“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 […]
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 […]
