Sharon Van Etten used to be one of those artists I could count on to have two or three great songs per album. Full LP doses were always a little too much for my taste – folky, lovely, but samey. I’d still get excited about the prospect of new SVE music, because those two or…
All posts in December 2019
“SDSS1416+13B (Zercon, A Flagpole Sitter)” – Scott Walker
Merry Christmas! Gather the family around and listen to the late, great Scott Walker regale us with a tale as old as time. Yes, it’s the story of Zercon, the Moorish dwarf who served as jester to Attila the Hun, and who became so desperate to transcend his brutal, soul-crushing circumstances that he literally elevated…
“Monomania” – Deerhunter
At the start of the decade, Deerhunter was the indie rock act to beat. Their third LP, 2008’s Microcastle, had been a huge leap forward. Psychedelic drones were still a part of their sound, but their songwriting had opened up to incorporate more traditional rock influences. Guitarist Lockett Pundt’s occasional contributions, like album opener and…
“Tightrope” – Janelle Monáe
Every so often a star shows up who’s so original and fully-formed that her ascent to cultural icon status feels inevitable. Janelle Monáe is the 2010s’ prime example. Raised in Kansas City, Monáe had early showbiz ambitions that couldn’t be tempered by her conservative Baptist upbringing. In a 2018 Rolling Stone article, her family tells…
“Silhouette” – Julia Holter
Julia Holter makes a kind of music that could be too cerebral to be fun. She holds multiple degrees in composition and studied under avant-garde musician Michael Pisaro. Her early records are highbrow-conceptual, inspired by Euripides and Virginia Woolf. She called her most recent album Aviary after learning that birdcages were considered storehouses for memories…