Hi! Sorry for the long hiatus between posts - something something John Lennon "life happens when you're making other plans" blah blah blah. TL;DR I've been busy with not a lot of time for hobbies, except for today when I'm consciously carving out a little bit of time to do some light music writing (and if I'm feeling esp. daring, creative writing, but let's not get CRAZY). And what perfect timing, as two of my favorite singers - Annie and Lana Del Rey - have new projects bubbling. I try to highlight lesser-known artists when I can on this blog (I have tried for years) but sometimes you must feature well-known artists that you nonetheless love. So here we are.
First up, the new Annie single is actually a collaboration with Alan Braxe. I honestly had no clue who Alan Braxe was until "Never Coming Back" dropped about a week ago. He is a French electronic musician responsible for plenty of remixes over the years, such as one for Annie's arguably most famous song, "Heartbeat" (linked to her name above). Annie and Alan joined forces on "Never Coming Back," an incredibly catchy kiss-off. The sound is irresistibly slick, and her vocals have never sounded more seductively chill. I've had it on repeat since I first heard it, and you can hear it for yourself below!
In other news, Lana Del Rey's 9th studio album is coming out on March 24th, and the third single "The Grants" got an unexpected debut this past week. The album is "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard" (sidenote her titles lately are giving me lots of Fiona Apple flashbacks) and we've already heard the very beautiful title track as well as the wonderfully jarring "A&W" (which isn't about the root beer brand; I'll leave it at that!) I have to say that, ahem, "DYKTTATUOB" (I know I forgot a letter) kind of wore off on me after a while. It's a gorgeous song, but it's not one I can often revisit. This isn't the case for "The Grants" and "A&W," though. "The Grants" is an intensely personal song for Lana wherein she contemplates mortality, recollects meaningful family moments, shouts out John Denver, and kicks off the song with her gospel-esque background singers' endearing flubs. A lot of fans seem to gripe about how Lana has become very fond of piano ballads lately, and "The Grants" seems to follow this vein, but at the same time it feels like a bridge between her most recent work and the "Paradise"-era "Bel Air." Much like how "A&W" seems to hearken back to the "Born to Die" era, too. Honestly, I think "The Grants" is a standout in her intimidating canon, and I have high hopes for "DYKT... forget it," which will be available worldwide this coming Friday!
If there's anything people take away from my piss-poor legacy, I hope it's what a huge, unabashed fan of "Emily in Paris" I am and will continue to be. People love "90 Day Fiancee," "The Bachelor," and other garbage - allow me "Emily," which is at least harmless, kind of goofy fluff (which does, unfortunately, lean into some stereotypes, as the country of Ukraine knows ). I have already watched Season 2 twice. And honestly my favorite part of this show (despite my crush on Camille Razart and Lily Collins channeling Audrey Hepburn hardcore ) is Ashley Park. This woman has superstar written all over her. She's a bona fide Broadway star, and "Emily in Paris" has served as her pivot into the zeitgeist. "Emily in Paris" is also showcasing her vocal prowess front and center this season, with her covering BTS, "All By Myself," "Sympathtique," and Marilyn Monroe. But the real standout performance is th
Here's a nice breezy, almost sensual song from AM Higgins (the solo project of musician Annie Toth) to start your Tuesday off right. Her debut album "Hymning" will be out November 5th on Victorialand Records. The album was mixed by Casey Foubert, a frequent collaborator of Sufjan Stevens. The album "captures the first years of moving from an American city to rural France." Sounds like "Hymning" will be a welcome escape from the world we live in right now, especially considering that Annie Toth counts poets Mary Oliver and Thomas Merton as influences.
It's truly the little things in life that make a world of difference. And for me, that means my summer playlist! Behold, I have put together 2022's edition. It includes cuts from artists like: - Mitski - Uffie - Johnny Orlando - Kylie Minogue + Jessie Ware - Florence and the Machine (who put out a fantastic album this year after a long dry spell of kind of "meh" records. Her pairing with Jack Antonoff worked out quite well!) - Bilal - Harry Styles (he has some catchy music!) - KATE BUSH DUH - And of course, Lana. It's also available on Apple Music, but since I recognize a lot of folks use Spotify, here's that link. Enjoy!
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