This month was defined by incredible production, genre diversity, and things I’ve never heard before!
Peaceful Place, Leon Bridges
Leon Bridges was one of the first acts I began following, from the day my father found his sophomore record Good Thing all the way back in 2018 until now. At the time, we would talk about his ability to make modern music that sounded straight out of another era. Now approaching his fourth album, Leon, Bridges has transitioned from transcending time to transcending place. “Peaceful Place” pulls from music all over the world map, and also perhaps somewhere beyond it. He blends the sounds together into a chorus of suncatcher-sounding melodies, introducing us to the new place he’s written this record from: a peaceful one. It’s a song that’s laid back without sacrificing any detail, an achievement only an artist nearly a decade into his career could reach. I think he’s discovering the secret to a long music career: it only works if you can lie down in the sun and make what you want to hear.
Everlasting Sigh, Moses Sumney
No, I still haven’t moved on from Moses Sumeny. With this month’s edition, he now holds the Old Town Roundup record for most consecutive features. This song in particular is a remnant from a moment I haven’t yet forgotten–one of those transcendental ones where there’s nothing you can do but recognize the magic before you. And, in my case, also have the good sense to hit record on a voice memo before it’s too late. I heard this song for the first time back in June when he performed it alone, with nothing but him and a loop pedal. I titled my voice memo “one Moses Sumney vs. the world (everlasting),” in hopes that that last word I caught would allow me to find the song later (and praying it wasn’t some unreleased fan favorite I’d have to stream shamefully on niche audio platforms). Instead, I discovered it was actually a single release from 2016, just after his debut EP. Although it’ll never match the magic of my own recording, the streamable version is still in a category of its own (much like Sumney himself) when it comes to magical arrangements. Absolutely worth a listen–I couldn’t tell you any other song like this one. It was also my top-played song this month!
In The Stone, Earth, Wind, & Fire
Quite honestly, I have zero idea where I came across this song. Most of the older adults around me have known it for years, since it’s off Earth, Wind, & Fire’s smash hit record I Am (most famous for including disco staple “Boogie Wonderland”). “In The Stone” begins that record with one of the best opening horn arrangements I’ve ever heard. Regardless of how I found it, there is no question that those horns are what made me keep listening. I’m well-known for my love of horn sections (especially in unconventional places), but sometimes classic does it best. This song exemplifies Earth, Wind, & Fire’s strengths, perfectly hitting every note, melody, and most importantly, groove.
Good Time, The Dare
One Harrison Smith (known more commonly as “The Dare”) is trying his best to bring back indie sleaze. His debut album What’s Wrong With New York? came out this month to some controversy in the music world. I wrote in my notes when listening: “all of brat with none of the depth.” His production is unique and intentionally messy, and for the most part, I think he’s doing a good job at modernizing the sound he idolizes. Lyrically, I think he struggles more. He hasn’t quite nailed how to convey the pain in partying the pain away. However, sometimes his shallowness works best when his production is at its strongest. “Good Time,” the single that launched his label bidding war in 2023, is the peak example. He creates textural moments, not just drops, that transport the listener straight into a club lit only by the lasers near the DJ booth. I’m excited to see where this new phase of his career is going to go.
The Room, Flying Lotus & Devin Tracy
Do you ever hear music that feels artistic less like a composition is artistic, and more in the way a painting is? Of course, I may be biased by the cover of this single, but I stand by this thought. The way that Flying Lotus and Devin Tracy craft this song holds all the luxury of oil paint and the detail of a carefully held paintbrush. The lyrics undeniably matter less than the music on this track–it started entirely without them, as part of the score Lotus released in 2021 for the show Yasuke under the name “Crust.” Even alone, it’s a stunning beat. He’s able to craft sound that flows like light reflecting off water. But the 2022 addition of vocals by Devin Tracy, it’s brought to a whole new level. Tracy’s vocals on this song are genuinely some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard. He has this incredible, androgynous voice that’s able to flow through complex melodies with ease, and that’s not even including the phenomenal vocal layering done on this song which blends the vocals seamlessly into the beat behind them. Easily one of the best tracks I’ve come across this year.
SIN MIEDO, JPEGMAFIA
Because of my musical background, I sometimes have a hard time getting into rap without some kind of external musical idea driving it. While there are definitely exceptions to that, it’s also led me to some really cool rappers who do cater to my taste by making some of the most unique music I’ve heard. JPEGMAFIA falls into the latter category, which has piqued my interest in his work. He’s appeared on these lists before with a song that blended rap with ideas pulled from R&B and indie pop, but “SIN MIEDO” is on the exact opposite end of the spectrum, with influence from hard rock, dance, and drill. It’s JPEG’s production at peak intensity, taking the listener through 3 different musical scenes in under 3 minutes. The very first thing you hear is sampled from mid-’90s “Hoochie Mama” by 2 Live Crew, a group whose music was deemed so obscene that it was (for a time) illegal to sell. Ironically, “Hoochie Mama” is (production-wise) a relatively chill song. With this in mind, it feels almost like JPEG chose this sample as an ode to the expectations placed upon them 29 years before. Taking them to the full intensity people made them out to be. Either way, “SIN MIEDO” is one of the most interesting genre-blending songs I’ve come across lately, and the rest of the record is great as well. I won’t be surprised if he appears on this list yet again in the future.
Sugar, We’re Going Down, Fall Out Boy
I do my best to be as honest about my guilty pleasure listening as possible. With that in mind, I can’t not include a song that reached #1 in my personal monthly stats only days after September ended (could perhaps be called waking up, even). It’s not even a cool Fall Out Boy song to get into, because it’s one of their biggest hits of all time. But my best argument in the song’s defense is simply this: it is SO GOOD. Something about the way that FOB arranges this song almost reminds me of “Good Time” in the sense that they’re masterful in their ability to create musical “moments” throughout. The verse, chorus, and even refrain’s music aren’t ever the same the second time around. There’s a new element each time, keeping the listener engaged through all of nearly 4 minutes (as well as many many subsequent listens). I’ve found myself putting this on while walking into school each morning, walking class to class, doing work, walking out of school at the end of the day…I have, no joke, listened to it all the way through 5 times in one day before. Try as I might, I can’t shake this song. Luckily, it’s good timing, since I’m going to see the band live with a friend of mine in a few weeks. If they play it, I will probably cry tears of joy. Sorry, cool-version-of-self.
THE PENGUIN, Reggie Pearl
The biggest thing that happened for me this month was my very first real-world music writing assignment. It came from Reggie Pearl, an artist who I wrote about back in July and have been a fan of since I saw them open for one of my favorite musicians in April. The moment I got the email with the press kit was easily one of the coolest moments of my entire life. Because of this, though my streaming data doesn’t reflect it, Reggie’s work has consumed the vast majority of my listening time this month. I heard her new EP MEGAPEARL countless times before its release while working on this piece. The whole thing is phenomenal, but my favorite track from my very first listen was the closer, “THE PENGUIN.” I even got the chance to ask Reggie herself about it, which led me to roping Victor into watching a '90s Batman movie with me for research. It’s one of the most beautifully composed songs I’ve heard in recent memory. Each moment builds on the previous like a novel, crafting a musical story full and rich, with an incredible plot twist of a horn line at the end. I’m so excited that I can now share this song with the rest of the world. Reggie is one of the most promising new artists I know of right now and I think “THE PENGUIN” is an excellent introduction to their work. If you’re at all interested in modern jazz vocalists, Gen Z’s collapse of genre, or just want to hear something pretty, give it a listen!
Calabria 2007, Enur feat. Natasja - Radio Mix
I know this is supposed to be an 8 song list, but I couldn’t not include this one. It didn’t make the official list because I don’t know nearly enough about the history of this sound to be commenting on it, but what I can say is that I’m ready for the mainstream saxophone revival. Started listening to this song because it was a little silly, and then it quickly became one of the best songs in my rotation.
Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii
For everything I just said about being bad at listening to rap, I think Doechii’s about to change that. I listened to this record only a few days after publishing last month’s list, but I knew from the moment the last song ended that it would be the best thing I listened to no matter what else I heard this month.
From the very first song, Doechii sets herself up as a person, not just a musician. She raps about her struggles in the industry, trying to manage her personal life and a budding career at the same time, and not being taken seriously in the rap world. Luckily, I don’t think she’ll have to worry about that last one for very much longer. Since this album’s release, I’ve watched her be embraced by the arms of the next generation of the industry. They understand, just as I do, and just as she does, that she is the future of rap.
The most important thing to understand about what makes her so unique is her ability to embed personality into her work. My favorite track on this record, “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” is a conversation between Doechii and a fictional therapist-friend version of herself, staged over a deceptively sunny beat. The title itself is a reference to a viral cultural moment (you may recognize the quote, “Denial is a river in Egypt–your husband is gay!”), which already sets it up as something that could only be written by someone with care for the big personalities of the internet. Throughout the track, she at first gives general life updates, but eventually starts delving into her issues with addiction and the time an ex wrecked all her stuff after a breakup, ending with what can only be described as “character breathing.” In all the music I’ve listened to, I’ve never heard anything like this song. It represents all her strengths–vulnerability, personality, flow, and most of all, just the right amount of weirdness.
Another highlight is “NISSAN ALTIMA,” a track designed to permanently stake her claim in the rap game. She shows off her flow with incredible dexterity, claiming herself as “the new hip-hop Madonna” and “the trap Grace Jones,” both of which she makes sure are deserved comparisons. Her presence is a powerful thing; she takes up space in a way that many artists are afraid to. But that’s exactly what makes you want to hear more.
Doechii isn’t bound by style. Each song on this record is crafted uniquely, sounding nothing like the others–but still gives each a place to belong. There are no skips through all 19 songs, and at no point in the record does it feel like the quality dips at all. Everything is at her top level. I first heard her on the EP “Oh The Places You’ll Go,” and she’s already come so far since then–I cannot wait to see where she goes from here.
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