I looked around, and what did I see?
Tunes I've been listening to lately, some old and some new
I have an article with a real theme in progress, but it’s not quite ready yet, so here are some songs I’m into at the moment, in a somewhat aurally logical sequence.
“Stone Faces” by Cindy Lee (Diamond Jubilee, 2024) [Youtube only]
I hadn’t heard of Cindy Lee until my girlfriend and I were looking for shows to go to when we were in Portland last weekend and they happened to be playing. Unfortunately, Patrick Flegel, the artist behind Cindy Lee, is retiring the project/persona after the current tour, which is too bad because this was one of the coolest shows I’ve ever been to.
This album is currently only on Youtube or available for download via Geocities. If you’re on Spotify, you simply must switch apps to listen to this song, and after you’ve finished the rest of the playlist, go back and listen to all two hours of the album.
“Hey babe” by Hataalii (COMPLETELY!!! personal, 2023)
“Clover Over Dover” by Blur (Parklife, 1994)
I wouldn’t say I actively like Blur but this song is definitely going to end up in my Spotify top 100 after I fell asleep on a plane listening to it on repeat. I feel certain that the central rhyme was meant to be riffing on “Crimson and Clover,” but I can’t find any direct confirmation of that. I did, however, find this awesome quote on a random music blog: “It’s pretty scary that this guy would commit suicide for love but then again I’m sure we’ve all been there.”
“Let’s Get Out” by Life Without Buildings (Any Other City, 2000)
Album of all time.
“Final” by Mademoiselle K (Ça me vexe, 2006)
I was completely obsessed with this song in middle or high school. The dynamic shifts and line delivery in the next song reminded me of it (probably because my brain stores French and German in the same place).
Note: the Spotify version has several minutes of silence followed by a secret bonus track at the end, so please skip to the next track when the main song ends around the 6 minute mark.
“Tagebuch” by Bärchen und die Milchbubis (Dann macht es Bumm, 1981)
“Dark blue” by caroline (caroline, 2022)
“We Will Not Be Lovers” by The Waterboys (Fisherman’s Blues, 1988)
This and the next two songs remind me of each other in that they all have a similar frantic, high-strung instrumentation.
“Send It To Oslo” by Sparky Deathcap (Tear Jerky, 2009)
This is a solo project by one of the members of Los Campesinos! which randomly went viral on TikTok and got a remaster and re-release in 2023, reminding me that I loved this EP in high school and it’s still great.
“Classical” by Vampire Weekend (Only God Was Above Us, 2024)
Truly shocked to be saying that Vampire Weekend is good again in 2024.
“Holy Moly” by Young Fathers (Heavy Heavy, 2023)
I only recently heard of Young Fathers, so this is the only album I’ve listened to so far, but it’s fantastic, so I will definitely be working my way through their discography.
I’ll have something more substantial next time. In the meantime, leave a comment with your favorite new release so far this year or most anticipated upcoming album. I’m trying to be more intentional about keeping up with new music but it’s a work in progress.