hi, hello!
It’s good to have your eyes and ears. Here’s what I’ve been listening to for the past month.
As the year gets closer to ending, I find myself anxious for more time. More time to listen to more albums, more time to enjoy the sunshine before it gets dark, more time in a year that’s been really good to me.
The albums I listened to this past month have a lot of core memories attached to them, and I think that will only increase as I try to get my favorites in before the end of 2022. Here’s your warning - things might get personal!!
Some of the memories I have with these albums are big ones, like listening to We Will Always Love You by The Avalanches after my grandfather passed away in 2020 and the instant tears that came from “Ghost Story”. If you’ve ever lost someone close to you, I’ve found this to be a really cathartic album to deal with grief. The story behind the album cover, which leads to another story, is also quite beautiful.
Some are small memories, like finally getting to see Ryan Sambol, as he’s an Austin artist and plays regularly at The Hole in the Wall.
I have a few darling boys I think of when I hear “Beautiful Boy” on Double Fantasy and Jen just added one more to the list. (Hi, Waylon!)
I remember staying out until 4 am the night of the Tennis show for their Swimmer tour on leap day in 2020. It was the last concert I went to before the pandemic began.
“Jesus, etc.” from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot reminds me of the 2017 solar eclipse. We listened to it on the drive to a viewing event, where Bill Nye The Science Guy told us all about what was happening between us and the sun. It was so cool.
I think back to Esmé Patterson playing at the Hi-Fi House in Omaha when I hear Woman to Woman. We sat on the floor of the living room-esque space, weren’t allowed to use our phones, and listened attentively as she explained the process behind it. I think it’s one of the best ideas for a concept album.
The TOPS song “Witching Hour” always makes me think of fall and is a staple on this fall playlist, which I created a few years ago on a New England road trip. (We don’t get views/vibes like this in Texas sadly.)
If you have any strong memories or associations with any of the songs/albums/artists in this newsletter, I’d love to hear. Reply with your mems :).
Mac DeMarco, Here Comes The Cowboy
Leonard Cohen, Songs From A Room
Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas
Bon Iver 22, A Million
Bon Iver, i,i
Big Red Machine, Big Red Machine
Kevin Morby, Still Life
Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm
John Lennon, Double Fantasy
Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
Devendra Banhart, Mala
Pinegrove, Cardinal
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly
Ryan Sambol, Gestalt
Arlo Parks, Collapsed In Sunbeams
Bonnie Raitt, Takin' My Time
Esmé Patterson, Woman to Woman
Wet, Letter Blue
Lorde, Melodrama
Tennis, Swimmer
Lorde, Solar Power
Esmé Patterson, There Will Come Soft Rains
Townes Van Zandt, Townes Van Zandt
Nick Hakim, Green Twins
Tyler, The Creator, Flower Boy
Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Jaala, Joonya Spirit
TOPS, I Feel Alive
The Avalanches, We Will Always Love You
The Roches, The Roches
boygenius, boygenius
Thanks for reading, thanks for listening.
- emily