Analogue Appreciation: Searows
Death in the Business of Whaling — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, Portland hauntologist Searows.
On ‘Dirt’, the latest single from Searows’ upcoming album Death in the Business of Whaling, the singer explores the cycle of life. The music video, filmed in black-and-white, evokes a gothic horror, 1920s moving picture as his voice floats over rhythmic arpeggios and fret slides.
“Til the ground pulls you down / To the dirt I knew / We’d always come back to / And how do I feed you? / And will you keep this up / Til something completes you?” he sings.
Since gaining traction on the internet as a teenager, as he uploaded songs from his Portland, Oregon family home to SoundCloud, Searows (real name Alec Duckart), has established himself as one of alternative folk’s most individual storytellers, both through his layered lyricism and the soul-seeing, haunting sadness that pierces through with his sonics.
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His second album is his boldest project to date, and is due to arrive this Friday, January 23 via Last Recordings On Earth. It sees him reach outward with his sound, adding expansive, shoegaze‑y atmospherics to the introspective mood of his earlier work. It’s stunning, haunting, and music to make you feel something.
In cyclical fashion, like the themes underpinning ‘Dirt’, he brings us to where it all began – his home – to celebrate the album’s impending release and show us some of his favourite pieces of physical culture. “Most of my selection are things with sentimental value,” he says. “I feel so emotionally attached to movies and books and shows and music I lobed as a kid, and I like to have them around me. Even now I’m very comforted by surrounding myself with physical reminders of the stuff I love.”
See his picks below.
VHS movies
I have a hefty VHS collection and these are some of my favourites.
Medieval history books
I’m very into medieval art and history, I have lots of big books on medieval stuff but these are my favourites. I’m also very into Arthuriana and this is the most beautiful book on Arthurian legends I’ve found.
Cassette tape collection
Cassette tapes! Once again, so many to choose from but here are some that are always on rotation.
Shruti box
I have yet to use this shruti box in anything but I’m so obsessed with it.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer box set
The entire Buffy series on DVD… Collected from various Goodwills over the years. This was my first favourite show and will have a place in my heart forever. So much of my personality and taste was shaped by this show I love it so much.
Death in the Business of Whaling by Searows is out Friday, January 23.
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