From Blown Speakers

Wednesday, December 29, 2021
we'll come back seven years later

2011 - EMA - California

I couldn't get enough of this song the first time I heard it. The noisy textures in the background. Those piano chords that dropped like they were plucked right off of Cat Power's covers record. And the vocals that are just hooky enough to prevent it from sounding like spoken word.

And the video. Even though there's a lot more going on behind Erika M. Anderson, it's always reminded me of the "Nothing Compares 2 U" video, cause she's just this singular focus for 5-minutes or so.

A note on another one of my favourites from '11: on the podcast they made for the reissue of Sit Resist someone Laura Stevenson worked with talks about how--and I'm paraphrasing here--she just shows up in the studio and hits all the notes. So, they still do multiple takes, but there aren't really any bad ones. On that note, instead of linking to the studio version down there, it's a live performance which is awesome because it's on the Chris Gethard show, but also because it underscores what a great singer Laura is.

These were close: Laura Stevenson - Master of Art, Real Estate - It's Real, PS Eliot - Sadie, Love Inks - Black Eye, Julianna Barwick - Envelop, Friends - Friend Crush, Eleanor Friedberger - I Won't Fall Apart on You Tonight

2012 - Hop Along - Tibetan Pop Stars

This song sounds massive. I've seen Hop Along twice (and side note: Frances Quinlan was the last show I saw before the world shut down), but both times opening for someone else, so I'm dying to see them headline, so I can hear this song like this, which is what it deserves.

These were close: Swearin' - Kenosha, Kanye West, Pusha T, Big Sean, 2 Chainz - Mercy, Solange - Losing You, Needles//Pins - Shaker, FIDLAR - Cheap Beer, Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

2013 - Swearin' - Dust in the Gold Sack

Before I went to New York for the second time, my friend Becky (who has graciously hosted me there like 6 times) made a Google doc of stuff we were going to do and one of them was "go see Swearin' they play here all the time. "All the time" did not actually translate to when I was there and but I listened to "Kenosha" about 100 times when I zipping around the city that week and I can't listen to them without thinking about NYC.

The thing about "Kenosha" is that--as the name would imply--it's not even about New York, but this one definitely is. And I can't listen to "Dust in the Gold Sack" in particular without thinking about going "back and forth" from Bedford-Nostrand, getting off at Metropolitan and bouncing between bars.

These were close: Laura Stevenson - L. Dopa, Mapei - Don't Wait, Waxahatchee - Swan Dive, Eleanor Friedberger - Stare at the Sun

2014 - Priests - And Breeding

While I never saw Swearin' in New York, I did see Priests there. And speaking of bouncing between bars, after they closed with this one, we went to a couple of places and I lost the 7" that I bought, because I drank too much. I want to say "oh to be young again"... but I was 33 already.

These were close: Spoon - Inside Out, Radiator Hospital - Cut Your Bangs, Allison Crutchfield - Supermoon, Vince Staples - Hands Up, All Dogs - Georgia

2015 - Laura Stevenson - Torch Song

Even though I listen to way less new music than I used to, there's still so many artists that I didn't listen to when I was writing this thing regularly that I love now. Some didn't exist, but others just weren't on my radar. Laura Stevenson is in the latter category, but even combining the two, her songs are the ones I've fallen in love with the most in the last decade or so.

I'm not sure if Cocksure is my favourite of her records (honestly, they're all close), but it's the poppiest. And this might be the hookiest track off of that record.

A note on one of my other favourites from '15: the link to "Air" down there is someone's recording of her playing at the Biltmore (iirc Girlpool opened too), because remember going to shows? Like, I went to see the New Pornographers a couple weeks ago, but I wanna be crammed into some shitty (no offense to the Biltmore) bar drinking bad draft and listening to music maybe once every couple of weeks again.

These were close: Katie Von Schleicher - Baby Don't Go, Waxahatchee - Air, Hop Along - Waitress, Girlpool - Chinatown, All Dogs - That Kind of Girl

2016 - Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

I can't think of an Angel Olsen song I've heard and disliked, but for some reason I've never delved that deeply into her music. I've definitely put full albums on when I'm working or otherwise kinda distracted, but I've never really done a deep dive and I'm honestly not sure why, because in addition to never hating any of her stuff, I've been instantly drawn to quite a few songs. None more than this huge sounding weirdo pop song.

These were close: Jay Som - I Think You're Alright, Mitski - Your Best American Girl, Japanese Breakfast - Everybody Wants to Love You, Big Thief - Paul

now playing: Laura Stevenson - It Ceases to be Whining if You're Still Shitting Blood (Bomb the Record Industry! cover)

posted by Quinn @ 1:33 a.m. Comments:0

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