The Japanese House Puts a “:)” on Her Face
Something’s happening. The Japanese House feels happier. That’s the chorus of her new single “:)”. And it’s also the first thought I had when I finished listening to it. Historically, The Japanese House (the sparkly, introspective project of singer-songwriter Amber Bain) has been an exercise in bright melancholy: how happy can you sound while still […]
The Story of Julia Pratt’s “Family Feud” EP
On Family Feud, Julia Pratt does what only the best singer-songwriters can do: she takes her own vulnerabilities, which are bound to specific and painful personal stories, and offers them to listeners to make their own. It’s a beautiful practice in authenticity by which everyone, from artist to audience, finds themselves looking around, teary-eyed, saying […]
Destitution Meets Compassion in Holly Humberstone’s “Easy Tiger”
Well, I spent the whole of last week underwaterOn occasion, I would surface from my roomGot a first-class view from right here in my fortressGot a staring contest going with the moon Holly Humberstone’s “Easy Tiger” is not lacking in slow, deliberate destitution. The song begins with the kind of sadness that settles like humidity […]
Aedan Peterson’s “The End Did Come” and Thwarted Expectations
How often do we find ourselves saying, whether out loud or in our heads, Nothing came of it? In high school, I spent most of my free time playing tennis. I was decent, and thought that with enough practice, I might play in college. I still remember key matches that left me either exuberant or […]
Jon Foreman’s “In Bloom” is a Song for Spring
In Nashville, spring always surprises us. I think it’s because winters here are especially bleak. We get all the bad parts of winter – freezing temperatures, harsh winds, and a sun setting early in a sky that’s been gray for weeks. We rarely get snow, and when we do, it cripples the city for a […]
Donovan Woods is Back with “Rosemary”
“Well then, RosemaryIn your pretty eyes, darlin’I am always in the way of what you’re wanting” Donovan Woods self-deprecates like it’s an Olympic sport. Not one of the main ones, like swimming or track and field. I’m talking about one of those weirdly gravitating ones that you didn’t know someone could be so good at, […]
Vampire Weekend is Back with “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops”
For a long time, I deliberately avoided Vampire Weekend. I had my reasons, unfair as they were. From a distance, they seemed like the incarnation of every dream that went to East Nashville to die. They were a group of young Ivy League white guys with big shirts and no record label, cool because a […]
“The Last Great American Dynasty” is Taylor Swift’s Mirror, Confession, and Best Song
Like the rest of the world, I exclaimed “There she is!” every time the camera cut to Taylor Swift during Super Bowl LVIII. Some of us said it angrily, peeved that we can’t even watch professional sports without her showing up like an IRS agent to ruin the fun. Some of us said it with […]
Share the Nostalgia of Ben Shive’s “Here It Was”
A few years ago, I started noticing something that made me laugh. I was sitting in a coffee shop in midmorning, doing my best not to eavesdrop. But some people are loud talkers, bless their hearts. The group across from me was being entertained by one such person. He was telling a story as I […]
Mon Rovîa’s “City On A Hill” Is Its Own World
Our truest moments – the ones that are pure, unadulterated living – are those that engage all the senses. If I ask you to recall a barefoot walk through mown grass, chances are your memory can bring you back to one with ease, right down among the details. You know where you were, and how […]
