Dean's List

Call me if you can, tell me I'm the operator 

- Half Waif

It is so easy for me to justify the purchase of this lighter piece of art. 

Any reference to Slow Burn, or Golden Hour, or Kacey Musgraves, gets me very excited/willing to make rash purchasing decisions. 

I don’t have a reusable lighter, and the top of this beauty flips open and closes so nicely. And the color...plus “Burn in a hurry” inscription ... this was all too much for me and now I have acquired her. She is mine.

TY to our Saint Kacey 

ESSENTIAL VIEWING:

Tame Impala covers Nelly Furtado’s Say It Right on BBC Radio1

EAR-WORM: Your Wild Years by The Menzingers

You might be thinking, 

“Deanne, where are the dudes? More dude representation!”

To that, I say, AMEN.

The Menzingers are a perfect introduction to the post-emo, grunge-Americana world where I initially started to understand how music could permeate the soul.

The first album I remember purchasing was at a middle school book fair. For some reason, I was allowed to purchase American Idiot? I can’t even be certain why I gravitated toward it as a pre-teen, but the rest is history.

Listening to American Idiot as a child feels relevant toward my feelings about The Menzos. The sentiments and anxieties of coming of age in a world that still feels so dated... but make it fun! 

Punch out the ceiling/dance with feeling kind of fun. 

All this to preface After the Party. Your Wild Years is wormy, but not the wormiest, track on the album... but the sentiments are strong enough.

Something familiar when you miss everything.

EAR-WORM: Hydra by Wolf

My current motive is to bring to light all the songs and performances I have bookmarked in my brain for the past five years, but I would be daft if I did not share the releases that are actively affecting me.

You know when you go to school with someone and you follow them on Instagram because they are cool AF but you’ve never actually formally met? 

Julia is that b*tch. The voice, the style, the fck your judgment attitude. Every song is so dang impactful and makes me feel like I’m getting a lesson in linguistics and mystics.

Wolf has been doling out ear-worms since the release of Captions, and now that I’m a full-on fangirl... every release deeply affects me. These singles are kick-ass, simple as that.

I HIGHLY encourage exploration of this artist because when that album drops, you’ll be glad you were with her from the start.

She’s bouta claim the throne, so.

ESSENTIAL VIEWING: 

Lady Gaga performs A-YO on the Bud Light Dive Bar Tour

My presence sweet and my aura bright 

- Ariana Grande

ESSENTIAL VIEWING: Little Dragon on KCRW

Little Dragon has been around the block a few times, but I never managed to break into their LCD aesthetic until I heard Ritual Union. It is a textbook ear-worm.

This is the indie electronica you thought you knew about.

Alright fam, tell me how it is.

EAR-WORM: Tweety by Raveena

I’m pretty sure Raveena Aurora lives inside a tulip. 

Tweety is saccharine icing on top of Raveena’s current 3-layer discography. There are persistent strength and sensuality that command to be heard, and coupled with melodies and vocals from an actual fairy godmother - you are left disarmed and feeling floaty.

Are you down?

Been a while since you went to church - eh? Same.

I’m not here to guilt you into a visitation,

but I will ask you to pay your respects to Kelly Zutrau.

This homily originated on Still Run in 2018 and three years later this performance has aged like fine wine.

So slap your knees down on my metaphorical pew, and peace be with you.

I’ll wait 11 hours if I have to.

The beginning chords of Slow Burn made me stop. I remember being in motion, feet walking, a body in movement, and hearing this song, that I had no prior attachment to. 

Slow Burn is an ear-worm. Once I heard it there was no going back, only me playing the track incessantly until I discovered that there was an ALBUM.

I’m no OG Kacey fan that’s for sure, but I do know that Velvet Elvis makes me bop-a-doodle-doo. Velvet Elvis is its own ear-worm, but if you want to digest Golden Hour in order of its track-listing aka chapters you better just press play here on chapter one. 

You alright with a Slow Burn?