Issue 22: Six Degrees of Leonard Cohen
Reviewing new albums from boygenius, Lana Del Rey and more!
Welcome back to Band Practice where I listen to lots of new music (just passed the 100 album mark!) and share my favorite finds with you. It has been a few weeks since my last issue so there’s a lot of great new music to catch up on. This week’s top pick, the record from boygenius, is my new favorite album of the year and I hope it will be yours, too. And also worth a listen are three more albums that are so good that I would be remiss not to share them with you: Do you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey, Sublimation from Shalom, and Brothers & Sisters from Steve Mason. A few different flavors of alternative music, each delicious in their own right.
P.S. If you missed my Spring Playlist issue, you can find it here. It’s a great way to discover even more new music while enjoying some sunshiny spring vibes.
Housekeeping note: Apologies for a technical mishap back in the last full issue (#21). Substack failed to properly embed the video clip from the Botch show that I included (a pox upon the house of Substack!). If you would like to see the bananas moment in which a member of the audience walked upon the crowd, you can find it at the YouTube clip here.
Okay, let’s get to it!
Intro
When I listen to a batch of albums for an issue, I often see themes that come up between them and sometimes I write about them here. This week there was an unexpected but blatant connection between two of my picks. On their respective albums, the group boygenius and singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey both reference the song “Anthem” from Leonard Cohen, specifically its chorus:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
The artists use these words in different ways. The theme of imperfections and being “beautifully flawed” is featured prominently on Del Rey’s album.¹ She sings about “how the light gets in” in “Kintsugi” and even begins the album with a mistake to drive home the message. (One of the backup singers messes up the first line of the opening song, “The Grants,” and the take is left in.)
While boygenius uses the reference in their song “Leonard Cohen” in a sort of tongue and cheek way (and there are no mistakes to be found), there is a through line of vulnerability on the album. The members support each other as they take turns sharing their own insecurities and imperfections.
boygenius and Del Rey’s willingness to share their imperfections and bare their souls on their albums is only part of what makes these artists great, but it’s an important part. Authenticity is an open hand to the listener, inviting them to connect to the music on a deeper level. I felt that connection with each of the albums in this issue, and I hope that you do to.
Pick of the week
the record — boygenius
Alternative/Indie/Folk [Released 3/31/23]
If you don’t know about boygenius, I am beyond excited to share three great artists with you at once. The supergroup consists of three female, queer singer/songwriter/musicians and indie icons who have all put out critically acclaimed albums: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. While they released an EP as boygenius back in the pre-pandemic times and have been known to appear on each others’ albums, this is their first full-length collaboration.
Everything I love about each of these artists is present on the record: Baker’s passion, Dacus’ knack for structure and attention to detail, and Bridgers’ (sometimes) quiet chaos. But the album is even greater than the sum of its parts. When the three of them join together, they not only bring out the best in each other, but they tap into a powerful energy that produces something bigger than what you find on their solo albums. There is something lighter, fun, more upbeat, about this energy without sacrificing any of their depth. As a listener, it draws you in to join the fun.
Listening to the record is like taking a road trip with three of your closest friends—the sort that’s fueled by cheap coffee, copious snacks, and the tenuous promise that you’ll all get commemorative tattoos at the end. Deep truths come out, hearts are shared. It’s sanctifying shit. Every moment—whether thrilling or subdued—feels special and intimate. There is no wasted time.
The album starts off with the a cappella “With You Without Them,”—all three in harmony—like a prayer before the journey. Then they take turns at the wheel, helming the songs. Baker sets course with “$20”—“it's an all-night drive from your house to Reno,” she sings. The track is driven by some sturdy electric guitar and punctuated by Phoebe Bridgers’ feral screams. It’s at this point you know you’re in for an adventure.
Bridgers takes the next leg with “Emily I’m Sorry”—a soft and wistful song about a past relationship that, characteristic of Bridgers, gets a bit existential. “I'm twenty-seven and I don't know who I am / but I know what I want,” she sings. Baker and Dacus embrace her with harmonies—Dacus taking the low notes and Baker up top. No one is going this journey alone.
Dacus’ “True Blue” is almost a response to Bridgers: “when you don’t know who you are / you fuck around and find out,” she adds in questionable reassurance. In the chorus they sing together, “but it feels good to be known so well / I can't hide from you like I hide from myself / I remember who I am when I'm with you / your love is tough, your love is tried and true-blue.” Seemingly to say that when you feel lost and untethered, look to your friends to remind you who you are.
Their own, unique, “bigger” sound is best exemplified in “Not Strong Enough,” where the prismatic power of their voices is on full display. This is the climax of the trip. Everything has been leading up to this. Acoustic and electric guitars are the road beneath the wheels, the drums pushing the car forward, but their voices are the majestic scenery. When they reach the chorus the third time around singing, “I don't know why I am the way I am / there's something in the static / I think I've been having revelations,” their harmonizing is so crisp, so commanding it almost takes your breath away.
There is so much to be enjoyed on the journey that is this album: the storytelling, their perfect blend, smart lyricism, exceptional musicianship, and flaaaawless production. It feels like a gift to be brought along for it. At the end of the ride, the only question I was left with is, “should I get a boygenius tattoo?” I should, right? I should.
Tracks on repeat: Truly the whole entire album. BUT, if you listen to only one track, let it be “Not Strong Enough.”
Available on Spotify, Apple Music, bandcamp
If you enjoy this album, I highly recommend checking out their solo albums. My favorites are Julien Baker’s Little Oblivions, Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, and Lucy Dacus’ Home Video. There’s also a short film that accompanies the record directed by Kristen Stewart. You can find it here.
Also worth a listen
If you’re deeper than people give you credit for…
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd — Lana Del Rey
Alternative/Dream pop [Released 3/24/23]
Nine albums in, singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey is still honing her craft. Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd serves as both a retrospective and an evolution for Del Rey. There are a few earlier throwback songs in the mix, like “Taco Truck x VB,” but most of the album looks forward. It builds upon the soft, intimate sounds of some of her most recent albums, like Blue Bannisters, adding lush orchestrations and gospel choirs—still anchored in her usual romantic melancholy. The result is some of the most polished songs she has recorded to date.
The gorgeous “Let The Light In,” featuring singer/songwriter Father John Misty, possesses an old country feel swaddled in sweeping strings and a solemn organ (any Lana Del Rey skeptics should start with this song). “Paris, Texas” spins as if on a carousel with Del Rey singing so soft it almost feels like a secret. But “A&W” is the perfect encapsulation of her range on the album—linking her old sounds with the new. It starts off with an ominously out of tune piano, making an exciting pivot to trap with a deep bass beat in its second half. (It’s one of the sickest tracks I’ve heard all year.)
But Del Rey throws a curveball in the album that's worth addressing. In the “Judah Smith Interlude,” she includes an excerpt of a sermon from mega-church pastor Judah Smith that I deleted from my library after the first listen.1 The message is uncontroversial—to love the life you have instead of lusting after what you don’t have. But the troubling part is that Smith—who has made some anti-choice and homophobic statements in the past—is featured on the album at all. Some interpret Del Rey’s inclusion of the sermon ironic (there’s a great breakdown of its potential significance here), but given other references to “her pastor” on the album (see “The Grants”), it might not be. That said, if it feels like it would be triggering for you, skip it.
Save for this one odd choice, Did you know… is an enchanting and luminous album with so many layers that I’m still uncovering. For an artist as seasoned as Del Rey, to continue making albums that inspire such curiosity is only a testament to her talent.
Tracks on repeat: A&W, Kintsugi, Let The Light In
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
If you want to feel seen…
Sublimation — Shalom
Alternative/Indie [Released 3/10/23]
Shalom is an up-and-coming artist that needs to be on your radar. The debut album from the twenty-something singer/songwriter/musician is simply life-giving. She sets her fresh, heartfelt, and sometimes humorous take on what it’s like to be in your twenties to her own, bubbly version of alternative rock that can be best compared to artists like Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy (she actually has a song of the same name in which she sings about listening to the artist). She adds some extra flourish in a few tracks—“Did It To Myself” leans in on synthy pop and “End In Sight” has an electronic feel with a hip-hop beat—but the album still feels cohesive.
Her lyrics are sincere and relatable even if you’re a little (ahem) past your twenties. In “Happenstance” she sings about her need to, “evaporate and receive validation at the same time.” I’ve been there. (Just me?) And her line, “I don’t think I want to be perceived today,” in “Bodies” is a whole, meme-worthy mood. Listening to the album is like a reset—a chance to see your younger self with clearer eyes and a little more compassion.
Tracks on repeat: Happenstance, Lighter
Available on Spotify, Apple Music, bandcamp
If you could use your own backup choir…
Brothers & Sisters — Steve Mason
Alternative/Rock [Released 3/3/23]
Steve Mason is a conjurer of optimism. The former lead singer of defunct band The Beta Band recorded his latest solo album during lockdown, finding joy and love in the midst of tragedy. The opening track, “Mars Man” evokes traveling through a dark tunnel until you reach the light. On the other end of the tunnel is a brightness that shines through the rest of the album.
Mason weaves together styles like psychedelic rock, electronic, world music, and pop in maximalist fashion. The sound is big without being too flashy, propelled by horns, choirs, and a piano that sounds like it was sitting in a church basement for a few decades. Highlights include the jangling and jiving, “I’m on My Way” that brings to mind “Take Me to the River” by Talking Heads. “Traveling Hard” is pure elation, grooving with horns and tambourines. And if you listened to my spring playlist, you’ll recognize “The People Say,” a song full of momentous energy.
To make it through lockdown and emerge with this on the other side is quite moving. It’s a reminder that while life may not always be easy, there is still happiness to be found in it.
Tracks on repeat: I’m on My Way, The People Say, Traveling Hard
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
Thanks for reading! For the next issue I’ll be listening to new albums from Yaeji, Feist and more. I’ll share my favorites with you. It will be in your inboxes in a few weeks. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!
The playlist!
If you’re new here, or maybe just never scrolled this far down before…I’m keeping a running playlist of my favorite song from every new album I listen to this year. It’s ordered chronologically by date listened and I’ll update it with every issue. The latest batch starts with the song “Nazama” from Nyokabi Kariūki. Besides the ones I already mentioned in this issue, a few standouts are “Futures Bet” by U.S. Girls (the beginning is epic), “Remember” from Weval, and “I GOT IT” from DEBBY FRIDAY.
Albums of 2023 - Apple Music playlist
Albums of 2023 - Spotify playlist
We’re already into the second quarter of the year and more albums have come out than I can keep up with. Help me catch up! Have you listened to an album this year that you would recommend? Let me know in the comments or reply to this email with your suggestions.
Did you enjoy this issue? Share it on social media or forward it to a friend who could use some new music.
Long before Judah Smith was a multi-millionaire pastor to stars like Justin Bieber (a sentence that feels very odd to write), he was the youth pastor at a church called The City Church at its campus east of Seattle, Washington. As a teen (I was religious back then), I attended quite a few of “Pastor Judah’s” sermons with a friend who made me feel more valued when I went to church with her. I do not remember much of his sermons (which generally weren’t very open-minded) except for one. He told me and the rest of the youths attending to bring all of our “secular” music cds to the church so that he could throw them away. Because, you know, they were not “of God” and were a bad influence. 🙄 Or he was hoarding a really killer music collection. I wonder if he’d call for Del Rey’s or Bieber’s albums to be destroyed today? (And footnote to the footnote: I do not nor have I ever aligned myself with his beliefs, in case that isn’t clear.)
I’ve not got all the way through it, but the bits I’ve heard are super intriguing. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love from Kara Jackson
Also
Bastard Jargon by Nakhane
After Dinner We Talk About Dreams by MICHELLE (The track END OF THE WORLD is the first song in my new roller rink playlist when surely we will skate again)