#tjpick

[thebolg]

Fodder On My Wings by Nina Simone

9.0 - Nina Simone is an oracle, a communicator of wisdom and experience that challenges me to learn more about others' reality and this album is a testament to that. - Tj

8.3 - This late-career collection is vibrant, colorful, and worldly without losing any of the emotional weight I rightfully expect from the legend herself. -b

7.9 - a wild, chaotic, sometimes manic stew of Caribbean, African, and R&B influences. Shifts in a moment from joyful exuberance to broadway dramatics to  party jams. A wild ride. - mjs

7.6 - I only knew the Nina Simone that put a pretty serious woman who put the B in pure R&B, this Nina Simone balances her seriousness with joy and humor in what feels like an epic Caribbean vocal jazz concert that everyone wishes they would’ve seen. -Jt

8 - A welcome diversion to any dull afternoon that takes you across the world to shake your body through all the feels (beware of the soul-cracking speedbump mid-journey if you have daddy issues). - Lola

[thebolg]

Suddenly by Caribou

8.3 - I initially resisted being taken in by this super pleasant collection of electro-pop singles that grow from isolation to celebration to bliss, and then i submitted and now i think i’m dead. -Jt

8.2 - Mr Snaith’s voice is more front and center on a lot of these songs, which give them a more “songy” feel instead of the more loop-based compositions he’s known for, but these vocals still lay atop a bed of colorful, loopy, house-ridden beats that show how much he’s finely tuned his craft. -b

7.4 - My musical weakness is smooth grooves mixed with piano and old melodies so this should have hit me for maximum damage but coming off the peak of Fiona Apple’s recent release created a strong ward preventing higher marks. - Tj

6 - This is when you’re headed into the coffee shop to hunker down for the day but you forgot your headphones and you’re praying for a good soundtrack but then it starts and WEAK SAUCE so you resign to your work but then find yourself doing involuntary shoulder shimmies and ribcage isolations during the weird swan dives into house territory and you feel both disappointed in yourself and invigorated. - Lola

6.4 - I envision Simon and Garfunkel starring the movie The 5th Element blending lyrical purity and sincerity with technology and futurism. - ty

6 - Enough head bopping and vibrant moments to go around, but too often lost between aimless vocals and synthetic filler - mjs

[thebolg]

Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee

7.3 - As I came to enjoy Waxahatchee for quality alt rock driven by Katie Crutchfields unique voice and lyricism, I was a little less excited about the country folk version, but turns out it was just the kind of comfort music that’s carrying me through the social distancing. -Jt

6.2 - It’s not really my style but Ruby Falls was a highlight for me and if she’s the new folk darling I’m ok with it. - Lola

5.5 - A soft, down to earth record with some folksy, southern sentimentality that under our current circumstances feels like it's from another world. - Tj 

5.0 - A nice collection of songs that my critical self appreciates far more than my emotional self. -b

5.1 - A very capable group creating a rich but familiar sound of Americana/alt-country often moving at a shuffle pace which had an unusual trajectory for me in that the more I listened the more I found it forgettable like a sculpture being sanded down until it was just an unassuming smooth block of beautiful wood. -ty

[thebolg]

Countless Branches by Bill Fay

9.0 - When an obscure artist gains renown only as they approach the twilight of their life they carry with them a unique perspective, which in the case of Countless Branches struck me with awe and reminded me of the Death of Ivan Ilyich. - Tj

8.2 - A tender, patient, beautiful retrospective on life and living that could only come from someone who has seen it all. -b

7 - Music to go into the woods and contemplate your mortality to - not something I’ll listen to again but major political points for contributing to the mosaic of authentic and meaningful aging experiences that I want to hear more of. - Lola 5.8 - While this is beautiful in a lonely frail country folk type of way, I don’t have a lot of capacity for lonely frail country folk. - Jt

[thebolg]

Two Hands by Big Thief

9.3 - Big Thief dominated 2019 with two amazing albums, the better of which is this, the ever-curious-yet-familiar, not-sad-but-not-happy, dream-like folk collection that catapults them into best-band-of-our-era territory. -b

9.1 - A melancholy band that reminds me of listening to friends play music at the local java joint, and although it is mostly pensive it stumbles into rock when necessary. - Tj

8.1 - I read an article about Tik Tok and the memefication of music and it was great to dig into a quality contemporary folk album that represents the opposite compressing music into super consumable bits and made me appreciate the massive awesome of Big Thief. - Jt 

7.3 - I envision Big Thief as a group of people living in a commune in the woods making their music then suddenly plucked from that harmonious place not looking to be thrust onto the stage, crowded sidewalks, cars, Hardees and elsewhere and their music grapples sincerely and beautifully with the shock of that transition and the flawed modern condition and rat race as they long for their treehouse. - ty

6.8 - Ten seconds in, I was nine seconds into a hard eyeroll (but in full transparency I find quivery-whispery-unstable-indie-chick vibes repugnant) but in a moment of dropped vigilance I was involuntarily feeling Those Girls, and I’m not deaf and not a monster so I understand this is probably good, just not for me. - Lola