Grace Ives – Girlfriend: Although I’ve gained more appreciation for pop in middle age and have become a genuine fan of a handful of pop artists, most pop albums leave me unenthused. Girlfriend is an exception. This pushes hard against pop’s boundaries while staying anchored in songs that are structurally perfect. Producers Ariel Rechtshaid and John DeBold help Ives move beyond her past work and create an album that sits at that moment just after a bratty adolescent has become a curious and reflective adult.
Pan American & Kramer – Interior of an Edifice Under the Sea | Laurel Halo – Midnight Zone: The first half-dozen or so Pan American albums are indispensable parts of my post-1998 listening. However, I drifted away from Mark Nelson’s newer work somewhere in the mid-teens. I don’t know why I decided to play Interior of an Edifice Under the Sea, but it showed me how his growth as an artist and collaborator warrants exploration. The water themes between this record and Laurel Halo’s Midnight Zone are obvious, but Interior is much easier for me to process. I spent a bit of time with Midnight Zone this week but I’m hoping to get a physical copy that I can play on proper speakers. TBD which immersion into water will prove to be more compelling in the long run.
Bill Callahan – My Days of 58: This album continues to inspire ambivalence. On the positive side, Callahan’s words are often thought-provoking and reflective, and the music is filled with unexpected sounds and surprises. On the negative side, Callahan goes for funny and clever too often for my taste. The novelty of tracks like “Pathol O.G.” or “Computer” are fun the first time through but quickly lose their luster. I’m still on the fence as to whether I’ll buy this, but I’m leaning toward no.
Claire Rosinkranz – My Lover: When I listen to a new record, I typically listen to superficial things like song structures, sounds that surprise me, and voices I find interesting. Nothing on My Lover grabbed me before I got bored.
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We: I put this on after I turned off My Lover, and it was as if my car filled with pure oxygen. The opening line (“There’s a bug like an angel stuck to the bottom of my glass”) and the alcoholic mania of the first chorus immediately highlight Mitski’s immense talent. “I’m Your Man” was the album’s high point this week, but the gift of Mitski records is how those high points constantly shift.
Mitski – Nothing’s About to Happen to Me: I finally started digging into her new record, and I was surprised by how easy this album is. Mitski doesn’t usually do easy, so I’m curious to dig deeper.
Richard Strauss – Arabella (Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Joseph Keilberth): I always expect Richard Strauss to be darker and more complicated than he is, but this record is far closer to Puccini than Wagner. I listened to the first of six sides, and I immensely enjoyed it. I’m trying to follow along with the story, which isn’t going well because I don’t speak German and I can’t quite differentiate between the two main sopranos’ voices.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Rachel Chinouriri: What a Devastating Turn of Events; HAAi: Baby, We’re Ascending; Jeff Buckley: Live at Sin-é
Record store finds this week: The day after I listened to Interior of an Edifice Under the Sea, I found Pan American & Kramer’s Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road in the discount bin at my local shop for $12 on vinyl. I can count on one hand how often I’ve encountered Pan American recordings in the wild, so this felt more like destiny than a coincidence.