Well, hello there. How are you?
What a break!
What a longer-than-expected break. I was planning to just take December off (like I do every year) but ended up needing January as well. The tl;dr is that in early January, I started on antidepressants for the first time along with some other medication, and I needed extra time to let my mind and body adjust. I’m glad I took the time, and I thank you for your patience.
(If you’re going through depression and are on the fence about exploring antidepressants, I recommend at least talking to your doctor about it. In my case, this is something I should have done years ago; I regret waiting too long and letting this depression get worse to the point where medication felt like a hail mary. Talk to your doctor first about what makes the most sense based on your situation and what other lifestyle changes might make sense to try too.)
To my new subscribers who signed up for OPE! since my last newsletter of 2023 (my list of top songs and albums of what felt like a quiet music year): Welcome! This isn’t the usual post that I send out on Wednesday mornings. Think of this as resetting the table for the new year before I get back into some weekly newsletter action.
Speaking of resetting the table: Guess who finally turned OPE! into an actual blog?
Welcome to the new OPE! I’m still styling the website—though, to be honest, I like the lo-fi feel—but welcome to the home of all the new song reviews that I usually share here.
I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time, and it feels good to blog again on a platform I “own” (until someone buys WordPress). I’m also making a point on the blog to cover newer artists, especially those from the Midwest (if you know, you know), with the exception of any big new songs that I feel compelled to write about. (My Billy Joel “I don’t need the money but za zing ga zing“ pan is coming any day now.)
This means that this newsletter will change a little. My new routine is to first publish song reviews on the blog (I try to publish one review most weekdays) and then on Wednesday mornings (PST time), I send out this newsletter and include all the past week’s blog posts along with other song picks that didn’t make the cut, my usual links, and other exclusive goodies. Think of this newsletter as now OPE!’s Director’s Cut, with more to come soon.
But enough about all that. Let’s get to the dang links and music for the week. Happy 2024, y’all.
MY FAVORITE LINKS OF THE WEEK
Note: I’m sharing more links than usual because I’m catching up on all the links I bookmarked while on break.
I profiled boygenius. (This Stereogum profile ran just in time to share on my last newsletter of 2023; I’m sharing it again in honor of their recent Grammy wins.)
I interviewed Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. (12-year-old me is still freaking out that this happened; I also like the new album.)
I wrote about 2023’s wonderful and bizarre (and to some, worrying) year in reissues. (This feature also ran while on break, but I’m honored to make my debut with The Ringer with this deep dive into nostalgia’s ever-increasing grip on the music industry; this also includes a lot of my thoughts on Taylor Swift, who still drives me crazy.)
How to be great? Just be good, repeatably.
Film “blocking” 101 (One of those terms I’ve always pretended to know!)
I loved this Andrew Wylie interview and his defense of being an outright cultural snob. (At least when it comes to works of art that are of high quality, instead of just “I relate to this artist, so this art is automatically good.)
We are in the middle of a small website discoverability crisis.
Did Bin Laden really go viral with the TikTok kids? (This news now feels like ancient history, but I think this feature does a good job examining the common habit of learning of, and processing, a story through just headlines and tweets and believing that a trend is bigger than it actually is.)
AI Is supercharging our broken healthcare system’s worst tendencies.
Tolkien explains why the Fellowship didn't fly the Eagles to Mordor.
Hey now, I’m now on Letterboxd.
THIS WEEK’S MIXTAPE
Also new with my song reviews 1) Click on the song title to listen to the music 2) I’m channeling my inner Roger Ebert and will now give “star” ratings out of four.
Waxahatchee – “Right Back to It” (ft. MJ Lenderman)
4/4
Look I don’t like MJ Lenderman but don’t tell the rest of Washed Music Critic Twitter that, like their opinions about anything regarding the band Wednesday, assumes that it’s perfect and ha ha amazing and wowe zowe isn’t shoegaze back baby. Ugh. Fine. You know who’s actually amazing? Waxahatchee. St. Cloud? Wonderful. Stunning. Yes yes. Probably a top 10 or even five album of the decade so far among deranged music industry types and actual human beings. OK. This new album? Haven’t heard it yet. Who cares! I already like “Right Back to It” more than most of the music I heard in 2023. It’s a simple thing done well, so well that I’ll forgive some profoundly horrible greenscreen action from the music video. You dorks. All you need is a banjo and a voice and something to say. Somehow Waxahatchee makes me stand to listen to an entire song featuring Mr. MJ Lenderman. Music is weird and potent. I’m glad I now have “Right Back to It” in my life. Spencer Tweedy is playing drums.
Logic1000 – “Grown On Me”
3/4
This is what I wish Fred again.. did more of instead of just fist-pumping to bored nepo babies who didn’t get auditions for Euphoria and are sulking at that Erewhon. Logic1000 isn’t coming out of nowhere and what I’m hearing isn’t anything new but I’m a sucker for any melody (no matter how glitchy) behind beats and rhythms that catch me off guard. I don’t know what to expect with each passing bar and that’s what makes this “fun.” Like Jamie XX, Logic1000 feels like dance music for introverts. I could use a little more build into “something” but nothing wrong with a pleasant atmosphere. Give me a few more spins and this song might Grow On Me ha ha anyway I hope I hear more music like this soon. A rare vibes artist that I’d actually want to hear a full LP from. When will Zoomers realize that there are more ways to capture film than a VHS filter.
Yard Act – “We Make Hits”
3/4
I reviewed the last Yard Act album for Pitchfork and enjoyed it quite a bit, as someone prone to Britpop nostalgia and all the new bands attempting to channel that sound and spirit while leaving some of that era’s baggage behind. My colleagues criticize Yard Act for being too accessible, which I think is silly. Musically I don’t hear anything new on “We Make Hits” other than a greater use of drum machines (parody? sophomore jitters?) but the lyrics continue to be great and sharp and might be just a little too clever for smart people who act smarter than they actually are. Not sure how the new album will turn out (haven’t heard it yet) but I don’t think this band is capable of making a bad record. Remember when guitar bands actually tried with their music videos? Let’s bring back that for our never-ending ’90s overdose. The YouTube algorithm automatically started playing Cake’s “The Distance” after this song and wow how on point and not a touchstone I was thinking of. But Cake rules so who cares.
Nick Schofield – “Picture Perfect”
3.5/4
Looks like someone stole the synths from Uncut Gems and made better music. This song is beautiful. Nick Schofield makes me feel like I’m in Paris in 1934 and 2034. Puts me in the same headspace as when I reviewed Benny Bock’s wonderful solo album for Pitchfork. Those two should collaborate or at least hangout and exchange flowers and bass pedals or something. It’s amazing how a song with such little movements or changes can put you in a trance. It’s a dream. It’s a daydream about dreaming kind of feeling. Someone put this in your French film trailer and win an Oscar while eating some pastry for goodness sake. Was the director for this music music like OK how about you just look at me and through me for five hours straight and we’ll keep the best parts OK great.
David Nance & Mowed Sound – “Mock The Hours”
3/4
I’ve come around to Third Man Records core. I would kill to hear David Nance & Mowed Sound live with a cold overpriced beer in one hand and starlit thoughts in one brain. Good, unfussy bass and piano. Did they steal the strings from some Glen Campell wannabe b-side? Who cares. Glorious. I wonder if Jack White heard this and went nah nah nah nah nah gotta make it less dynamic, don’t scare off your audience, rock and a roll! OK. Can we get David Nance & Mowed Sound to open for My Morning Jacket and force MMJ to make good music again and stop farting into a reverb pedal? No reverb farts here with “Mock The Hours.” How does one mock hours? Literally what does that mean. Whatever. Did David Nance look at a Red Rock and said, “That.”
Coco – “Do This Right”
4/4
I’m imagining the same sad yet beautiful horizon that David Berman and Jason Molina once looked upon and wondered if it’s worth it. Not the desire to want to believe that it’s worth it. I think we all know that’s worth it. But just … is it worth it? I don’t know Coco and won’t assume any projected sadness (I’m writing this during my second week on Lexapro). You don’t have to be on medication to crawl into this lovely void of sound and murmur and slowly be rocked to daydreaming. I’m now picturing my younger self in college and imagining myself walking to and from class in late fall or spring and wanting my surroundings to sound as deep and as beautiful as this song. I wonder if listening to music too much causes this disconnect; why does “Do This Right” feel more like the silence in my head than actual silence? Does actual silence make me that uncomfortable? This guy looks like George Harrison.
Porij – “My Only Love”
2.5/4
Glad the 22, A Million choir escaped Justin Vernon. I love how “My Only Love” sounds in my headphones and I’m sure I would be terribly bored if I saw this live at some half-full club. That half-full club will be full of media people who don’t understand music, which is why this band will succeed anyway. Turns out The 1975 without Matt Healy is just boring. This still sounds glossy and would still sound great in some airport. Am I supposed to pronounce Porij like Porridge? Art! At least there’s melody. Everyone in this band dresses too semi-cool to take seriously. Look at all these people in love. OK! When will the Grammys release a “Progressive Indie” category.
And that’s it!
Until next Wednesday, as always.
With love and all the other good things,
-b
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