Notelle on “Alive”, Her Influences, and Nashville
Because she’s a woman who makes goth-adjacent electronic music, Notelle is going to get compared to Billie Eilish more than a few times. It’s natural for listeners and critics to draw easy comparisons to what’s currently en vogue. But the Nashville-based songwriter’s eerie, uncompromising new song, “Alive”, illustrates exactly what makes her so different, and […]
Karin Fransson’s “Sister Soul”: Chill Vibes, Made with Care
“All a song needs is three chords and the truth.” It’s a common saying, usually referring to country or folk music, and it means that a song doesn’t have to be polished or complicated to be good. This is true enough, but as with most common sayings it’s overly reductive. A song needs musical or […]
Matt Lazenby’s “Sweet England”: A Gentle Ode to a Complicated Homeland
There’s a strain of wistful nostalgia that runs through “Sweet England”, a new song by the English-born, Montreal-based folk musician Matt Lazenby. Our narrator, who is similarly separated from his home country, pines for a return to the sweet England of the title, which he paints in warm colors in contrast to his current situation. […]
The Coo’s “If Only”: Peaceful, Reflective Human Connection
The Coo, the musical duo behind the hushed, gorgeous “If Only”, began in a way that has a special resonance in our current moment. A chance meeting at an open mic night in Amsterdam brought Matt Arthur and Jara Holdert together, but there was something bigger keeping them apart: namely, the North Sea. With Arthur […]
“I Do Too” by Headclouds: Wistful, Twilit Nostalgia
The YouTube algorithm for recommended videos has gotten some heat lately, much of it deserved. It’s had a significant effect on political radicalization; the way the algorithm is set up allows curious people searching for innocuous news clips to plunge down an increasingly deranged alt-right rabbit hole. Furthermore, unsupervised children can end up watching disturbing, […]
Chatting with Almanac – “Voicething”
Have you ever noticed that, when you experience a very strong and powerful sensation, you sometimes have the opposite reaction from what you’re supposed to have? When some people get happy news, they start sobbing like a kid with a scraped knee. When you see something extremely cute, you’re overwhelmed with the aggressive urge to […]
Cal Maro’s “Bad”: Vulnerability is Sexy
“Bad”, a song by the New York-based alt-R&B artist Cal Maro, is Schrodinger’s Bedroom Jam: it is both sexy and non-sexy at the same time. Everything about its Vaseline-smeared sound and hungry come-ons suggests sensuality, but there’s a bleariness and a desperation to it that makes it more than a simple let’s-get-it-on playlist selection. It’s […]
“Cool Heart” by Robert Guess: The Power of the Saxophone
For an instrument that’s so heavily associated with certain genres, the saxophone is surprisingly versatile. It’s a jazz staple, of course, with players like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane having ascended into musical godhood. You’ll find it in soul and R&B, too, as well as all your favorite sophisti-pop gems. But the saxophone pops up […]
Chatting with The Woolverstones About “A Song for Harlequins”
In this age of instant gratification, intros are something of a lost art, which is why it’s heartening to see a song like “A Song for Harlequins”. Brought to us by a new prog-folk group called The Woolverstones (from England, as if you couldn’t tell from the name), “Harlequins” begins with an elegant duet between […]
Sincere Gifts’ “Ghost of America”: A Catchy Tune for Our Unreal Moment
When I think about the election of Donald Trump, I’m reminded of something an older friend of mine said about 9/11, which I was too young to remember clearly. She was shocked, horrified, and grief-stricken, as any reasonable person would be, but what she remembers most clearly was the creeping sense of unreality, the feeling […]
