Hello, friends.

This is a letter about music. It got a little long, so if you're curious about specific album reviews, scroll down to the header below.

At the end of 2023, I looked at my Spotify Wrapped, and it illuminated something that had been scratching at the back of my mind: I was listening to the Same Things Over and Over. And by the same things, I mean a lot of ambient and instrumental music. To be fair, that's my writing/editing/working/focus music, because if I listen to words they catch on my brain so I am unable to also do words. So it becomes an ocean of Max Richter, Hammock, A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Niklas Paschburg... And of course, the reigning queen of my Spotify Wrapped, Marisa Anderson. 

The last is because several of her albums became the perfect background music as I finished writing and then editing my most recent novel. I don't always have a soundtrack to writing, or at least not one that's at all related to the work, but Marisa Anderson did feel very right for a somewhat quiet, character-driven story that takes place in a science fictional tallgrass prairie. Look for it in a bookstore near you someday! I hope. 

Thus ends the reminder that this is some form of author newsletter.

The scratching at the back of my mind was this: I think of myself as a music person of discerning but wide-ranging taste, and I had missed so many albums. Not only new-to-me bands, but bands I genuinely love, and I just didn't know. Mitski and Waxahatchee and Beirut and Alvvays and— 

This is obviously an unacceptable state of affairs.

Here is my solution, at its core:

1. I started listening to All Songs Considered again;
2. I made a playlist in Spotify, titled 2024;
3. And I added one track from any album that I wanted to check out.

This is my way of getting one reliable source of recommendations, and creating a musical TBR. A TBL, if you will. Crucially, I actually devoted time to listening. Much like with reading, without this step the rest is just playacting.

The 2024 playlist ended up 8 hours long with 125 songs. Remember: This is one track per album. Oops! It's not solely 2024 releases; I happily threw in older things that I hadn't heard before. I haven't done a comprehensive break-down, and won't, and there are a bunch of albums I never really listened to, but boy! did I discover some bangers. Overall, an experiment worth repeating. 

some brief album reviews/recs

Low, HEY WHAT: Noise rock + harmony; fragile + aggressive; beautiful and discordant. Early in the album there's this stretch of a rhythmic distortion that seems to go on forever, and if that puts you off, I understand. But you're missing out on so much: the harmonies over the roughness, the distortions building to clear up, the lyrics blending in! I'm so into this that just writing two sentences made me have to go put it on.

King Creosote, I DES: I simply want to yell about Kenny Anderson's voice. Another album of contrasts, because you have the sheer galloping fun of Susie Mullen against the mournful beauty of Dust or Love is a Curse against the patient plea of Please Come Back I Will Listen, I Will Behave and the long and captivating Drone in B#. I like a land of contrasts. But also, I like a Scottish singer.

IDLES, TANGK and Yard Act, Where's My Utopia: These are paired because they are both dangerous. Both of these are bands that were absolutely new to me, and sent my Spotify off to recommend more UK post-punk, for which I am honestly eternally grateful. I have a hard time picking out track highlights, so just pop one of these on and prepare to want to get up and do something. It's very boring to admit, but these albums definitely kept me company doing chores.

Gustaf, Package Pt. 2: This album is just weird enough to stand out and delight me. There are Things happening with sound and voice and sampling, and when it's not singing, and when it's distorted. "Statue" is very good for walking determinedly down the street, and "I Won" encapsulates the "just weird enough" while also showing that there's something being said in all the crusty noise.

SPRINTS, Letter to Self: Absolutely great post-punk or alt-rock or noise-punk or whatever that's both raw and polished. Super attention-grabbing without being "just" earwormy or loud, and this band has something to say while they have your attention. The single "Literary Mind" appeared on a generated playlist for me and I ran to listen to the rest of the album. Maybe you should too!

Honorable mentions

• Elbow, AUDIO VERTIGO
• English Teacher, R&B
• Sleater-Kinney, Little Rope
• Les Savy Fav, OUI, LSF
• Arab Strap, I'm totally fine with it don't give a fuck anymore
• Mary Timony: Untame the Tiger
• Maya Hawke, Dark
• Mitski, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We
• Odie Leigh, Carrier Pigeon
• Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers

Is that quite enough? Is it??? You tell me. 

sonically yours,

andrea

recently
reading: Clariel by Garth Nix
watching: Deadloch
listening: Amaia, Si Abro Los Ojos No Es Real