What Britnee is listening to:
I spent the month of July working hard to meet a tight deadline for a book series I’m writing, which inevitably influenced everything else in my life. When I wasn’t writing, I spent my time fulfilling social obligations, watching stupid shows because I didn’t want to think, or listening to music I already knew because I didn’t have the energy for new music discovery. I did not read a single book! I did find a couple of new albums, but only because they were hand-delivered to me in the form of social media promotions, or when my boyfriend literally handed me his phone and said “watch this music video.”
Needless to say, I am very tired. I am basically the dad from Coraline. But even in my fugue state, I can’t tolerate anything less than great music. Coincidentally, I have not been too tired to purchase tickets for several upcoming concerts. Hmmmm.
Drugdealer
I’ve been in love with Drugdealer’s 60s-psych sound for a while. Both of his albums are simply incredible to me, nostalgic and yearning and interesting with the kind of crisp-yet-crackling production I think is so impressive. Lately I’ve been focusing on his instrumentals, which, before now, I’ve mostly overlooked. That’s because when I write, I like to listen to music that gets me into a groove but doesn’t distract me—so, instrumentals, or music in a foreign language. If that’s your kind of thing, too, check out my wildly-all-over-the-place “write to this” playlist on Spotify, which features several Drugdealer tracks (and a few from Kiki’s Delivery Service and Pride & Prejudice, too).
Molly Burch
I found out about Molly Burch because she’s touring with Tennis, one of my favorite bands, in the fall (anybody else going to their show at Brooklyn Steel?). Tennis also produced her new album Romantic Images, which I just listened to yesterday for the first time. I really like it, but my initial thoughts are that it sounds exactly like a Tennis album. I’m talking exactly the same drum tones, bass riffs, vocal runs, etc. If you love Tennis as much as I do, you will not see this as a problem. A new Tennis album in 2020 and 2021! Yay! If you were expecting something totally fresh and original, you might be like, da fuq? Either way, you will still surely appreciate the songwriting.
Fruit Bats covering The Smashing Pumpkins
When my friend Nick found out about this album he said, “How can someone grant a wish you never spoke out loud?” And I think that about covers it. Fruit Bats covered the entirety of The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1993 banger Siamese Dream, keeping the essence of the album intact but adding his own midwestern magic to the songs. I love it so much. Listening to “Today” and “Mayonaise” for the first time made me really emotional, sort of like how I felt when I first heard the originals.
And while I have you here, why not listen to his 2019 album Gold Past Life, which happens to be one of my favorite albums of all time?
Porches
Porches is coming out with a new album on October 8 called All Day Gentle Hold. He’s released two singles from the album so far, “Okay” and “I Miss That,” the latter of which I have probably bumped hundreds of times. I loved his last album Ricky Music, particularly the songs “Do U Wanna” and “rangerover,” and these songs have the same vibe. I am very excited!!!
Talk Bazaar
In quarantine, my pal and psych-rock virtuoso Alex started a new solo project called Talk Bazaar. He just released his debut album, oceanic, and released a music video for the track “fallen 4it,” which was directed by my other pal Sara Laufer. The day they filmed this video, a Friday, my boyfriend and I showed up at Sara’s house for a party. The party was actually the next day, Saturday, but we saw all the disco balls in the window and assumed the party was going strong (even though we strangely heard no music…). Watch the vid and have your own solo party in your room, the way we did.
James Blake
To me, James Blake is a masterful producer and songwriter. I saw him live in January 2019 at Terminal 5, and it’s still one of my favorite shows to date. His new song “Say What You Will” is good, and the music video is very funny, although the quote at the end kind of ruins it. But w/e, it’s still worth the watch.
What Brigid is listening to:
Last night, a friend of mine asked me if I could remember the first CDs I ever owned. Easy - the 13 Going on 30 soundtrack (one of my favorites to this day), Jesse McCartney’s first album, Beautiful Soul (a classic), and any of the hundreds of mix cds that my older sisters had in their cars and under their beds ( I vaguely remember “Barbie Girl” being prominently featured). While I do sometimes get nostalgic for the very specific, tactile experiences of playing the same CD over and over again on my purple boom box and carrying my beloved yellow walkman with me onto the school bus, it’s hard to beat the ease of discovering new music that we have today. I find new, fantastic songs on a daily basis, typically by listening to the NPR All Songs Considered podcast, feeding into the Spotify algorithm, or playing anything and everything Britnee sends my way. Here are some of my recent faves.
The Staves
I have long loved The Staves for their perfect, angelic harmonies that feel like diving into a pool of clear water and their newest album, Good Woman, did not disappoint. Each of The Staves songs are uniquely earthy and ethereal and while their dreamy vocals are what keep me coming back, you can’t ignore the atmospheric instrumentals that swell behind them at all the right moments. The soft intro snaps in “Devotion,” that first piano stroke, and the way their voices rise and fall effortlessly every time they sing “and it’s happening again” makes everything around me go quiet in a way that I am wildly grateful for. If you find yourself in need of a moment of calm, I highly recommend it.
Caroline Polachek’s “Breathless” Cover
On another end of another spectrum, I am very into Caroline Polachek’s chaotic cover of The Corr’s song, “Breathless.” I’ve been curious how Polachek’s solo sound would take shape ever since she left Chairlift, and this cover shows off exactly the type of electric alt-pop that has become her signature. With the amped up pitches and pace, the song is kind of exhausting and feels sort of like you’re being pushed to the edge of something. I have been singing it to the streets of Pittsburgh for weeks because the AC in my car doesn’t work so my windows are always rolled down.
Sylvan Esso
Always and forever revisiting the Sylvan Esso Tiny Desk Home Concert from last year. If you haven’t watched it, stop reading this and dedicate your next 13 minutes to some Good Vibes. I was recently talking to someone I had just met about concerts we wanted to attend and I brought up Sylvan Esso’s upcoming show. He said he was skeptical about how they would perform live and I ruined any chance at a continued friendship by telling him he was clearly an idiot. Have you seen their Tiny Desk?? That is a performance! That is stage presence! That is what I want projected onto a massive screen at my funeral!
Still Woozy
My boyfriend and I have very different musical tastes and are constantly at odds over it (“can we listen to my music tonight?” is a frequent discourse between us) but Still Woozy is one of the artists that will make us both happy when we can’t come to an agreement on whose turn it is. Sven (aka Still Woozy) makes music that is weird and indie enough to keep my brain buzzing but upbeat and fun enough for my boyfriend to vibe with (he hates my “sad” music). Still Woozy’s latest single, “Get Down,” is no exception - it is groovy and shimmery and will be our designated peacekeeper for the next few weeks. Thank you to Britnee’s boyfriend for the introduction.
Samia
Samia’s recent single, “Show Up",” has me leaning my head against the car window while it rains, pretending to be in a music video. There is something so cinematic about Samia in general, but also this song specifically - it’s vast, it’s melancholic, it’s vulnerable, and its beat drop is worth the wait (as my creative writing teachers from college would say, the twist feels earned). It’s a touching anthem for showing up for your people and the music video is an awesome ode to Samia’s friends and family, as she dances like a rockstar in front of a flashing montage of images of her loved ones.
Royal Haunts
Shout out to Pittsburgh local, Royal Haunts and his new song “A Little Fucked Up (But I Love U)” and to our friend Josh for dancing his heart out in the sun-soaked music video. Next time you’re looking to get the party started, this is your jam.
That’s all we got for now, but before we leave, I just have to put this Pitchfork review of Lorde on blast for a second:
Folksy, acetone-scented ruminations? What?? Who at Pitchfork got paid to write that sentence? An abomination.
Anyway, what have you been listening to lately?