In the midst of the world continuing its orderly shutdown (my hometown Ill-staters joined the ranks yesterday) I celebrated a minor accomplishment this week — not only my first week as a regular civilian in nearly 14 years, but my first week as a fully connected, Hangouts holding, Sheets slinging member of the modern WFH population (that’s “work from home” for all you crusty old lobsters) — so thought it was worth popping in to share a little goodness. As I wrestled with the strange feeling of being fully connected to the world and my devices throughout the day (instead of lurking in a dark, signals-free stovepipe for 10-12 hours a day), as well as how to professionally and productively participate in virtual meetings while a fur-covered cinderblock snored and farted on my lap (or otherwise hogged the camera), I found a couple good items to soundtrack the events that I thought were worth sharing.
First comes courtesy of Spotify’s weekly discovery playlist, which has been on a tear lately (so hats off to whatever beautiful nerds/minds created that algorithm) — last week it was Andy Shauf and his gang of punks, this week it’s fellow Chicagoan Max Clarke and his (yet again) terribly named band, Cut Worms. (Honestly — Spotify’s been on fire finding these bands for me, I just wish they could add a rename feature to their algorithm to fix ridiculousness like this.) The name is an homage to a line from a William Blake poem (“The cut worm forgives the plow…”), which I’m sure scores points down at the open mic night, but in terms of attracting the 99% of the population that doesn’t camp out in the basements of used book stores it’s about as inviting as a bowl of his titular entities.
Thankfully, you listen to music first and learn about it later — which in this case meant I was treated to Clarke’s time warp sound and lovely melodies first, hooked before I could get to the minor annoyance of his unmarketable moniker. The sound is a throwback to the 50s/60s sound of the Everly Brothers, one so spot-on I initially thought I’d slipped into an oldies playlist. All bright harmonies and warm guitar, Clarke conjures an uncanny complement to those earlier times on his 2017 EP Alien Sunset and his full-length debut the following year, Hollow Ground. Both are really solid outings, blissful little rides down memory lane and the perfect palliative to these unsettling times. Check out lead single “Cash for Gold” for a blast of sock-hop sunshine and then head to “Life Going Down Sideways,” which sports an absolute knee-buckler of a melody — beautiful stuff.
We’ll close with the latest from a couple old friends, first from Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard who’s been spending the shutdown in his native Seattle doing a series of daily concerts from his apartment. It’s just him, an acoustic guitar, and occasional piano, singing a mix of Death Cab, solo songs, and covers for 45-60 minutes, which is every bit as pleasant as it sounds. (Aside from the frequent coughing fits, which seem to be a result of his possible exposure to coronavirus — thankfully he seems OK, though.) You can livestream them each day at 7PM EST or just catch em on YouTube, which is where I’ve been grabbing em. Check out the latest here:
Lastly we’ve got the latest from Katie Crutchfield, better known as Waxahatchee, whose new album Saint Cloud comes out next week, her first since 2017’s Out in the Storm. That one was characterized by a wall of electric guitar and Crutchfield’s new powerful spirit (equal parts independence and anger after years of heartbreak and quiet timidity). Early indications are this might be a more toned down version of that one, staying electric while harnessing some of the prettiness and melody of her earlier work. The first few singles have been really good (I thought “Lilacs” was particularly nice) and the latest does nothing to break that trend. “Can’t Do Much” is an unabashed love song, one that sports a bit of a country vibe (similar to “Lilacs”) and bounces along on an unbridled pulse of energy (with a wicked little riff to boot). It’s a great little listen — give it a spin here:
That’s it for now — stay safe out there, friends… — BS