🎶 Notes on Notes (2021–02–10)
I’ve been losin’ sleep just keepin’ up with what’s become.
Back on track! So much new music that I didn’t even fit it all in this week! It will be nice to have a bit of a backlog so I can start trying to weave together some kind of a through-line for all of the selections. For now we’ll get albums from a band I learned of decades ago and another band I learned of days ago. Might need to solicit some feedback as well - is there something you like about these notes but want more off? Something you don’t like and want less of? Would love to hear all about it!
👀 Goings On About Music
Let us take a look at some new(ish) albums and singles…
💿 Albums
Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight ( Apple | Spotify )
I bet you didn’t think you were signing up for philosophical musings when you signed up for these notes. This is so obvious that it might not even be worth writing but it wasn’t something I really thought about until I sat down to purposefully listen to a new album from a band with a decades-long career - I think the experience part of music adds more value to your enjoyment than just the music alone. Incredible insight, I know. I didn’t not listen to Wasting Light or Sonic Highways… I listened but then I never listened again. It’s got to be hard for the Foo Fighters to compete with their own songs that people have listened to for decades, at their wedding, at parties, on road trips. The new music might be great but I didn’t sit around playing euchre at lunch with my high school friends while we listened on repeat. I like the Foo Fighters and I like that they’re still making music and staying relevant. I liked Medicine at Midnight well enough and I think it’s worth noting the release if only because of all the bands I grew up with, there are very few that are still making music. A quick temperature check on some reviews across the interwebs were at-worst characterized as neutral and at-best characterized as accepting. I think that makes sense. There’s nothing groundbreaking on the album but it’s very listenable. It would be hard to fault the band for continuing to keep on keepin' on. This is probably the grooviest/funkiest of Foo Fighters albums and I didn’t mind the abundance of back-up singers sprinkled across the tracks. I’ll keep listening as long as they’re willing to keep playing but I’ll be turning to The Colour and the Shape or There Is Nothing Left to Lose before I put on Medicine at Midnight.
The Staves - Good Woman ( Apple | Spotify )
Not to be confused with the other full-of-sisters band, Haim, The Staves released their fourth album last week. This was introduced to me as being indie folk, and I suppose that’s true, but it doesn’t feel like a typical folk record to me. There’s a haziness to the music that feels like it was intentionally under produced. It obviously wasn’t, there’s a lot going on in terms of different sounds and instruments in the mix, but it has that raw feeling to it. The vocals are an exception to this - they sound amazing and it almost feels like they’re a ray (or three) of sunlight blasting through an overcast sky. Once we get to the spring, and if I ever had a day of peace that coincides with a rainy day, I’ll be putting this album on loudly all around my house. I think it would be the perfect accompaniment.
🎵 Tracks
Death From Above 1979 - One + One
If the rest of the album sounds like this then - spoiler - it’s probably a lock for my favourite album of 2021. You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine is a desert island album for me. The Physical World might be as well. The anticipation from a 10-year gap between those two albums probably helped. This is what I want from Death From Above 1979 - four on the floor drumming with some fancy cymbal work and a bass line that makes me want to jump around.
Alice Glass - Suffer and Swallow
Alice Glass was in a band that made… glitch music? Video-game-bit-music-chip-pop? … doesn’t matter, I really liked it. She left the duo several years ago over allegations of abuse (mental, physical, sexual, you name it) and continued to put out very intriguing music on her own. The first single I remember hearing was the uber dark song Natural Selection from her self-titled solo-debut EP. She’s continued to evolve her sound and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Martin Garrix (feat. Tove Lo) - Pressure
Speaking of the impact of the experience on music… many years ago I was at a Leafs game and the song Animals was blaring on the arena PA system while the teams warmed up. It wasn’t my first Leafs game nor my last, but there’s always a few moments in every game where I catch myself really enjoying the spectacle of attending live professional sports. I immediately Shazam’d the song and added it to my library. And now I’m a fan of Martin Garrix. I’m also a fan of Tove Lo. Her breakout song Habits was catchy but didn’t really do it for me - but the rest of that Queen of the Clouds album was amazing. The combination of the two was an insta-add to the queue for me and it was worth it.
🎧 In My Queue
I really liked the Weezer album and I’m not sure if it’s because it’s actually good or because alongside their great releases, they’ve put out some terrible albums over the last decade and at this point anything that’s average is considered really good. Either way, it’s worth a listen. The Aria Ohlsson track stood out amongst some pop singles I was listening to. I liked the pairing of the vocals with the rising and falling of the music. Pretty standard fare pop music otherwise, though.
Death From Above 1979 - One + One
Weezer - Aloo Gobi
Aria Ohlsson - Love on the Weekend
The Staves - Careful, Kid
Alice Glass - Suffer and Swallow
Martin Garrix (feat. Tove Lo) - Pressure
Foo Fighters - Holding Poison
Check out the playlist on Apple Music. Check out my profile on Apple Music.
And, I guess, check out the playlist on Spotify if you have no other option.
🤘.