95 North. . . The Newspaper

Better Oblivion Community Center? The phrase itself purports that we make a collective attempt to improve on our, well, failure. It's sort of what we run into as we scroll through Instagram, as corporations feed us the anecdotes to the anxieties they create, and the market is awarding them. The better the oblivion, the bigger the profits, the deeper the oblivion-inducing claws sink into our very humanness. At least that's the idea that two s ongwriting aces, Conor Oberest and Phoebe Bridgers, came up with- releasing a concept album of sorts detailing the feelings that fill each step between us and the outside world- a political parade with confetti- a small black box we live through.  Heavy political notions and societal critiques aside, if you listen to any song off of Better Oblivion Community Center, let it be "Dylan Thomas". Named after the famed early 20th century Welsh poet, "Dylan Thomas" greets us with a jingly, bright, energetic...

Sufjan Stevens, the guy who's in tune with the inner working of the heart, has a song for us this independence day: "Fourth of July", off of his excellent 2015 album Carrie & Lowell . The album itself is a reflection on Sufjan's turbulent childhood, with images of his mother dying her hair and smoking cigarettes in the bathroom, leaving him at the video store when he was 5, day drinking, and other similar scenes filling the contents of the record. In this context, "Fourth of July", a song about her death, finds itself placed right in the middle of the album- constituting the heart of the Carrie & Lowell project. The song is carried by a hauntingly beautiful piano melody that seems to sweep right through you- delicate, yet strong in the sense that it all but demands a wide-eyed introspection of some sorts. Here, Sufjan encounters his emotions, a vivid imagination, and the natural world as he retells the story of his mothers death. He imagine...

Hiss Golden Messenger is the musical moniker for singer/songwriter MC Taylor. In 2010, he released a stark, acoustic based album entitled Bad Debt . The album is full of late night brooding. . . a kitchen table lit by candles and a baby sleeping in the other room. The kinda dark hours where you're soul bursts, explores some dark territory, and scans all corners of the mind, trying to map meaning. The best of the batch of songs featured on Bad Debt is represented by "Jesus Shot me in the Head". A provocative title, for sure, meant to convey the radical act and nature of an instantaneous religious conversion experience. Here, the metaphor of salvation- or dying to your old self- comes in the form of Jesus' killing off one's old self, in order to be "born again". Often, born again conversion experiences are preceded by a life lived on the low, which is accurately described here- the rough friends, the Motel 6, the drugs, the drinking. . .it's all pa...

Phoebe Bridgers had been circling around the L.A singer-songwriter scene for a few years. It was inevitable that her talent would see her through- with an ear for melody and class A writing skills, Bridgers steadily attracted the attention of many- and unfortunately, that of Ryan Adams. Adams, who was revealed by the New York Times to be at best, a manipulative, misogynistic, and coercive force (see the article  here ) that dangled record deals and studio time for talented young women like Bridgers. In this context, "Motion Sickness" is a song that recounts an ill-fated, manipulative relationship with an older man. A few steady sweeps of an electric guitar greet us at the start of the song, sending the whole enterprise in motion, down the sidewalk, down memory lane, down a reflective L.A. street lit with regret, anger, and just enough catharsis to roll everything downhill.

Most summer recipes call for long memories, a grandmother or two (if they're around, or at least the memory of them) rivers, companions, lakes, night skies, loons, and the months of June, July, and August. The big, circular-picked guitar rhythm that greets us on Big Thief's excellent 2019 song "Cattails" encompasses all of it, as we get locked into the sweetness of one of the best acoustic guitar patterns I've heard in a while. Wistful is the word, here, but of the light variety, like mulling over your problems by a river on a beautiful summer day. The circular, repeating guitar pattern, like Saturn's rings, reinforces the strong notion of seasons, natural cycles, and memory. The light does come shining. Just don't forget your lawn chair.

Cautionary tales are often cemented into the catalog of stories for children for a reason. Their simple moral framing allows them to serve as anecdotes of utility, passing along moral knowledge from one generation to the next. The content of these stories is such that the emotional impact is up front, the lessons clear, and the call to action is cemented in the developing brain. However, at a certain point a cautionary tale loses its luster- it's black and white ethics don't hold a candle to the world lit with grey in front of us. Instead, we search for nuance, meaning, and dignity. When cautionary tales won't do, we are brought to a place of enrichment and meaning through songs like the Drive By Truckers emotional rocker entitled "The Fourth Night of my Drinking" off of their 2010 album The Big To-Do .  "The Fourth Night of My Drinking" may appear to, on the surface level, provide listeners with a cautionary tale on the perils of drinkin...

Jason Isbell certainly has a penchant for writing detailed, heartbreaking country-tinged folk tunes. For perhaps his saddest, look no further than "Elephant" off of his excellent 2013 album Southeastern . Although this is a song specifically about cancer, like the best written songs, it is about so much more: denial, substance abuse, communication, and the valuing of human connections in the midst of suffering. Vivid details color the track: sitting on a bar stool, doctors notes, country songs. You can picture the relationship between the two in the song- not talking about the cancer- drinking in bars- both their minds covered over with the gloss of sickness, drinking, and unsaid words. Pair it with Isbell's sweet n' sad southern drawl and minor chord guitar patterns, and out comes this tear jerking classic from a master songwriter.

AWW SHEEET. . . was my first reaction when I heard the opening swirls of an organ, deep bass, and snare hits that greet us on Noname's new single entitled " Song 32". More than anything else she's put out to date, " Song 32" accounts for her thesis statement on her name & places her identity in the music world at large. She's so far away from dropping in on Ellen, showing up at a Democratic candidates rally, or exploding on twitter. If you're into that stuff, the art that gets approved by mainstream pop culture like I am, "Song 32" will call you out for your bullshit and make you feel like you've been sleeping, failing to see the world from a critical lens. You know she's right. You know liberal savior Obama bombed Lybia. You know Nike shoes are the same thing as Walmart shoes, minus the swoosh. This anti-branding, anti-corporate stance, which is reflected in both her name and the title to this song, comes complete with refer...

About two weeks ago, I attended church the day directly after the Pride parade in Middletown, CT. I tend to remember bits and pieces of the sermon each week, and what stuck with me this particular Sunday was this proclamation: "shame is the number one inhibitor of joy in our lives". That message was relevant in light of the weeks festivities. First Church had a large presence on Main Street in Middletown for the Pride event, including but not limited to a booth, a float/marchers, and the handing out of stickers that read "God Loves You- and so do we". A brochure read "A little off Main St. . . in more ways than one", which represents a clever hint that weds our location (Court st, right off Main) and the church's bold open and affirming stance to all sexual and gender identities. This celebration of the full spectrum of humanity, one that inched my heart forward towards possessing a sort of general love and acceptance of all people, brought to ...

Sitting around the house- cold night- haven't posted since June. Here are some songs that have me feelin' some type of way right now: "Luna" by the Smashing Pumpkins: Ah, the melodrama, as Pumpkins lead singer guides us through a heavy, melodic haze steered by a a clean strummed electric. He poses a series of questions: what do we do for those we love? How do we express that love? Sometimes you gotta take a chance, and say it somehow. "Beautiful Loser" by Bob Seeger: Ain't we all beautiful losers? Wanting the wisdom of the elderly and the dreams of a young gun. Wanting to explore the world like Jack Keroac somehow paired with the domestic tranquility of an afternoon with the kids and the two car garage. Bob knows we can't have it all. Hear all about it here, served to us with the steak, eggs, and potatoes Midwestern rock of Bob Seeger. "Emaline" Ben Folds Here, Ben Folds does what he is good at: banging solo on the piano, find...

Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan's been slinging out the alt-takes, b-sides, throwaways, covers, live versions, and other unreleased tunes on the Bootleg Series since 1991. Of course, a bootleg ain't a bootleg if it is released officially, but I digress. If there's one thing that the series has proven, it is that often Dylan's best versions of his songs are left off the albums. . . and sometimes even the best songs are scratched, left in the backyard as Bob turns the lights out (I'm looking at you, "Blind Willie McTell"). Point is, the Bootleg series is rich with material, and Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Volume 8 , is about as good as it gets. Chronicling the era between 1989's Oh Mercy and 2006's Modern Times , Tell Tale  affords listeners a front road seat next to Dylan on his journey away from the burned out- leather jacket 80s to the ultimate bluesman, the songsmith so steeped in Americana that the man and the characters that po...

Polar brings that springtime refreshment to CT The trees are green, the flowers are booming, the grass is growing, and the whistles of track and field coaches are ringing throughout Connecticut. Here is a quick review of ten songs I've been listening to recently: "Percy Faith" by Damien Jurado: As a single released before the streaming debut of his new album The Horizon Just Laughed , on "Percy Faith" Jurado channels his folk roots, 50's and 60's easy listening grooves, and rainbow-bright keys. Easy listening music icons and Arizona news anchors are referenced with ease- the song floats along- as the last verse condemns the modern world for "knowing everything but no one at all". This letter to the past couldn't more beautiful and easy.  "My Body" David Bazan : Big Dave writes about the mind/body connection, or perhaps, disconnection. Here, Bazan evokes an ancient idea: we know what's good for us, but we don...

Rust Never Sleeps: Neil Young live. Courtesy Getty Images "Powderfinger" may be Neil Young's best song. In a few short minutes, Young manages to paint an evocative picture that is cinematic in its scope- place, setting, theme, backstory- it's all there as Young tells the story (in first person) of a young man that encounters war, death, and violence admist the backdrop of a small town life, filled with family tragedy and everyday musings. "Powderfinger" can be heard in two formats: first, there's the revved up electric version that Young cut with his band Crazy Horse. Of course, Young's got the heart-wrenching acoustic version in his back pocket as well. Both can be heard below. Most impressive of all is Young's ability to communicate, deeply, the tragedy of an early death on a river town. While the song is filled with specifics, it manages to be general enough- and finds it place in the Vietnam War or perhaps the American Civil War in eq...

Here at 95 North , we love Bob Dylan and Kendrick Lamar. While Bobby won a Nobel Prize for literature in 2017, we were all elated to discover that Kendrick Lamar's got one now, too. Recently, Lamar won the Pulitzer prize for music. Noticeably, he is the first non-jazz/non-classical musician to win the prize, according to the  New Yorker . To honor the occasion, click  here  to read 95 North's overview of the best of Kendrick Lamar, who, along with Bob Dylan, write some of the best American music my ears have been lucky enough to take in. I've been educated, enthralled, mystified, appropriately saddened and enlivened (emotional intelligence?), and generally enriched by the music of these two human beings for a long time. Educated: Lamar-"Institutionalized" Enthralled : Lamar- "DNA" Mystified : Lamar- "Duckworth" Saddened : Lamar-"Sing About Me (I'm Dying of Thirst) Enlivened : Lamar- "Money Trees" Enriched : Lamar- ...

Ryan Adams is a rare talent- a generation X Neil Young- and a singer/songwriter who can rattle off a melody effortlessly. Like Uncle Neil, Adams has built a strong back catalog full of hard rockers, folkly tunes, country waltzes, and delicate piano songs. "Night Birds", from his 2005 album  29  is of the soft piano variety, but it packs as much of an emotional punch as anything a power chord is capable of. The piano steps along the timeline of life, here, zooming in on a reflection of a particular point in Adams' life (29 was a loose concept album with a song about each year of his 20's) with poignancy. "Night Birds" invites you in Adam's head, where sad scenes play out, where the desire for something better is transparent as the clear waves of the ocean on a moonlit night.

It's April 2nd, snow is falling outside, and the Boston Red Sox sit atop the American League East with a record of 3-1. Sounds about right. It's time for a playlist. The other day a friend asked me how I listed to music: do I listen to albums or just collections of songs? With digital options like Spotify, listening to a string of individual songs is easier than ever. I've favored that approach recently. When I was a kid, I'd check out CD's from the Wallingford Public Library- the available mediums at that point demanded that albums were heard. That's how I came to love Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited , and Radiohead's Kid A . I wonder if my appreciation for the statement that music makes would be the same without these listening experiences.  Currently, with Apple Music, Spoify, or whatever, there's an overwhelming amount of songs at one's disposal. It's the age of the playlist. And disparate songs can fit together. Here's some for Ap...

I'm no fan of the synthed out 80's sound, and I'm sure many would agree it hasn't aged well. Just ask anyone about Bob Dylan's 1985 album Empire Burlesque . That being said, Bruce Springsteen is the exception. Much of his 80's work used cheesy synths, electronic drums, and other elements of glossy studio veneer. Go listen to "Born in the U.S.A". It should be tacky, but somehow it just isn't. Let the chill run down your spine as Bruce blares that he used to "he had a woman he loved in Saigon/ I gotta picture of him in her arms". Springsteen tears though these song like a lion. His lyrics punch right in the gut, they draw lines, expose ideas, emotions that drive into your soul.  Other Springsteen albums feature the stadium-rock group the E Street Band at his disposal, inviting loud riffs and saxophone solos (see Born to Run ). He's also released spare collections of acoustic songs on albums like Nebraska  and The Ghost of Tom ...

There's too much to say about Kendrick Lamar. I don't know where to begin. Some brief history? The 30-year-old rapper from Compton, CA has recently released an accompanying album to the movie  Black Panther , kicking off what promises to be a big year for our man Kung Fu Kenny. Kendrick packs a lot of punch. In his 2017 album DAMN , his short, jumpy, and bold mini-essays on identity and spiritual quest over tight-knit beats earned him a place in the spotlight. Per Kendrick, the album is designed to be listened to  either forwards or backward . 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly was sprawling, artistic, free-form jazz that found its heart in Harlem, California, Israel, and South Africa in equal parts. Prior to Butterfly , Lamar (he always has been) was big on concept albums- g ood kid, m.A.A.d City  and Section 8.0 were both like novels. While kid  was Kendrick's autobiography, Section 8.0 looks at a generational struggle through the lens of two ...

Lauryn Hill, of Orange County New Jersey, still stands today as one of the greatest female rappers of all time. Her career, which started out with the famed super-group (featuring Wyclef Jean) the Fugees churned out deeply meaningful, soulful hip-hop in songs like  "Killing me Softly ", which explored emotional territory previously unexpressed in mass-selling hip-hop. The Fugees owed much of their success to Hill's talent as a singer, rapper, and musician. She's handy with the guitar, political theory, and theology, a triple-threat of sorts that armed her to compose songs that were confrontational, meditative, and most of all. . . true. Hill built on her success with the Fugees by cutting one of the most critically claimed and essential hip-hop albums of all time, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill , released in 1998 (the golden year of rap? Outkast's Aquemini   was released the same year). Fame did something funny to Lauryn Hill, like it does to so many ot...

It's another "snow day" in Connecticut, thanks to  this storm  that's angrily moving up the east coast. In light of this March lion, here are some of Bobby's songs that mention snow. He was certainly no stranger to the white gold, whether it was the snow in the streetlights at night and the foghorns blowin' off the great lake waters in Minnesota or the snow-globe New York City that he landed at in the early 1960's. hey! It's snowing in the city "Girl From the North Country" If you go in a snowflake storm/ When the rivers freeze/ And summer ends "Meet me in the Morning" Honey we could be in Kansas/ By the time the snow begins to fall "On a Night Like This" The air is so cold outside/ And the snow so deep "Isis" The snow was outrageous "Winterlude" The snow can be so cold. . . where the snowflakes cover the sand