Long time no talk. I couldn’t quite muster up a year end review like I did last year. It was much harder than I thought it would be to formulate new material from things I had already discussed in detail. That on top of a cancelled trip over the holidays had me bummed and unmotivated to do much.
I learned a few things this past year while writing this blog. The first thing is that it is very hard to constantly be searching for new material every month. When you are perpetually searching you don’t have time to sit with the things you have already found (Now that I write it out I see that this might be true for most things in life….but I digress). It was challenging for me to move on from the music that I was enjoying knowing that I needed to find new things to write about. Secondly, as I touched on, it was hard for me to circle back and write a year end review when I had already stretched myself thin talking about the minutia of every item all year. Lastly, I felt like my writing on my first few posts was more natural and unique but the more I had to cram in posts the more similar the posts felt to me. So with this, I am going to try writing a little less. Maybe try and do a post every quarter or every couple months instead. I still have lots of friends wanting to help me out with posts, so I hope to have them fill in for me as well.
I started this last year as a way to fill my time during the pandemic and share my musical taste with friends. For those of you who are still hanging around, I hope you have added a few new songs to your playlists and maybe even thought a little harder about the music you like or the stuff you don’t. Again, these aren’t supposed to be the best songs in the world, just trying to expand the horizons. Looking forward to seeing what you guys are into this trip around the sun!
PEACH PIT – FROM 2 TO 3
Most of the things on my list today are fresh to me. Peach Pit is an indie pop band from Vancouver which I am digging right now. It is bright, smooth, and beachy. The little guitar riff at the end of “Up Granville” pretty much sums up that sound for me. I am new to the party here, so I need to go back and listen to their first two albums as well. I always love finding more CanCon whenever I can.
WeaKENeD FRIENDS – QUITTER
Some more indie rock coming your way. This one is a little more rock than the last. I also just love this album cover. I am still trying to come up with a point of reference for you on this one. You might just have to give it a listen and tell me what you think. It reminds me of something I would have listened to in Grade 10 thinking I was so rad. This will not be everyones cup of tea, but it has given me a nice “throwback” feeling lately.
ALICE PHOEBE LOU – CHILD’S PLAY
I think this is the first South African on my blog so far. After moving to Berlin upon completion of highschool she started busking in S- and U-Bahn stations which is where she really honed her craft. She also has multiple previous albums but this is my first taste. I like “Underworld” and “Silly”. This is hanging out music for a slow morning or evening. I’ve been putting this one in my headphones while I’m working on stuff or just needing a breather. It has an expansive/spaced out feeling to most of it. Nothing is rushed, nothing is forced. It just comes to you when you are ready for it.
TOKiMONSTA – “REALLA” FT. ANDERSON .PAAK
This kind of goes against my whole indie persona but I randomly found this song from 2014 and I just can’t stop listening to it. I was watching a Netflix show where they interviewed Jennifer Lee (TOKiMONSTA) about being diagnosed with Moyamoya Disease in 2015 where she briefly lost all her language and comprehension skills. She regained them and started working on her next project but still wasn’t able to fully understand music. I don’t even know if I can wrap my head around what that means, but I found it interesting. I also said to myself, “TOKiMONSTA is the stupidest name ever! I’ve got to see what stupid music she makes.” Much to my chagrin I found this song and really like it. This song only folks.
WIDOWSPEAK – THE JACKET
“Everything is Simple” is the only song released off this album so far, but it’s my current top play. I love the simple little bass line that is at the forefront. Molly Hamilton has an easy listening voice to go along with the grungy sound of everything else. They also do this with other instruments throughout the song, pairing elegant with rough around the edges. Clear notes with blurred ones. I love the contrast that that creates. Looking forward to hearing what else is on this album!
Rhett
JANUARY 2022
- PEACH PIT – FROM 2 TO 3
- WEAKENED FRIENDS – QUITTER
- ALICE PHOEBE LOU – CHILD’S PLAY
- TOKiMONSTA – “REALLA” FT. ANDERSON .PAAK
- WIDOWSPEAK – THE JACKET
Peanutbutter and Jams 
Thanks for the blog, Rhett! Your take on your music is very insightful. I enjoy reading it
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