REVIEW: exciting!!excellent's!! "you will watch me die" via Lonely Ghost

Last year I wrote about exciting!!excellent!! and how, at my first show ever in Portland, I was made to feel at home in a strange city. In the year following I have seen, time and time again, that Jasmine Mcelroy is a force both on DIY spaces online and the real, tangible music scene in Portland as a whole. I waited all year and now her debut album, you will watch me die is finally here.

Watch me die as a piece of music truly feels like the soundtrack to a GameBoy game that never existed in a coherent way, something I don’t think was true of any of her EPs under the exciting!!excellent!! name. Opening track “vinyl fantasy x-2” sounds just like an RPG start screen and paints a complete image complete with a breezing wind and other little set dressings which my mind’s eye can see crystal clear. This keeps going on the entire project throughout; “the spirit of beach justice failed to notice you” is either the saddest cutscene or the most slap-in-your-face Game Over screen you have ever seen. “Online!!OK’s” sonics and production sounds like a level up menu. You can really play this game with almost every song.


It isn’t all chiptune, however, Jasmine stays true to her brand in making this an emo-chiptune record. Back to “vinyl fantasy,” she manages in this one song to capture the entire range of art and expression while easing you into the melancholic chords, the somber delivery and percussion that even while programmed sound like they’re coming live from the floor. On the following “new song” we see even more of this bridging of genres, the bridge has a clap along, twinkly guitars but also has a chiptune composition as a backbone. The two never clash, only compliment one another.


Jasmine has also gotten to be both a remarkably better lyricist and vocalist here. Not that she was ever bad, I do want to emphasize, but this is on a much higher level than the EPs. “New song” lyrically is so honest, so open, that as a writer I cannot help but be utterly impressed. The vocals on the “ice key 2” intro are possibly her absolute best as well. Once in a while she also enters a track a bit inwardly but then shows that it’s all by design and bursts with energy. 


As someone who's only known about this project a year I appreciate how rewarding exploring those EPs was now that the full length is here. The closing lines of track one call back to the title of the debut EP this time with a more positive spin. As mentioned above the spirit of beach justice returns and this time coughs up an interlude so sad it rips my heart right out. “Ice key 2” features a sound clip from Star Trek just as the first one did. None of those to mention the other self-referencial lyrics sprinkled throughout.


You will watch me die is a fantastic collection of songs, strong on their own but stronger together. “Healing!!” is an amazing closer with, what I feel, is the strongest overall instrumental on the record. The lyrics to the songs aren’t available anywhere online right now but on this track in particular they’re especially moving. Altogether, this song, the record, everything is Jasmine showcasing why she deserves every bit of the praise she gets within her own community before ending it on a track that’s composed of gang vocals and a more fun, detached outro. I cannot put this record down and even this review isn’t enough to quantify its worth.

I love this record
  1. vinyl fantasy x-2
  2. new song!!
  3. l a s e r s
  4. become dream (rank 1) [feat. Caleb Haynes of Hey, Ily]
  5. johnny nasty's last dance
  6. the spirit of beach justice failed to notice you and continues to weep silently
  7. online!!ok
  8. ice key 2
  9. healing(goodbye)
  10. evrybody!!

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