@@@ The Weather Station: Atlantic (Fat Possum, 2021) I saw this artist getting wowsad both in the NY Times and by an indie lover on the Twatter so it’s quite well trumpeted and I’ve heard her outfit before and not been blown away. But I go in with open earholes. I checked out the first track Robber which got a lot of indie hype and this track is a coffee shop rocker with a little guitar processing and a chill but firm rock dance beat. Ms. Weather Station comes in with the lower energy vocal stylings, some ringing piano chords, and hopeful electro garnish to make you feel a bit better. I like that there’s a blend of sounds but I don’t love her singing. I like the electronic bits, I don’t like this beat, I don’t like piano and I don’t love her singing but indie is a self-serious reach of a genre for me.
@@@ SOPHIE: It’s Okay to Cry (Future, 2017) I’m not the primary demographic for Sophie’s music but I saw the outpouring of love when she passed so I thought I would check her music out. My hesitation in listening revolves around the ongoing statements I see saying she demolished boundaries between pop and experimental music. This is the first song from her 2017 record I haven’t really heard anything particularly challenging or new or experimental in this track. It’s very orchestrated synth pop with a fair amount of glitch and production flourishes but it’s got a big hook in the chorus and it’s just pop music. It’s not far from being a Prince tune — delicate, fragile vocals, sweet orchestration, expansive production. I like her voice but I don’t like how she presents it, I don’t like the drum sound and overall it’s a solid track. I’m on the second track and it sounds a lot like late ’80s Prince music.
Deep In the Music 