2020 week 6 | seeing other people by foxygen

This week we continue on with friend recs, but now heading in a less nostalgic direction as I take on my first specifically all-male album, Foxygen’s 2019 album, Seeing Other People (I’ve just really been feeling the ladies in 2020!~). While many loved it and I have enjoyed my first few listen-throughs, others…well, did not receive it so well. That’s neither here nor there (we all have known for the better part of a decade, if not longer, that Pitchfork is absolutely not the end-all-be-all). But it’s fun and funky and kind of the perfect vibe for a week of work bike rides where the weather will actually be consistently nice!

xx

week 6 | In My Tribe by 10,000 Maniacs

Last week, while listening to a podcast (I now forget which one because 85% of my time is spent listening to podcasts and a lot of them have the same people on them and my brain doesn’t know how to remember everything, ok?), I found out that Natalie Merchant (who I adore) is in 10,000 Maniacs.

I don’t know how I didn’t know this. It seems so incredibly obvious now. Every time I heard a 10,000 Maniacs song, I wouldn’t know it was them but I took noticed and looked it up and was like, “Hey, cool, maybe I would like 10,000 Maniacs.” And then I would carry on with my life and forget that this had ever happened.

Well, now I’m doing myself a goddamn favor and listening to what (5 min of internet research told me) is their best album, In My Tribe from 1987. They have a shit ton of albums, so I anticipate this isn’t the last time we see them in this series.

Here. We. Go.

PS so far, there is a song on this album called “My Sister Rose,” about her sister Rose’s wedding and it is fucking fantastic. Really kitschy and odd and I love it.

week 4 | Better Oblivion Community Center

It is the final week of January and the album of the week this week is the brand spanking new self-titled record from Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers’ new project, Better Oblivion Community Center! I don’t love love the name (it’s growing on me I guess) but this album is rad. Their voices together are mesmerizing and I’m obsessed.

Party on ~ Dylan Thomas is the first single and it’s good, but I think my jam this week is “Chesapeake” xx

week 3 | The Velvet Underground & Nico

This week, I decided to throw back again with the debut self-titled album from The Velvet Underground with Nico in 1967. Long story short, I was listening to a Daily Mix this weekend and The Walkmen came up which reminded me of Lou Reed’s voice and now here we are.

I’ve heard this album in passing before, but let’s get into the whole damn thing. And while Nico’s voice is otherworldly, I won’t gloss over the fact that she is a problematic fave.

Anyway, here we go…jam of the week is “Heroin” xx

album-a-week 2019

One of my goals for 2019 is to reassess and traverse some of my musical blindspots.

Each week, I am going to find, listen to, and log one new-to-me album. I will probably also expand that listening further into the artist as well, but mainly I hope to deep dive into specific albums.

For many reasons, I will not be reviewing any of the albums I listen to. Primarily because I’m not here to pretend I’m an expert on any of this. I may offer some small insight into my initial response, but I want to explore how I came across the album, what made me choose it, and take a break from listening to my mostly Alanis/Britney-based Daily Mix 1 on repeat forever and ever…

Unlike resolutions from previous years, I want to set an attainable goal. As much as I would love to read a book-a-week, I know how that goes for me. I just won’t do it. I can’t write a blog post every day (nice try 2016 me). However, I know I will be walking my dog or tidying my house or writing emails many times throughout the week, and I can listen to a new album a couple of times while doing those things. 2019 is the year BEING REALISTIC WITH MYSELF.

So, here goes, 2019. Will this, like so many other blogging goals, die a swift yet painful death? Only time will tell…