Phoebe Bridgers "I Know The End"

Let me first say that I respect Phoebe Bridgers and I fully recognize that she is massively talented.

That said, for some reason her music just never seemed to click with me.

I am not saying I dislike her music, and if I could explain it better I would, but there's something about her music that just does not resonate with me even though everything else about her says that I should like her music, that I should be a fan of hers. I like strong, independent women who are singer/songwriters; in my defense I point to my love of Nina Nastasia, Fiona Apple, Ela Minus, Annie Lennox, Lady Gaga, Pink, Billie Eilish, Loretta Lynn, etc., etc., etc...

Again, as I said, I respect her. I have listened to many of her hit songs and as much as I wanted them to resonate with me they just didn't.

I even listened to the Boy Genius super-group she formed, and again, everything on paper said that I should like them, but again, nothing.

To be clear, I didn't dislike her music; at no point did I ever think, "this is shit, I don't want to hear this again." I mean, she's not the Eagles/Journey/Imagine Dragons.

I just felt nothing.

But then sometime in the last week or so my daughter sent me this track. She asked me if I liked Phoebe Bridgers and I gave her a far shorter version of what I wrote above (that I should like her but for some reaon just didn't).

Reader, my daughter has done what I did not think was possible: she got me to like Phoebe Bridgers. Now I get it, I do, I really do, I get Phoebe Bridgers, or at least, this song, but this track, yeah, it's good, it's really fucking good.

Does this mean that the scales have fallen from my eyes (ears) and I'll now be able to appreciate all of Ms. Bridgers' ouevre?

Time will tell, but I like this song so very much.

I love my daughter and I love that now that she's in her 20s she still shares music with me. Maybe that has something to do with why I like this song, but does that matter? Who cares about the why?

Because when it's all said and done, I know the end.

Comments

Nine Inch Nails "Closer" (B Stage Remix w/Boys Noize)

Updated (04.24.26): since NIN/Boys Noize have since released Nine Inch Noize I have updated this post with the official version of the track below. At 30+ years old I think we can all agree that "Closer" was a hit that was about as perfect as it could have been, and has since become a classic. But ever since I saw NIN in Detroit, and even before, thanks to YouTube, I have been obsessed with this remix of the track. I thought maybe that would fade, but here we are weeks later and I am still impressed with not only the audacity to rework such a well-known, iconic song, but I'm equally astounding as to how well it works. And now, with the Coachella lineup announced (see above as well), it's obvious that this NIN/Boys Noize collaboration is going to continue as Nine Inch Noize. Personally, I love it, and am hopeful to get an official release of this version so I can buy it and listen to it to my heart's content. Welcome to Monday! Enjoy!

Elbow "Sober"

Look, I realize that I just posted a song by Elbow on Friday , and to be clear, this isn't an Elbow fanatic blog now. That said, I was anticipating hearing "My Sad Captains" over the weekend, but Elbow changed their setlist and, sadly, I did not get to hear it peformed live. It is what it is, the show was still amazing! I fully admit that I had only taken a cursory listen to their new album Audio Vertigo before the show, but "Sober" was definitely a live standout. I've listened to this song multiple times since hearing it live on Sunday night and am currently obsessed. So yeah, you got some Elbow on Friday, and now you get some more today because this song is now an earworm for me. It's so damn good! (FYI: this song is technically from the Audio Vertigo: Echo EP, but it is now included on the deluxe version of Audio Vertigo, as are the other EP tracks.) Enjoy!

Cigarettes After Sex "Keep On Loving You"

Like a hazy, lush, cannibis-fueled haze, Cigarettes After Sex have put a new spin on REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You," and I'm here for it. Listen, I appreciate a good cover, but I do not want to hear another artist try to recreate a song almost note-for-note like the original, especially if the latter was a hit. I want to hear a different take, an alternative approach to a song that I already know. Perhaps the most powerful example of this is what Johnny Cash did with NIN's "Hurt." I'm not saying that the key to a good cover is to slow things down, sure, sometimes that is true, but the important aspect is to bring something new to the song, make the audience consider it from another perspective, and that's exactly what Cigarettes After Sex did here. Happy Monday! Affection by Cigarettes After Sex

This Track Is Fire!

Search This Blog