i'm not doing that, you can't make me

because everyone else is

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you people. hello. the readers of this thing here. thank you for being here.

it’s been quite the week in my personal music-sphere. All Them Witches came to town and sold out Brooklyn Steel. i played an underground show in a Bushwick garage and got high because the room turned into a hotbox by the time our set ended. a friend sold her tickets to Cameron Winter’s Carnegie Hall show for over $1000. she missed Paul Thomas Anderson filming the damn thing but i still think maybe it was the right call? anyways i hope you enjoy the rest of what i have to say.

 

BEST OF

i won’t do it

i’m not going to make a list of the best music released this year. why? because every week, i am posting music that i think is the best music of the year. nothing but bangers. that being said, a lot of other people are doing it.

so if you are looking for a list of the best albums, instead of writing what everyone else is writing, here is a smattering of lists that i’ve inhaled so far:

i hope you enjoy these lists more than the rest of the internet. because let me tell you, there are a lot of people that have been stirred.

the reason for this, is because seemingly, music critics have a weird and freaky lil’ obsession with Geese, fronted by the second coming of Jesus, otherwise known as Cameron Winter. both Pitchfork and Stereogum have placed Getting Killed, Geese’s newest album, at the #1 spot. and people are calling his recent Carnegie Hall show as his Bob Dylan moment.

and of course, when a band gets this hot, this fast, people are going to have opinions (just look at the comments on this Instagram post.) examples of conversations i’ve seen recently:

  • IS GEESE AN INDUSTRY PLANT? maybe!

  • DOES CAMERON WINTER HAVE A GOOD VOICE?? it’s easy to meme but i think it sounds nice!

  • WILL THE STARDOM LAST? who knows, man!

let me be straight. i have loved Geese for some time. when i heard 3D Country for the first time, i remember where i was and what i was doing and i remember thinking it was some of the coolest music i had heard in a long time. music doesn’t always leave that kind of mark on me.

it also doesn’t surprise me that Cameron Winter is reaching cult-of-personality status. he records entire albums in Guitar Centers and hires backing musicians off of craigslist. he records music videos by standing in front of the prospect park bandshell only wielding a mic and a sweater. the album art for his first single is just him in front of his webcam without a shirt on. he’s weird. but it’s art. and i think it’s funny and interesting. and most importantly, the music is good.

this is a lot of words to say that no matter which way you cut it, this was Geese’s year. this was Cameron Winter’s year. and Cameron Winter don’t give a fuck! but i like the way his brain works, and i like the music he makes, and i’m excited to see where his career goes next :)

 

NEW RELEASES

new albums i’m listening to this week

SYNTH-Y DANCE POP

👍👍 really really good - feel good electronic-forward vibes with some hypnotic melodies and soothing vocals, ya gotta love it

⭐ standout tracks: “In Darkness” “Melody” “Rekt”

MIDWEST EMO

👍 👍 really really good - it’s pop music but also still feels “indie.” i’ve vibed with Jack ever since his first record, and i’m still a stan all these years later.

⭐ standout tracks: “Shaftesbury Avenue” “Higher”

 

ALBUM

front to back

an album where you can bet your bottom dollar that every song is fantastic

FOLK ROCK

👍👍👍 really really really good - a unique band that gives you folk rock vibes with an emphasis on the rock. great stories, great melodies, endlessly engrossing.

🤔 current status: still releasing albums every once in a while!

 

THE PLAYLIST

ten good songs

💿 click here for the ten good songs playlist that has ten song-pops for your ear-tongues to suck on

1️⃣ Burn The Heather by The Lounge Society
more British weirdos making what the kids are calling "crankwave”
from the vault
1,201,864 plays

2️⃣ Eyes Closed by Melody's Echo Chamber
as the artist name suggests, it’s funk inside an echo chamber
new release
385,534 plays

3️⃣ Shaftesbury Avenue by Jack Garratt
nod your head and feel great about it
new release
247,463 plays

4️⃣ On The Rocks by Cory Hanson
twangy rock music
new release hidden gem
49,411 plays

5️⃣ Miffed It by Way Dynamic
lofi indie with a back porch vibe, Nick Drake vocals
rising artist
1,666,752 plays

6️⃣ On the Sly by Jodi
Pinegrove band member with fruitful solo career
from the vault hidden gem
117,541 plays

7️⃣ Porchlight by Colin Miller
MJ Lenderman band member with fruitful solo career
new release rising artist
191,579 plays

8️⃣ Pale Song by Dove Ellis
Radiohead vocals on a folk-rock band
new release rising artist
533,909 plays

9️⃣ Over by Love Made Trees
swing-low for this breakup song
new release hidden gem
656,480 plays

1️⃣0️⃣ I Really Don't Want To Know by Loretta Lynn
slow-dance oldie and a goodie
from the vault hidden gem
128,389 plays