“A Lot To Ask” by Boy Scouts: An Honest Look at Low Self-Esteem
I’m afraid of conflict. I’m afraid of even the perception of conflict. I am always apologizing, always walking on tiptoes when I talk, always peppering my speech with “if it’s not any trouble”s and “so long as you’re OK with it”s. I don’t want to make anyone upset, and I especially don’t want to make […]
Constant Follower’s Stephen McAll on “The Merry Dancers on TV”
During the summer between my junior and senior years of college, I spent a month studying abroad at the University of Stirling in Scotland. It was the first time I had been in a foreign country by myself, and I fell in love the same way every student studying abroad falls in love. (I made […]
Christopher Paul Stelling on “Driving The Hearse” and Finding Comfort in the Gloaming
Death is the ultimate reminder of mankind’s limitations. We can get starry-eyed about endless possibilities and throw around bromides like “if you can dream it, you can do it,” but the fact is that there are some things we simply cannot do, and there are facts of existence that we can’t dream or invent or […]
“Most Things” by Jackson Driscoll: A Song of Strange Hope
Music is a love language, no doubt about it. When I was an angsty kid in high school, I would often send people songs instead of confessing what I was feeling to them. And can you blame me? Feelings are hard. Music bridges that gap of vulnerability. Feeling sad? Send a wrenching ballad. Happy? A […]
Deborah Stokol on Literature, Art, and “I Had a Long Convalescence…”
Deborah Stokol is the kind of artist I wish to be: someone who synthesizes their various interests and preoccupations into a fruitful, prolific career. Stokol is passionate about art, literature, and music across history, as is evident from her adaptation of one of the Canterbury Tales into a sprawling prog-folk fantasia. On her new song, […]
Winterlark on “When I Saw You Stranded There” and the Delights and Fears of Songwriting
Folk-jazz band Winterlark sets the scene: two strangers, a hot idling day, stranded in traffic. The speakers spot each other between the cars, a half-glance between sirens. And suddenly, everything changes. The song, titled “When I Saw You Stranded There” tells a meet-cute love story with vivid energy. Kristin Olson plays the upright bass and […]
Ryan Cassata on “Guard Rail,” Queer Art, and Long Island
When we last checked in with the Long Island-raised and LA-based Ryan Cassata, a multi-talented songwriter and activist, he had just released “California Woman,” a stripped-down acoustic number with an effortless sense of vintage rock-star cool. Never one to settle down and stick with one sound, Cassata has released several other songs since then, with […]
Rascal Miles on “Asylum,” Vulnerability, and Safety
Vulnerability is a challenge in life and a necessity in music. Rascal Miles perfectly captures the sacredness of vulnerability and of offering a safe space for someone else to be vulnerable with you in his new song “Asylum”.” As Miles sings about staying home and being safe from the world, we find respite in the […]
Elly Kace on “Are You Ready?” and Musical Inspirations
With a dreamy ambience and comforting lyrics detailing having to deal with a hard time, “Are You Ready?” by Elly Kace feels like an existential crisis wrapped in a hug. The production of this song goes so perfectly with the subject matter. The pulsing bell throughout the song reminds me of a heartbeat, and drawn-out […]
“The Pigeon” by The Ampersands: A Humble Bird as a Metaphor
I live on Long Island, which means I don’t really see pigeons very often. The winged pest of choice here is the seagull, a dirty-feathered maniac of a bird who craves boardwalk french fries but, failing that, will settle for your blood. I only see pigeons when I have cause to go into the city, […]
