week 11 | Cupid Deluxe by Blood Orange

I have landed on Blood Orange for week 11 via last week’s episode of the podcast Punch Up The Jam. I’ve loved Demi since Gilmore Guys and he is wildly funny and grossly talented. I only learned of Miel through this podcast but she is also wildly talented and grossly funny. Go read about the podcast, I’m not here to explain everything to you all!

At the end of each episode Demi, Miel, and their guest suggest and “unpunchable jam,” essentially a perfect song they love. This week, their guest, Edgar Momplaisir’s unpunchable jam was “Holy Will” by Blood Orange. So I was like, oh I know Blood Orange but let’s deep dive this shit.

I went through each of the four albums’ ratings on Pitchfork and picked Cupid Deluxe because it had the second highest score (8.5) and I have seen this album cover before I like being comfy cozy in that familiarity.

So, here we go ppl.

xx

week 10 | Sucker Punch by Sigrid

This girl is so cool. I am only just learning about her but she is literally so dope and cool and the song “Sucker Punch” and the video that goes along with it — so rad. I’m getting this cool sugary pop song vibe a la Robyn’s “Show Me Love” era. I dig it. And the song “Basic” is hilarious and lovely.

Get into it.

x

week 9 | Highway Hypnosis by Sneaks

This week I’m listening to Highway Hypnosis by Sneaks. I came to her music this week when my fiance turned on the speakers in our house, walked halfway up the stairs, pushed play on the song “Look Like That” and robot danced down the stairs and around the room. This went on for most of the song as I sat awestruck on the couch.

But it was really cool music! So I am deep-diving into her most recent album (and she will probably make another appearance on this list sometime this year).

Here. We. Go.

week 8 | Bottle It In by Kurt Vile

Mitch and I are seeing Kurt Vile and the Violators with The Sadies tomorrow night at the Slowdown in Omaha, so I figured I’ll be riding that high the rest of the week anyway! I have listened to this album once or twice, but certainly not an artist that I mind revisiting again and again.

TBD xx

week 7 | Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B

I’m stoked about this week’s pick! Other than general radio interactions and the occasional trip to the Max, most of my Cardi B experience has been via Instagram and Twitter, never really too much of a deep dive into her music.

I’m into it. Let’s get this grandma trapped in the body of a millennial into the 2019 zeitgeist!

week 6 | In My Tribe by 10,000 Maniacs

Last week, while listening to a podcast (I now forget which one because 85% of my time is spent listening to podcasts and a lot of them have the same people on them and my brain doesn’t know how to remember everything, ok?), I found out that Natalie Merchant (who I adore) is in 10,000 Maniacs.

I don’t know how I didn’t know this. It seems so incredibly obvious now. Every time I heard a 10,000 Maniacs song, I wouldn’t know it was them but I took noticed and looked it up and was like, “Hey, cool, maybe I would like 10,000 Maniacs.” And then I would carry on with my life and forget that this had ever happened.

Well, now I’m doing myself a goddamn favor and listening to what (5 min of internet research told me) is their best album, In My Tribe from 1987. They have a shit ton of albums, so I anticipate this isn’t the last time we see them in this series.

Here. We. Go.

PS so far, there is a song on this album called “My Sister Rose,” about her sister Rose’s wedding and it is fucking fantastic. Really kitschy and odd and I love it.

week 5 | The Beginning Stages of... by The Polyphonic Spree

This week’s album is brought to you by Griffin McElroy and his wonderful thing from last week’s episode of Wonderful…it’s The Polyphonic Spree’s debut album The Beginning Stages of…

I like it! It’s nice. I will be honest though, I have not made it all the way through the last song on the album, “A Long Day,” which clocks in at a whopping 36:30 :O

Anyways, it’s nice and good and cool and chill. Two thumbs up so far.

week 4 | Better Oblivion Community Center

It is the final week of January and the album of the week this week is the brand spanking new self-titled record from Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers’ new project, Better Oblivion Community Center! I don’t love love the name (it’s growing on me I guess) but this album is rad. Their voices together are mesmerizing and I’m obsessed.

Party on ~ Dylan Thomas is the first single and it’s good, but I think my jam this week is “Chesapeake” xx

week 3 | The Velvet Underground & Nico

This week, I decided to throw back again with the debut self-titled album from The Velvet Underground with Nico in 1967. Long story short, I was listening to a Daily Mix this weekend and The Walkmen came up which reminded me of Lou Reed’s voice and now here we are.

I’ve heard this album in passing before, but let’s get into the whole damn thing. And while Nico’s voice is otherworldly, I won’t gloss over the fact that she is a problematic fave.

Anyway, here we go…jam of the week is “Heroin” xx

week 2 | Lush by Snail Mail

This week, I decided to use Stereogum’s "Best Albums of 2018” list to pick a new album. Eventually I will get into their #1 pick, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, but I decided this week to go with their #2 pick, Lush by Snail Mail. This choice was a little bit arbitrary but something about it felt like a better transition after spending a week with Bjork.

Anyway, it’s cool and chill and rad and I’m into it and…

The bop of the week is…”Golden Dream” !"

week 1 | Life’s Too Good by The Sugarcubes

This week, I listened to an old ep of Dax Shepards’s podcast, “Armchair Expert,” in which he interviews Kathryn Hahn (a vastly underrated American TREASURE).

They talk about a lot of stuff (the episode is just shy of 3 hours) but the two quickly bond over a love for Fugazi, Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Björk, specifically the song “Birthday” (which I soon learned was not just from Bjork but from her previous band, The Sugarcubes - who knew Björk was in a band for like 7 years before she went solo? [probably a lot of people #blindspots]). Unfortunately (or fortunately), pretty much the first and only thing I think of when I think of Björk is Kristen Wiig playing her on Weekend Update in 2009 (and I still know all the words to the song she sings, which is permanent information in my brain).

So, to kick off album-a-week-a-palooza (I’ll come up with a better name maybe hopefully), I am listening to the 1988 album, Life’s Too Good by Icelandic alternative rock band, The Sugarcubes.

Upon first listen, it’s cool. It’s whimsical and weird and wild, and…

The bop of the week is…“Birthday” !

(which Dax claimed was his favorite song of all time). New music! Björk! Weird crazed crunchy avant-rock!

album-a-week 2019

One of my goals for 2019 is to reassess and traverse some of my musical blindspots.

Each week, I am going to find, listen to, and log one new-to-me album. I will probably also expand that listening further into the artist as well, but mainly I hope to deep dive into specific albums.

For many reasons, I will not be reviewing any of the albums I listen to. Primarily because I’m not here to pretend I’m an expert on any of this. I may offer some small insight into my initial response, but I want to explore how I came across the album, what made me choose it, and take a break from listening to my mostly Alanis/Britney-based Daily Mix 1 on repeat forever and ever…

Unlike resolutions from previous years, I want to set an attainable goal. As much as I would love to read a book-a-week, I know how that goes for me. I just won’t do it. I can’t write a blog post every day (nice try 2016 me). However, I know I will be walking my dog or tidying my house or writing emails many times throughout the week, and I can listen to a new album a couple of times while doing those things. 2019 is the year BEING REALISTIC WITH MYSELF.

So, here goes, 2019. Will this, like so many other blogging goals, die a swift yet painful death? Only time will tell…