tuesday when the first edition was on a Sunday, that of which is entirely on brand. One thing I did want to note from my previous entry is that I think I was a bit too anecdotal in my review of Bewitched and didn’t really tell the reader much at all about the album, instead, I went full online recipe mode and did nothing but write fluff. So here I will attempt to tone it down a bit in that regard.

Getting right into things, the album I’d like to suggest for your consideration is Vansire’s After Fillmore County EP. A 2020 edition by the chillwave group based out of Minnesota, Vansire followed up their well-received Angel Youth with the more rock-adjacent sequel that I’d like to talk about today. Following in the footsteps of Angel Youth, After Fillmore County is a tight-woven and catchy 7-track EP that iterates on the musical themes of its predecessor while lyrically painting a differing image.

Before I begin with my thoughts and experience with the project, I am throwing a bit of a twist in this log. Considering that I (an east coast product) would feel somewhat out of place deeply connecting to a piece that draws heavily on the theme of Midwestern life, I decided to phone in a midwest native in the form of my good friend Annah. I asked her if she would spare some time and give me a few words in regard to the authenticity of the themes presented in the EP. However, what I was presented with was well above the call of duty and to that I give a very heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the fact that what I did receive was essentially a whole review of the album from beginning to end. Bearing that in mind, the way I decided to combine it all was in the form of an almost dual-commentary that I will be denoting by two different fonts. Waffling aside, I sincerely hope you enjoy the words and many thanks again to Annah for taking the time.

Kicking off After Fillmore County, you are greeted with the moving drum beat and folky guitar lead of The Latter Teens. In the first few sets of lines, I felt immediately met with the theme of youthful wanderlust and adventurousness. Sort of like the feeling of “what do we have to lose? Let’s just do it”, which is exemplified by the setting and imagery of Minnesota Highway 20 and driving in general. Personally, a great track overall that lays the tabling for the rest of the EP.

[Annah: gives me road trip/long drive vibes for sure, which I personally enjoy. Definitely reminded me of the train trip I took when I was having an identity crisis. I interpreted it as a “let’s go and see how far we can go, when’s the next time we’ll get a chance to see it?” And some paths crossing/separation.]

Every Time Around follows it up with a groovy and memorable two-step dance beat that is interlaced with cascading synth cord and pad that kind of draws the feeling of a very mid 2010s indie pop track. The theme of feeling at home with a romantic partner thoroughly permeates the song, evoking a feeling of thankfulness to the object of the track, as seen in lines like “…every time I’m with you, I’m glad your around…” It’s definitely a feeling I have experienced as the the unforgiving throes of life are much more tolerable and manageable when you know there is someone there who will be there for you and make it all better.

[A: while listening to this I had a flashback of when my wife and I first started dating. Life was rough at the time but like what the lyrics literally said: “I’m just glad you’re around” in a time of self-deprecation]

Going back to back with the dance vibe, we get into Central Time, which kind of just glides through with the groovy bassline and synth pad lead and is finished off with a great feature from Mick Jenkins who flows well with the track to sound it off. Listening through, it really gives off the emotional mind state of what it feels like to be in the throes of a long-distance relationship, which it executed really well. Mostly with the chorus verse that mentions how hard it is to find love in a “flyover state”, which most likely prompted the LDR in the first place, while also being able to infer that the relationship at hand is more than a state or two away as noted by the lyric “…so whenever you call, remember Central Time...”

For those who aren’t American in the audience, flyover state usually refers to states in the Plains and Midwest region that don’t have a lot of construction and are sparsely populated, which makes most people “fly over” them.

[A: it’s an interesting allegory how they used time zones as two people being in “different places” saying that person A is ahead (EST gang) while person B is still “stuck behind” in central time]

Précis Two brings quite a lot despite only being a short and quick transitional track to slow things down. A very heartfelt and Moog-heavy ballad, it completely switches things up by doing a lane change from indie dance into crooning rap, which I was all for. Ivy Sole’s feature on the second half of the track was really well incorporated, as despite being slow and downplayed, he glides through the beat with the very romantic and sweet lyrics both him and Vansire bring to the track. Definitely pushing way above its weight.

[A: a short and sweet love song honestly]

Conversely, To Not Pretend doesn’t have a whole lot to note, despite being longer than Précis Two and having the archetypal notes of a transitional track. Personally I would have expected a track like this to have been the short filler track between rather than the tonal shift of Précis Two, but I digress. Nice and slow, while having a very atmospheric production to it that almost conveys a sort of dazed and dreamlike hazy feeling. Kind of like drifting in and out of sleep.

[A: it’s a nice and slow thinking it out song, I don’t have much thought for it]

The eponymous track Fillmore County, is one of my personal favorites on the record, it is a very mellow and longing track that is elevated by a fantastic feature from Floor Cry (whose vocal profile slots in perfectly with Vansire’s sound). The production all around evokes this feeling of impending longing if that makes any sense. Like the relationship is teetering on the verge of collapse but you are holding out hope for the better. Floor Cry’s verse towards the end of the track accentuates her very airy and ethereal vocal style perfectly and ties in to the moodiness of the experience.

[A: this is definitely a breakup/need to think song. Like “I’m gonna go and I will give you a call when my head is clear. I have to be somewhere else” mentality. Preparing for the worst when it comes?]

The grand finale of this listening experience comes in the form of Reflection No. 6, which in my opinion, is a fitting end to the album et al. It thematically sounds and feels like the ending credits, and the return of the folk guitar melody with the synth create a sort of lucid and airy feel that sort of befits like the golden hour. It wraps up the EP in a nice bow and creates a very subtle end with the noise of the cassette track ending to seal the recording.

[A: This to me sounds like a conclusion of a drive. Like driving during golden hour for “chasing the illusion of happiness” but realizing when it gets dark and winter is your home, it “comes back to sadness that you have to deal with”]

In retrospect, this record really accomplishes a lot in its short 7 track length. It places you in the midwest setting, and capitalizes on the relatable situation of figuring out if things are meant to be or not. The long distance theme may not hit home for a lot of people but having done that before in my life, I absolutely resonated with the message and mentally transported myself into that headspace from years ago.

In regards to the Midwest theme, Annah notes:

each song covers the traditional midwest driving activities like:

• getting slushies at midnight and laughing in a meijers parking lot

• going on a spontaneous road trip for the hell of it

• driving because you’re sad

• driving because you’re mad

To conclude, I happily bestow After Fillmore County with a 4/5. It might be a little controversial as musically it probably might not be dramatically more impressive than Bewitched, but the lyrics and all that it manages to convey in just a mere 20 minute runtime is a sheer accomplishment that should be applauded. If this project is something you enjoyed, I strongly suggest looking into their latest release, 2022’s The Modern Western World.

Many apologies in advance for being THREE days late, but I ended up allowing the analysis and thoughts to creep to elephantine proportions.

It got to the point that this is what ended up being my annotations and thoughts on literally this small LP.

As a result, this will most likely become a Wednesday to Wednesday ordeal since I feel like this piece deserves a full 7 days in the sunshine.

Much love to everyone for your time and a special thank you to Annah again for her efforts and words.

Talk soon,

[email protected]

the aforementioned Minnesota Hwy 20. Lots of corn.

“ the words may fall short of something profound,

but every time i’m with you, i’m glad you’re around”

[every time around, 0:45]

flyover state, specifically Kansas shown above

the annotation notes for this log

aptly titled: my suffering