“Rose Gold” by Emily Merrell: A Luxurious Breath of Fresh Air
The following is an incomplete list of things that “Rose Gold”, the wonderful new song by the English jazz-pop artist Emily Merrell, sounds like. It sounds like a sunny spring day with just a hint of winter in the cool breeze; it sounds like a pink-and-white dessert so artfully presented that you’re not sure if […]
Julian Taylor’s “The Ridge”: Some Things Last Forever
Julian Taylor, a Canadian singer-songwriter who’s been performing in some capacity for two decades, has the kind of voice that lends gravitas to any occasion. His voice is a rich, oaken baritone that evinces a quiet sort of masculinity; listening to it, you get the inexplicable feeling that its owner knows a lot about woodworking. […]
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 […]
“Nowhere/No One” by Bella Human: A Haunting Take on Humanity’s Unknowable Origins
Bella Human’s song “Nowhere/No One” is a deliciously unsettling exploration of inheritance, disappearance, and vision: a song about bleeding, but more about what blood is – how it got into our veins in the first place. Why that secret haunts us. It’s a tense song, resting atop repeating guitar plucks and ghostly vocals. It opens […]
“Cicadas” by Wild Manes: Nostalgia with Teeth
The first time I listen to Wild Manes’ “Cicadas,” I’m lying in my backyard, grass tickling my neck. The sky is burning hazy blue, and there’s just enough breeze for goosebumps. No sound but the lazy drone of an airplane passing overhead. Then the slow unfolding of a beat, a thrumming bass – like a […]
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 […]
