The Top Indie Songs of 2020
Here are the top indie songs of 2020, according to our panel of writers. “Land of No Junction” by Aoife Nessa Frances “Quiet Weather” by Caitlin Pasko “Sour Flower” by Lianne La Havas “Kerosene!” by Yves Tumor “I Want You To Love Me” by Fiona Apple “Can I Believe You” by Fleet Foxes “Climb” by […]
“Verdant” by Floraphona and Naoba: Beguiling, Uncanny Pop
There’s a concept called the “uncanny valley” that’s become more relevant in recent years. As humans, we’re wired to feel empathy towards things, even inanimate objects, that have some humanlike qualities: it’s why everyone cried during WALL-E. The uncanny valley, then, shows the limits of that empathetic response. According to the theory, there’s a threshold […]
Retrospective Reviews: Brian Eno’s “Baby’s on Fire”
Brian Eno is the kind of artist where people talk about his “importance” as much as they do his music. It’s understandable, even if it does Eno a disservice. His work with Roxy Music, as well as his early solo albums, shaped and warped glam rock at the same time, while also looking ahead to […]
Angelle Waltz on “Moon Gurlz”, Her Evening Rituals, and Her Sense of Adventure
“I’ve heard that most everyone believes in something,” Angelle Waltz says at the start of her bewitching “Moon Gurlz”. “But for me? Well, I believe in…y’know.” It’s a coy, playful demurral, typical of a song (and an artist) who delights in leaving blank spaces for the listener to fill in on their own. One gets […]
“Amethyst O’clock” by Daphne’s Demise: Cozy, Life-Affirming Psych Pop
“Amethyst O’clock”, a beguiling psych-pop tune from the Ontario-based Daphne’s Demise, tells you a lot just from its title. The world of this song is certainly stranger than our own; this is, apparently, the kind of world where colors and gemstones can be used to signify time (which reminds me–I’ve got a dental appointment at […]
“Revival in Lincoln” by Graeme Kennedy: A Searing Portrait of Religious Hubris
I’m an agnostic nowadays, but I grew up Catholic, which means I get to enjoy the existential dread of the former and the omnipresent guilt of the latter. (I’m doing great, thanks for asking.) My family was not particularly observant–we only went to Mass on Easter and Christmas, and eventually not even then. Still, I […]
Loris and the Lion on “Waxwing”, Fairy Tales, and Halloween
Fairy tales are stories that have been so thoroughly absorbed into our collective consciousness that it’s more common nowadays to see them subverted than played straight. In some cases, like Into the Woods, common fairy tale tropes are used to more realistic ends, showing how things like witch’s curses and magic wishes would have unintended […]
Julianna Money on “27”, Stevie Nicks, and the Chattahoochee Valley
On her new song “27”, Julianna Money is preoccupied with a lot of things. She’s growing older, and even though she’s still young she knows she won’t stay that way forever. She’s ruminating on the inexorable passage of time. She doesn’t know what the future holds for her, except for what the future eventually holds […]
Ksenia Parkhatskaya on “Rose and Blue”, Russian Jazz, and the Cosmos
There’s something uncanny about certain kinds of jazz, something that suggests a dreamy state in between memory and the present, or this world and the next. On An Empty Bliss Beyond This World, The Caretaker (aka Leyland Kirby) famously looped and manipulated old jazz records from the 20s to evoke the failing memories of someone […]
Jonah Corren on Ennui, The Countryside, and “Dreaming & Petty Crime”
If you were to think about the English countryside, you’d likely conjure the sort of imagery you’d find in calendars and chocolate box art: rolling hills, verdant fields, an idyllic landscape resplendent with pastoral charm. While there are parts of England where that’s not far off (I confess to getting moony-eyed over pictures from the […]
