how The beach boys gave my queer teen heart hope
“Wouldn’t it Be Nice,” is often overlooked as simply another foray into sunshine pop. The song isn’t just talking about a random teen couple; or at least it wasn’t to my ears. The song is the It Gets Better campaign put to music. It dreams of a world better than the one we currently live in, a world where people can love who they love and not have to feel afraid.
how do you solve a problem like spector?
There’s nothing Manic Pixie Dream Boy about Phil Spector. He wasn’t the “I’m an eccentric musician” brand he tried to sell, albeit not for lack of trying. But is morally, ethically sound to support an artist’s work if that artist is either a criminal or just generally gross?
Aaron frazer // introducing…
“Introducing…” is a remarkable achievement. With a soaring falsetto that recalls Barry Gibb, Frazer glides through the lollipop wonderland that comprises this twelve-track groove-a-thon.
Artists to watch: Sports + tim atlas
Tim Atlas and Sports make sure the funky good times shelf is well-stocked. I highly recommend combing through their catalogs in addition to their most recent work next time you’re in need of the musical equivalent to what I imagine a quaalude feels like.
cut worms // nobody lives here anymore
Cut Worms (nè Max Clarke) has released one of the most jubilant, jangly, and infectious albums since the work of The Byrds in the mid-late 1960s. It’s 2020 low-fi meets Buddy Holly with hints of the Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison; a stunning achievement and a deeply satisfying 80-minute barnburner that secures Cut Worms place in the realm of exciting new artists.
fleet foxes // shore
This isn’t just Fleet Foxes best album, it’s their most mature, cohesive, deeply felt, and intimately universal effort. While Pecknold sings of finding refuge from the insanity of 2020 in his music, we too find refuge and reassurance in it.
sufjan stevens // the ascension
Sufjan Stevens’ The Ascension is the deep, dizzying, electro opera that could only happen in 2020.
Laura nyro // eli + the thirteenth confession
Laura Nyro’s Eli and the Thirteenth Confession is a stunning solo achievement. The intensely personal work had a message it took me years to understand, long after it found a permanent place in my heart.