Issue 23: A Little Bit Softer Now
Reviewing new albums from Fenne Lily and Baaba Maal
Welcome back to Band Practice where I listen to as much new music as I possibly can and share my favorite finds with you. I listened to 23 new albums since the last issue. Among them were quite a few great ones and two that completely moved me. This week we’re going to take a look at Fenne Lily’s Big Picture—a soft (hence the title of the newsletter), folky album that is so lovely it will surely win you over. If you need some energy, I also have you covered with Baaba Maal’s new album Being. I’ll briefly share why it’s also worth a listen. It’s a short, sweet, and easy read this week so let’s get to it!
Pick of the week
Big Picture — Fenne Lily
Alternative/Folk [Released 4/14/23]
Fenne Lily might have written the perfect breakup album—before she even knew she was writing one. In Big Picture, the English singer-songwriter details the anatomy of a failing relationship. It’s about the subtle signs and premonitions that things are falling apart—the things you know before you actually know them.
In describing her song, “Lights Light Up,” Lily said, “I’d never really written about love in the present tense before this, but even though I was still in love and not thinking about the end, there was something else going on subconsciously that led to a song about moving on before the moving on had begun.”1 The rest of the album also takes place in “present tense”—creating a space to work things out in real time. She cracks the spine of her journal and carefully places the listener in the middle of it to bear witness as she figures it all out. And while this might seem like an uncomfortable position to be placed into, the landscapes of her album are so pleasantly delicate that none of it feels weighty or burdensome.
Lily juxtaposes her melancholic storytelling with an almost deceitful sense of ease. Many of the songs feel light and floaty like wispy clouds traversing a blue sky. In “Pick,” an upbeat, toe-tapping rhythm and jaunty guitar riffs serve as the backdrop to themes of insecurity. “Did I pick a bad time to love you?” she sings to her lover. Her words are tinged with doubt but the brightness of the song counters with relentless optimism.
Her doubt isn’t always so well-camouflaged. Tracks like “Half Finished” have the romantic despondence characteristic of an Elliott Smith song—complete with waltzing acoustic guitar strums. It’s the last track on the album and a vulnerable one. As she’s finally letting go of her beloved she sings, “I told you I love you and mean it completely / I just can't say the same to myself.” It’s the honest and relatable—like she peeked into our own diaries and stole the meatiest bits.
The album’s arrangement feels conversational. Guitars, drums, and the occasional banjo work together like supportive friends listening to Lily as she processes her thoughts. Guitar riffs and piano melodies chime in with encouragement—never overshadowing but patiently waiting their turns. Lily’s voice, of course, commands the most attention. Its softness and depth in tone sounds like it belongs in another era—perhaps alongside Karen Carpenter or Joni Mitchell. Her delivery may seem stoic but a careful listen finds a world of emotion seeping through each crack and quiver of her voice.
Like Carpenter and Mitchell, Lily is exceptionally gifted at marrying lyrics to melody. “Lights Light Up” is the kind of tune that feels so natural that it must have fallen off a tree and landed directly onto a record press. It starts off with an electric guitar mimicking the melody in quadruple speed—it’s an undeniably chill riff but I also kind of want to bang my head to it. Lines like, “you came to me at the speed of a bad decision / just the speed, the bad not so much,” and “I was in the business of letting go / then you came around and put me out of the job” are so clever it’s practically greedy to have them both in the same song.
Big Picture is full of melodic treats and lyrical treasures to uncover with each excavating listen. Every time I come back to it, I’m happy to join Lily in the “present tense” to see what I can find.
Tracks on repeat: Dawncolored Horse, Lights Light Up, Red Deer Day
Also available on Apple Music, bandcamp
Also worth a listen
Being — Baaba Maal
Worldwide [Released 3/31/23]
I’m always on the lookout for good albums in the Worldwide genre (if you’ve got recommendations, drop them in the comments please!) and I found great one. The latest album from Senegalese singer and guitarist Baaba Maal is full of life and energy. In “Yerimayo Celebration,” Maal’s voice strikes like a lightning bolt as you’re surrounded by thunderous drumming. “Freak Out” twists and undulates like a cobra—the fluttery trill of a guitar its venom. It is entirely enveloping. Even its calmer moments, like “Agreement” and “Casamance Nights” feel electric thanks to Maal’s impassioned vocals. Though there is a language barrier (he sings primarily in Pulaar), I can feel the truth in his words. If you’re looking for something rhythmically rich, with a deep well of vivacity, you’ll find it here.
Tracks on repeat: Yarimayo Celebration, Freak Out, Agreement
Also available on Apple Music, bandcamp
Thanks for reading! The next issue will celebrate Band Practice’s one year anniversary(!) and I may be cooking up something special for it. I also have so many new albums lined up to listen to—from Jessie Ware to Indigo De Souza to The National and more—I’ll be sharing my favorites with you soon. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss any of 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 “Freak Out” from Baaba Maal. I can’t vouch for all of the songs but “Salad” from Blondshell and “d******d blues” from Kara Jackson are 100% certified bangers. Give them a listen at the links below.
Albums of 2023 - Apple Music playlist
Albums of 2023 - Spotify playlist
I’ve received a few album recommendations from you so far (thank you!), but I always need more! 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.
If you enjoyed this issue, go ahead and share it! It’s good music karma. :)
I picked up Nomad Soul years ago after randomly hearing it playing in a store and it gets frequent air play in our home but I haven’t really followed Baaba Maal’s career so thanks for prompting me to learn more about him.