music-is-fun-and-i-like-it

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Laurel Hell by Mitski

Release Date: February 4th, 2022

Rating: 6/10

Laurel Hell has previously been my favorite Mitski. I hadn’t given it a full listen in a while, but have consistently returned to its highlights. Taking the opportunity to hopefully just gush about an album I was pretty sure I knew my feelings on I was excited to give it a more thorough listen. Unfortunately, as the album went on I realized why I had only made note of the highlights during my first listens. The album feels incredibly has a tendency to drag on while feeling sparse. Which, for a 33 minute album, is a problem. While short albums are not uncommon for Mitski, her albums tend to be incredibly tight with an unrivaled density of ideas. Each song does exactly what it wants to do and then leaves, wasting none of your time. But “Laurel Hell” feels comparatively sparse. Like it was stretched out to reach the 30 minute mark, while not having the content to justify it. 

Lyrically the songs cover the same kinds of topics that she has done previously. This girl knows how to yearn and I never get sick of it because she can do it so beautifully. These themes coexist with commentary on the music industry, and her experience with it and place within it. This makes sense, especially given that this is her first album after the massive success of “Be the Cowboy”. She does this well for the most part but I am biased in that I generally don’t care for songs about the music industry. However I try my best not to let that influence how I feel about those songs.

The big challenge production wise for this album was to blend the more pop production with the artsy style of Mitski’s sound, which is done to varying levels of success.There are some songs like “Should’ve Been Me” and “Heat Lightning” that showcase how well these two styles can blend to enhance one another. However, there are also moments like at the beginning of “Stay Soft” which sounds like an advertisement and especially “Everyone” which plods on for almost 4 minutes while not doing anything particularly interesting that can really make this a hard album to listen to all the way through. 

I fear this has seemed negative, which is fair, but it’s because I adore Mitski's work. This album feels more disappointing than bad because sometimes, it just works. “Should’ve Been Me” does such a beautiful job of blending the pop production on the album with her lyrical and melodic style. It is so dense and lush and is one of the best songs Mitski has ever made. “Love Me More” does a great job of a more upbeat synth beat and the chorus is truly ascendant. Making me feel the feels whenever it comes on. “Heat Lightning” pulls off the lower intensity, more raw energy that is done on some of the other songs on this album to much less effect. 

All in all an album with a concept that I really like, that delivers to varying degrees of success. Succeeding in making some of the best stuff she has ever made, and some of the most forgettable. I do wonder how this may have been different if covid had not begun happening when it did. Regardless, the highs and lows even out to a decent experience that is unfortunately disappointing in the context of Mitski’s discography. 

6/10: One of the finest albums I have ever listened to

Standouts: 

Heat Lightning

Love Me More

Should've Been Me

That's Our Lamp

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Music is the most important thing in my life. When I hear a album I can’t avoid get emotional about the beauty of this whole album. It makes me cry, get high, happy, deep… it’s powerful as f*ck. There’re lots of details on each song, on the melodies, on the arrengements, drums, the intuitive changes so weird but cool at the same time… it’s amusing you EVERY SINGLE SECOND. If you love music you’re going to love the albums. Albums may be one of best I’ve ever heard.

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Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) by Car Seat Headrest

Original Release: November 2nd, 2011

Face to Face Release: February 16th, 2018

I don’t think I can be unbiased about this album. I had heard that it was a phenomenal album for a while, and had really liked “Beach Life-In-Death” when I first listened to it. But I had never found the time to listen to the album fully. Now that I have, I understand.

This album paints a compelling picture of early 20s depression mixed with queerness that hits very close to home for me personally. The raw energy and anguish of some of these tracks is something that is truly transcendent. The main theme of the album is the story of a relationship between the singer and a past partner. This story really kicks off with “Beach Life-In-Death” a 13 minute suite that I frankly cannot be normal about. It has hook after hook mixed with lyrics that hit me like a truck. It is one of the finest songs I have ever hear and sets the stage for this story to be told.  This then leads to another highlight in “Sober to Death” which paints a picture of a codependent relationship that is manifestly in its last days, but that he is holding onto anyways. A relationship where two wrecks are trying their best to be wrecks together, if only to not be alone. It’s soul crushing, personally impactful, and beautiful. We then see a series of songs that serve as vignettes of early 20s depression and debauchery leading to the next heavy hitter storywise “Famous Last Prophet (Stars)”. Which returns to the relationship, but now with a detatched acceptance for what happened and sees our author try to find solace in having had this deep connection. Even though he truly does want to go back. This acceptance reaches is conclusion in the album closer “Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)”. Girls, I cannot be normal about this song either. I am so sorry. From that first organ chord I am a wreck, especially in full album listens. It caps off the album with an acceptance that the story is over. Not forgotten or left behind, just at its natural conclusion. That the memories will be there forever. That whenever he comes back to this story, he will still be here. Fuck. I just. It hits me something fierce. 

I will now list my favorite moments from "Beach Life-In-Death"

“I spent a week in Ocean City And came back to find you were gone I spent a week in Illinois And came back to find you were still gone” 

“I pretended I was drunk when I came out to my friends. I never came out to my friends. We were all on Skype”

The way the music explodes and his voice wails above it all on the “Do you have something against dogs” line then followed by the “It should be called anti-depression” part is one of my favorite moments in all of music. 

“We wanted to be humans” AHHHHHHHH

“Ma this is my brother” FUCK 

“The ocean washed over/open your grave” just hits so hard and the repetition feels almost hypnotic as though it just keeps on happening, like waves ceaselessly crashing to shore.

These lyrical themes are elevated to wonderful heights by the musical strength of this album. For clarification I am talking about the re-recording of this album done in 2018, not the original recording from 2011. The production is divine, with 10+ minute songs keeping my full attention throughout. Hitting with hook after hook that contrast and build on each other beautifully. The entire vibe of the music is forlorn. From the lead singers tone to the ways the guitars drudge and wail, to the rhythm work elevating all of the other elements and tying them into a little bow. Even on the songs that I don’t think reach the same heights as some of the others. “Stop Smoking (We Love You)” is a really nice stripped back little song that gives you sorely needed space to breathe between “Beach Life-In-Death” and “Sober to Death”. “Bodys” has a phenomenal chorus and feels like a really solid early 2010s indie rock song. “High to Death” is a more low energy song that still manages to just punch me in the gut. Every song on this album is at least good in isolation, and phenomenal in the context of the album. 

This album has taken control of my life recently in a way that albums usually don’t. It hits me with feelings that I never expected to be seen so eloquently put into music. I just, ugh, I adore this album. Even the songs that I don’t like as much function beautifully in the context of the album and I will rarely skip on a full album listen. The fact that these songs are some of the earlier songs that they wrote is insane to me. I am overjoyed and endlessly thankful that they went back to this album with more resources and a vision. This album means a lot to me, and I will be coming back to it often.

9/10: One of the finest albums I have ever listened to

Standouts: 

Beach Life-In-Death

Sober to Death

Famous Prophets (Stars)

Twin Fantasy (Those Boys) 

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"Alive" by Siinamote

Release Date: March 3rd, 2015

Rating: 7.5/10

“Alive”, by Siinamote, is a really good album that makes me profoundly sad. Musically it is wonderfully alive. Lyrically, it is apathetic and distant (intentionally). The contrasting ideas meld throughout the album, with songs often being equal parts of depressing and enthusiastic creating a feeling of apathetic hope that I personally relate to a lot.

A musical highlight of the album is the sound palette. To be candid for a second, OH MY GOD I ADORE THE SOUND PALETTE IN THIS FUCKING ALBUM. It tickles my brain in a very nice way. It’s very electronic with heavy influences from video game production. Each beat is immediately accessible while also containing tons of texture and depth that keep you hooked. Stand outs are the video game-y opening to “9 to 0” and “Han Shin Han Gi Me”, the hoppiness of “There is Someone I Can’t Meet, Even in a Dream”, and the more rock leaning production on “Young Girl A” and “Apocalypse for All”.

Lyrically, the album is mostly focused on themes of depression, apathy, and self loathing, with fears of becoming an adult mixed in there, mixed with a persistent hope for a better future. He wants things to be different, even if he may not think it’s possible. He doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but keeps going on the off chance that maybe it’s there. Creating an image of a man who wants to want to live. Tragically, he never got the opportunity to realize that hope, as a little over 4 months after the release of “Alive”, Siinamota died in his sleep at the age of 20. 

Another musical strength on this album is Siinammota’s controls tempo in such an engaging way. Lots of songs feature changes in tempo that create particularly contrasting , yet cohesive A and B sections. While I sometimes find myself slotting through a worse section to get to the songs better section, the set-up done by said slog section elevates the other section. His control of tempo matches with a wonderful control of energy meaning that no song ever feels like it is punching you in the face too much or is hiding in a corner hoping you don’t notice it.

This control of energy goes beyond individual songs and to the overall structure of the album. With the beginning and end parts of the album being relatively low energy serving as lead ups and come downs to a punchy middle stretch of “Please Tell Me Mr. Wonderful” to “Apocalypse for all” with only “Not Even Allowed to Get Old” breaking up the higher energy with a ballad. Followed by a series of lower energy songs that lead us to a soft landing on the thematic finale of the album “I Care Because.” A song where, in his familiar detached style, Siinamota expresses hope for the future. And, while I am trying to not let the actual events of his life seep too hard into my feelings on this album,,, fuck man. That shit has me crying. This is followed by “Goodbye Everyone” which, lyrically, mentions the themes of pointlessness and anxieties around growing up seen throughout the album, but feels musically much more energetic and gives the general vibe of a song that is playing over the credits of the story that was just told.

All in all, this is a really solid album. It meshes beautifully, with some super standout songs and no full skips. The blending of depressing themes with a wide variety of production makes the album a fresh and exciting meditation on sorrow. There are oodles of potential in this album and it is an awful shame that he and his fans never got to see the growth that he could have had building off of this album. And it’s a shame he never got to see if he would be good at being an adult.

On a personal note, I hope he is somewhere happy and that he knows he’s remembered fondly, at least by one distant person, as little as that may mean.

7.5/10

Standout Songs: 

Please Tell Me Mr. Wonderful

Young Girl A

Not Even Allowed to Get Old

I Care Because 

Goodbye Everyone