Album recap: Kelela, Caroline, and (Para)more

+ I keep writing songs, oops

I know you were devastated by the lack of letter last week. I was traveling for work and didn’t have a moment to crank something out. I also wanted to wait for some of the new music I referenced last month to finally drop and digest. Whew.

After a quiet January occupied by the gym-ready, forgotten Euro dance classics of Ava Max, February delivers early contenders for the year’s best albums.

Kelela pulls us deep underwater

I think we knew the Kelela album would be fantastic, because her consistency is remarkable. However, I don’t think I was prepared for it being this fantastic. I sometimes think of albums as elements, and Kelela’s Raven sounds like water - which is fitting, considering she’s indeed in the water on the album cover. Sometimes you’re weighted down on the ocean floor by its heavy beats, other times you’re floating on the surface buoyed by layers of vocal melodies. Much like Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE, there are many moments on Raven where you double check to see if you’re listening to the same song. The seamless blending of these tracks creates a listening experience you’ll want to repeat. It’s a lights low, joint lit kind of record.

Key Tracks: Raven, Sorbet, Enough For Love

Caroline Polachek builds a universe

In the early 2000s, Imogen Heap emerged as a singular creative voice. Her work with Guy Sigsworth as part of Frou Frou followed by her solo records established her as an artist with a clear vision and a lust for innovation. This same spirit is present on Caroline Polachek’s second solo album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. In her late 30s, Caroline’s influences are from the Imogen era of pop. The songs are metallic, fluid, airy. If that wasn’t gorgeous enough, the lyrics on Desire… are deeply romantic. It’s the kind of record that makes you want to be in love, or at the least have a crush you sext with on a regular basis. It reminds me of being in high school and the formative records of that time, because Caroline clearly listened to those records too. It’s refreshing to see an artist incorporate the late 90s/00s electronic pop of Imogen, Madonna, and lesser known trip-pop songs.

Key Tracks: I Believe, Fly To You, Blood and Butter

Paramore gets existential and restless

Paramore has never sounded more assured, adventurous, and anxious. This Is Why examines our existential dread that’s only worsened in the era of MAGA conservatives and Covid. It’s a record grappling with the strains of technology on our mental health and the dark sides of human nature, all atop crunching guitars and feral wails from Hayley Williams. This isn’t as instant as some of their more accessible moments, but that’s exactly what I’m loving about this album. It has a mystery to it, slowly digging its nails into you until suddenly you realize you love every damn song.

Key Tracks: Running Out of Time, You First, Crave

Tennis brings us into spring, allergies included

I love a dependable artist/band. Musicians who are so consistent with their output (see Kelela above) that you know you’re 90% likely to love whatever they put out. That usually comes from honing in on a style and sound, gradually adding color with each new entry in their catalogue. Tennis is one of those bands. Pulling in sounds from across decades of nostalgic pop, Pollen is Tennis’ most complete and realized work to date. Not a single second is wasted. In terms of new colors to their sounds, a few tracks have psychedelic electric guitar work that make me curious about an album leaning even deeper into that world. I love that the title track is about our bodies distracting us from a having a moment:

“You point to the trail where the blossoms have fallen
But all I can see is the pollen fucking me up
Everything moves too fast but I've
Been doing the same thing a thousand times over”

Key Tracks: Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight, Glorietta, Gibraltar

My own album…!

I’m still in the writing phase. I have over 20 songs I’ve written on guitar in the last 6 months, and continue having breakthroughs. Whether it’s utilizing a new chord or playing with structure, it’s been gratifying to see actual progress in my approach and style. I just finished another 7 week session of songwriting courses at the Old Town School of Folk Music which means another batch of songs.

I’m particularly excited about a couple of them, including “Smoke Break” which captures the intimacy of stepping outside the bar with your friends who smoke, even if you don’t, because you want that connection with them. Another, “Have You Even Heard of The Beatles?” is about going to record stores as a teen and being nervous to purchase records that might out me, or risk being seen as uncool by the straight white dude at the counter. Now I don’t give a shit, but that took time. Don’t get me wrong, I fuck with some Beatles music but this automatic assumption that we should all love and respect some of these bands is driven by “tastemakers” who have privilege. My song is to those asshole guys at the counter, and for all of us who discovered formative albums in stacks of used CDs.

I start the next session on the 27th. These classes are less about learning how to write songs, and more about refining the craft and getting objective feedback. It’s a way to keep me disciplined and inspired as I work towards a set of songs for this album. I’m a bit obsessed.

See you next week.