Ryan Lott of Son Lux on Classical Influences, Collaborating with Legends, and Scoring Films
“Only (Chasing You)” is a rework of a track from Son Lux’s most recent album, Tomorrows I (the first part of a planned trilogy). The original song was simply called “Only”, and featured Ryan Lott’s gritty, yearning voice delivering the lyrics over the kind of music we’ve come to expect from Son Lux: elegant yet […]
oddnesse’s “Summer’s Almost Over” Is Bright, Catchy, and Original
As I write this, it’s a little over a week until summer ends and autumn begins. Personally, the end of summer was never as much of a bummer for me as it was for other people. For one thing, I went to day camp, which meant that I never got the sense of aimless freedom […]
The Beauty and Agony of Reflection in Caitlin Pasko’s “Quiet Weather”
“When I think of you I take a shovel to my chest And dig as deep as I can get.” Those lyrics come at the end of “Quiet Weather”, the devastating climax of Caitlin Pasko’s new album Greenhouse. I’ve listened to “Quiet Weather” every day for the past week preparing to write this review, and […]
Kelly Lee Owens and John Cale Tell a Surreal Story of Their Homeland in “Corner Of My Sky”
If there’s any musical hill I’m willing to die upon, it’s that songwriting is about far more than just lyrics. They are, of course, undeniably integral to the art of songwriting, which is why many of the reviews on this blog focus on thorough lyrical analysis. But if we wanted to focus solely on the […]
“Wrestling” by MAGUIRE: A Stark, Intimate Display of Strength
“Wrestling”, a new song by MAGUIRE (London-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gillian Maguire), doesn’t sound like it should be called “Wrestling”. After all, when we think of wrestling, we think of strength and machismo, whether we’re thinking about the WWE or the Olympic-style wrestling done by sweaty men in singlets. MAGUIRE’s “Wrestling”, on the other hand, […]
Hannah Lee Thompson on “Handsome Ugly”, Songwriting, and Building a Chicken Coop
It can be hard to find queer relationships in media that feel like real relationships, rather than idealized replicas. Part of the problem is that queer relationships, unlike straight relationships, aren’t allowed to exist in a vacuum: they’re expected to carry the burden of representation, and are judged on those merits first and foremost. While […]
The Dishonest “Honesty” of Mark Kozelek
This article contains graphic language, as well as descriptions of sexual assault. On August 13th, Pitchfork released an article detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against Mark Kozelek, an indie folk mainstay whose records with Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon helped codify the genre we know as slowcore. Three different women describe their encounters […]
CF Watkins on “Frances”, Inspiration, and Collaboration
Even if you didn’t know that “Frances” was based on a true story, you’d be able to tell just from the lyrics. Written with care by the North Carolina-raised CF Watkins and released ahead of her upcoming album, Babygirl, “Frances” is clearly about someone–a specific someone and not an amalgamation of various someones–and the songwriter is […]
Lore City on “Into Your Blue”, Spirituality, and Collaborative Marital Bliss
Lore City, a Portland-based dream pop duo, consists of a married couple: Laura Mariposa Williams provides vocals, Eric Angelo Bessel provides production, and both provide keyboards and guitar. (Dividing chores and responsibilities is, of course, an important part of any relationship, but most people don’t make great 4AD-esque songs out of those arrangements.) Six years […]
Jagd on “All work/all play”, Their Plans, and The Virus
Jagd, the Amsterdam-based band behind “All work/all play”, are usually a little less forthright. Their music has been described as a “hell of heavenly noise”, and their stylistic influences sit at the intersection of the surreal and the macabre. On the surface, “All work/all play” (the lowercase letters are intentional: it comes from their upcoming […]
