Marginalia #2 — Tony Shun
Marginalia is a series of short interviews with music lovers from small corners of the internet — bloggers, reviewers, and listeners worth knowing about.
Who are you and what do you do?
Hi, I'm Tony. I'm from Nanjing, China. I love listening to music, watching movies, and reading books (I'm trying to read some more English books). I'm very happy to meet and talk with music/movie lovers.
How did you get into music? Any highlights in your journey?
I grew up listening to some retro C-Pop songs, and my family told me that I was obsessed with Mariah Carey when I was 3 years old because we had some of her concert DVDs, but I can’t remember that. I listened to pop songs from Taiwan and Hong Kong artists in my primary school whenever I had the time to watch TV. After graduation, I discovered “Love Story” by Taylor Swift, and that was when I started to listen to English songs and grew an interest in learning English. Then I was listening to a lot of Lady Gaga, Avril Lavigne, and Justin Bieber. Their music has such a huge influence on me. Gaga and Taylor were and always are my favorite artists.
I had been listening to many pop songs in secondary school, including Gaga, Taylor, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding, Rihanna, and One Direction. At that time, I was randomly following pop charts to see what was big at that time, and did not have a concept of an album. It is also funny that, as a pop kid, I also showed great interest in the genre of gothic, darkwave music. I was very touched by a Germany band called Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows. Then I listened to Art Angels by Grimes in 2015, when I was in the last year of high school, and it completely blew me away. I started to pay attention to the “album” concept and tried to get exposed to more indie music.
In my college years, I had been through a difficult time in 2018, and that was when I listened to a bunch of indie/alternative artists, like Björk, Robyn, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, The National, Charli XCX, and FKA twigs, etc. Their music became a huge comfort during that period of time, and they are all my favorite artists now.
For almost 2 decades of my journey of listening, my favorite genres right now are deconstructed club music — electronic music with experimental or underground elements — indie rock/post-rock/shoegaze, indie folk, and neoclassical darkwave/medieval folk. Lyrics are super important to me, I can never get enough of reading Joni's, and I've always had a strong yearning for gothic aesthetics and the middle ages.
What's your current favorite album/artist and why?
Currently, my favorite artist is Ethel Cain. I discovered her single “American Teenager” in 2022, and I kept streaming it whenever I traveled.
I went to see her show in Melbourne in 2023, and I have been obsessed with her and her music ever since. Preacher’s Daughter is THE album that has been the most influential, powerful, and beautiful record for me in the past 3 years.
And her sophomore album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You is also huge for me.
I remember whenever I’m feeling depressed, lost, and couldn’t find something to hold on to, I would just turn on Hayden’s music, especially Sun Bleached Flies” and God’s Country. I don’t know exactly what Hayden went through to create this escape story this hauntingly beautiful.
In June 2023, I was quite sad because I was about to graduate and go back to China. I missed so many things in Melbourne, and I had a hard time finding jobs in my hometown. Even nowadays, I sometimes feel a little bit helpless and confused about my own condition. I could feel that I’m getting numb from the struggle in my life. But in my own life, where the daily grind is eroding everything, I need to see this kind of story, Ethel Cain’s story and her fire, to remind me of the strength, the will of living, and chasing what I truly want. Even if the end is just rot and nothingness, I want to feel comforted knowing I once fought for something pure. I think that is why I love Ethel Cain and her music so much.
She’s now definitely the artist of my life.
What's an album that you feel holds up to the years and will stand the test of time?
It is so hard to choose, but I would say ARTPOP by Lady Gaga. I know it might sound cliché to many indie music lovers, but this record has such a strong influence on my teenage years. I felt sad when it came out and got harsh criticism, and saw Gaga get defeated and deemed it a flop in her career, but I’m so amazed by the beautiful electronic sound arrangement.
I think that its core strikes at the very heart of pop culture. It remains a vibrant, kaleidoscopic epic for me—mythic, cinematic, and futuristic—born from an all-encompassing embrace of the pop landscape. It infuses a magnificent pop framework with her raw persona, her “blood and tears”, and a staggering array of elements to create a truly rock and roll soul. This is the so-called “death of rock” being resurrected within pop music, it is breathtakingly beautiful and profound.
Also, in a sense, she displays a fearless, sacrificial devotion to her craft in this album. This is, without a doubt, one of the finest rock albums of the 2010s. No other mainstream artist dared to charge forward like she did, utilizing the mantle of electronic music to channel the spirit of rock just as the EDM wave began to recede. I think literally nobody can do it like her.
What's a "guilty pleasure" artist you'll defend to anyone who'll listen?
I love Sega Bodega, but I always feel like, as a producer, he doesn’t get much recognition like Arca and SOPHIE. I’ve heard much criticism about these different hyperpop/electronic music producers, but what they create cannot be considered shallow.
I have had much fun listening to Sega’s music for its melancholic nature. His electronic music is far from conventional, weaving threads of sadness and heartbreak into a cold, dark atmosphere. I find his use of sounds incredibly imaginative and emotionally charged—both tender and world-weary.
How do you discover new (or old) music these days?
I would go to RateYourMusic and Albumoftheyear to find new music. I also have some friends with really good taste, and they would recommend good works to me.
What's an album or artist everyone seems to love that you just couldn't get into?
Mk. gee and his album Two Star & The Dream Police released in 2024.
I can’t say I hate it. It’s just not for me, and it’s overrated.
If you could only listen to one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Neoclassical darkwave.
I always love gothic works. My fascination with Gothic art draws me to this music: it conjures endless visions of the Middle Ages, offering me an escape from the academic pressure of my student years. While listening to this kind of music, in my mind I would go to dark forests under the moonlight, meeting bards, vampires, werewolves, and fairies, finding their legends and ballads. In my imagination, death and the grave are not scary, instead there’s a state of eternal romance within the sorrow. There, I could mourn the fading of past beauty, reluctant to return to reality.
How do you listen to music i.e. via streaming, vinyl, CDs? What audio gear do you use?
I usually listen through Spotify and NetEase Cloud music. I’m also a vinyl collector, but I’m saving up for a record player and better-quality headphones.
Who should I interview next?
I think you could interview my friend, Tommy Zhao.
Where can we find you and do you have anything you would like to share?
- My Instagram
- My RYM
- My AOTY
- My Letterboxd
I would love to meet more music and movie lovers!