Monthly Music Fix: 2023 08
My eighth monthly installment of my new(ish) music playlist of 2023 | 10(ish) awesomely curated new songs
“Strange words come on out. Of a grown man's mouth when his mind's broke. Pictures and passin' time. You only smile like that when you're drinkin'. I wish I didn't, but I do. Remember every moment on the nights with you.”
I haven’t shared new music for a hot second. This is some new stuff that I am listening to nowadays. Yes. Zach Bryan dropped a new album, so that is featured heavily. I’ve got three Zach Bryan songs. I could have easily included five. But some other non-Zach Bryan action going on as well.
I Remember Everything - Zach Bryan (with Kacey Musgraves)
Zach Bryan dropped another album. This guy is a generational talent. He is in the midst of creative awesomeness. I am on board with him. This is probably my favorite song on this album. This is another love song about a passionate relationship that has come to an end. There are so many lyrics I love in this song. Even the throw away lines, “how your mama ran off and pawned her ring.” I love how Zach changes the pace of the song at the end of his verse “I remember, I remember, everything.” So much good stuff happens in this song before Kacey even has a chance to sing. “Blame on the beach, grown men don’t cry.” But Kacey does come in and her voice is a great balance to Zach’s. Her verse is a great balance to Zach’s. Its a great duet in the sense that her voice is a response to his. That being said, they could both be singing to different people. He could be singing to someone and she could be singing to him.
“Strange words come on out. Of a grown man's mouth when his mind's broke. Pictures and passin' time. You only smile like that when you're drinkin'. I wish I didn't, but I do. Remember every moment on the nights with you.”
Rock Salt and Nails - Tyler Childers
I am just getting on board with Tyler Childers. He sings soulful country music. This is actually a Waylon Jennings cover. The emotion that Tyler brings to this song is amazing. There is so much anger in this song. Sometimes when you have all this anger its best to just put it into a song. I’ll just leave this here.
“Now if the ladies were blackbirds. If ladies were thrushes. Well I'd lie there for hours. In the chilly cold marshes. And if the women were squirrels. With them high bushy tails. Well I'd load up my shotgun. With rock salt and nails. I'd load up my shotgun.”
Spotless - Zach Bryan (ft. Lumineers)
Apparently Zach is a huge Lumineers fan and this is like a dream come true to record with them. I think their voices go together really well. This is an excellent love song that focused on how no one is perfect. And celebrating that lack of perfection. Full of great lyrics.
“Turn on the TV, act like you don't see me. Tell me everything is okay. My mother is a saint and told me if I wait. Everything meant to be will stay. Well, I ain't a believer in people pleasing neither. Fucking telephones have ruined this place. Met a man in New York City, told me humans ain't as pretty. As a perfect day we'll chase for all the days.”
Independence Day - Palehound
I totally want to engage with this album. I haven’t yet. But, I dig Palehound’s whole thing and I think I’ll dig the album. This song is about looking back at a breakup of a significant relationship. The independence that comes with the end of the relationship is questioned in this song.
“No, I don't wanna see the other path”
Sarah’s Place - Zach Bryan (with Noah Kahan)
So two of my favorite artists got together to record a song. So that is awesome. And I dig this song. Their verses blend together and you can hear how they each bring their perspective to the song. And the their vocals and emotions blend together too. This is sort of a collaboration of the moment for a lot of people. I dig the story line. I dig the lines. I dig so much about this song. But, it doesn’t make me cry. Which their individual song songs tend to do. Maybe it will, but I don’t directly connect with the song quite yet. There are some great lyrics and vibes though. The best part of the song is the payoff that both narrators (it appears) follow Sarah to NYC and have to sell their guitar to buy the plane ticket to get there.
“Plane tickets have gotten awfully expensive. But I got mine for the price of a Gibson.”
Mindful Solutionism - Aesop Rock
This is a great song that both celebrates and criticizes technology. This is a song trope similar to We Didn’t Start the Fire or Positive Jam. Though in this song, we start at the beginning of history and move through our future. I love how he provides the context right away and we know what the song is about.
“2.5 million years ago, a friend of mine. Made a tool from a stone and defended his tribe. It's technology, sorry for the technical term. It's a wheel then a fire and the rest is a blur.”
It starts positive and it continues to get positive in the second verse. Though, even in the first verse, there is some cynicism included.
“A feat of engineering, a system made efficient. There isn't a condition, complication, or a vision. Where the answer ain't to build a more sophisticated widget, idgit.”
Then by the end of the second verse there is clear cynicism.
“Telegraph, telephone, you can flirt with Doris. In Poughkeepsie from a cozy geodesic dome in Sydney. You can write a letter with no paper. You can fix anything with a laser.”
Verse three handles all the side effects of technology.
“Wait, it gets awful: you could split a atom willy-nilly. If it's energy that can be used for killing, then it will be. It's not about a better knife, it's chemistry and genocide. And medicine for tempering the heck in a projector light. Landmines, Agent Orange, leaded gas, cigarettes. Cameras in your favorite corners, plastic in the wilderness. We can not be trusted with the stuff that we come up with. The machinery could eat us, we just really love our buttons, um. Technology, focus on the other shit. 3D-printed body parts, dehydrated onion dip. You can buy a Jet Ski from a cell phone on a jumbo jet.”
Shame - TV Girl
I dig TV Girl. If you don’t know them, I strongly suggest you check them out. They have a great chill vibe about them. TV Girl is an American indie pop band known for their dreamy and nostalgic sound. The band was formed in 2010 by Brad Petering and Jason Wyman in Los Angeles, California. Their music is characterized by a blend of indie pop, surf rock, and lo-fi elements, often featuring catchy melodies, clever lyrics, and samples from various sources, including old movies and pop culture references. I was introduced to them in 2018 via Lovers Rock, which is awesome. This has a similar vibe and I plan to explore the rest of the album more fully.
Like a lot of TV Girl songs, this has abit going on. There are samples, vocals have lots of technology added to them, there are witty lines. And you feel a bit like shaking or moving or dancing.
“We lit our cigarettes with studied thoughtfulness, and. Dreamed of high consciences but really one of the opposite, and. Who unscrewed the bottle and poured booze onto the flame? Who gives a damn about all the consequence? I just wanted to know your name.”
Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo
Little 33Forever has been psyched for Olivia’s new album. It’s totally fantastic. And this is an excellent single off the album. I love all the vampire imagery. I love the theme. I love the emotional hook that Olivia provides. The chorus is excellent:
“'Cause I've made some real big mistakes. But you make the worst one look fine. I should've known it was strange. You only come out at night. I used to think I was smart. But you made me look so naive. The way you sold me for parts. As you sunk your teeth into me, oh. Bloodsucker, fame fucker. Bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire.”
Clean Slate - The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats is releasing a follow up album (Jenny from Thebes) to the excellent, All Hail West Texas, a seminal album released in 2002. All Hail… is notable for its raw and lo-fi recording style, which perfectly complements the deeply personal and evocative storytelling of frontman John Darnielle. Each song on the album serves as a vignette of life in rural West Texas, featuring characters and stories that range from the poignant to the obscure. Darnielle's lyrics are both poetic and gritty, offering a window into the lives of the people who populate this desolate landscape. With its stripped-down acoustic sound and vivid storytelling, "All Hail West Texas" has earned a devoted following among fans of indie and folk music, cementing its status as a beloved classic in The Mountain Goats' discography.
This is the first song and first single of the album and discusses the same sorta sanctuary that is covered in “Color in Your Cheeks.” The idea of offering someone a place to go that is safe for whoever they are and whatever has happened in their lives.
Lots of great lyrics and symbolism.
“Rest until you're rested, climb back onto the caravan. Remember at your peril, forget the ones you can. And then just when you think you've learned how to forget. You learn it's just the ones who haven't risen to the surface yet.”
DOUBT - Jeff Rosenstalk
I dig Jeff Rosenstalks earnestness. I dig that he puts his emotions on his sleeve. I dig his introspection and discussion of mental illness. His music is characterized by its raw energy, introspective lyrics, and a DIY ethos that resonates with a passionate fan base. He has a knack for blending punk, pop, and elements of indie rock, resulting in anthemic, socially conscious songs. Jeff Rosenstock's music often tackles themes of anxiety, societal issues, and the struggles of everyday life, earning him recognition as a vital voice in contemporary punk and indie music.
This is about the anxiety you feel when you are crippled by anxiety all the time. Nothing is every good enough. No amount of accomplishment or productivity will make up for the anxiety that says you’re not doing enough.
I love the lyrics to the first two verses. I love how it captures letting it all out.
“Speak. Even if it feels weird. Even if it feels weird to be yourself. Speak. Even if it's hard to. Even if it hurts you. Even if your brain begins to melt. Slow motion breakdown. P-p-p-pantomime for help. Scream. It doesn’t matter anyway. It doesn't matter anyway so let it out. Scream. Louder than you need to. Loud enough to cut through. Louder than the noise that drowns you out. Slow motion breakdown. Slow motion breakdown. Slow motion breakdown. There's no need to be scared. Nobody knows it’s there. Ah, oh-uh-woah-woah”
Bonus songs:
Vampire Empire - Big Thief
Lots of emotion in this song. You can feel the frustration Adrianne Lenker has with a lover who can’t figure out what they want. She knows what she wants. Her longing is apparent in the song. But her lover is utterly confused leading to the emotional hook in the song.
“You turn me inside out, and then you want me outside in. You spin me all around, and then you ask me not to spin. You say you wanna be alone and you want children. You wanna be with me and you wanna be with him.”
Eyes - GROUPLOVE
GROUPLOVE is an American indie pop band known for their infectious and high-energy music. Formed in Los Angeles in 2009. Their music is characterized by its upbeat and anthemic melodies, catchy hooks, and a joyful, celebratory spirit that often makes their songs feel like an invitation to dance and sing along. This latest album is more heavy than previous efforts. But, you still feel the emotional hook and want to sing along.
“Tell me, do you have a cigarette? Everywhere I turn, I can't stay. It's all so subliminal. Thank God it's cloudy and grey.”