Max's Music Mondays with Nikki Segal and stoop lee
running on fumes and good music
Welcome to Max’s Music Mondays - a ~music discovery newsletter~ where I get too excited about songs I love. I hope you love them too. If you do, follow along on spotify and please be sure to absolute smash that damn subscribe button! tysm :)
Thank god spooky season is over, we survived but not without our fair share of frights. Seriously when will skeletons stop hanging on porches I can’t take this anymore. Anyways, I am fresh off a wonderful weekend at Outside Lands and while I am sad it’s over I’m thrilled to relive some of my favorite moments via a lovely little ~recap~.
The Expected:
Remi Wolf, a star. Anything I write feels repetitive mostly because I spend 80% of my music-related conversations raving about her. But it’s all true. And so many people were there!! It ruled, the world is catching on to her magic.
Dijon. Wow. I mean, I thought I was prepared for it, but that was intense. An emotional performer and the new songs hit hard live.
Caroline Polachek. Fucking finally!!! Been trying to see Caroline ever since Pang dropped and this was the moment. Everything I wanted and more. An incredible costume, and perfect performance. Also stoked on the ~unreleased songs~ she played.
Vampire Weekend. Every song is so good and that’s just how it is.
Sharon Van Etten. First set I saw back in a big ol’ field and she delivered. The songs rock, the voice rocks, the atmosphere (foggy as hell) just felt so right.
Brittnay Howard. What a wonderful set. Top to bottom her band is so sick and she tore down the (theoretical) house.
The Unexpected:
Petey. A huge fan but my first chance to see him live. So much fun and such a rockstar. Nothing like yelling along to Petey, that was nice!!!
LP Giobbi. Wish I could’ve seen more but the set was a blast, just great energy all around, and the live keys were impressive!
dang there’s just so many people at music festivals i really did forget about that
Anyways the whole thing was great and I loved it and it felt so good to be back at a festival and ok onto the new music now!!!
This Week’s Songs
Please please follow along here ^^ for this week’s and every week’s songs. Scientists agree that all of these songs are incredible on their own and even better as a playlist.
Auto - Nikki Segal
Listen, if there’s one thing you should know about my listening habits, it’s that if I see someone post a song on IG I will listen… and when seemingly every musician I know is posting about the same song? Yeah, I’m gonna have to check it out!! And I’m glad they all posted and I’m even more glad I listened. It starts out hot and never stops. This first moment - drums, guitar, bass, that eery then peaceful rising sound - it’s so full and just, like, real?? Can’t quite nail it down, but it all feels right. A sunrise of an intro. Segal lands one heck of a lyric to start, one that won me over immediately. The whole verse has such a nice pace to it, lyrics rolling on over the steady band, Segal picking her spots to sneak in beautiful vocal flairs. There’s that synth buried in there too, popping in sparingly like a nice little bonus :) our treat for listening. But the whole thing is a treat really. It all flows so effortlessly into a warm chorus that you will have to work so dang hard not to sing along to with a smile on your face the whole time (I have yet to meet this challenge). Another subtle synth popping back and forth, little bubbles of Good Sound bursting. The drums refuse to take a break, playing right on into the next verse. Which happens to be another great verse, the quietest guitar making meals out of some early chords before handing the space over to a synth. The back half of the verse shines with these background vocals in a mini call-and-response. Gracefully sliding right on into the chorus, those vocal layers crushing it here too, just a lovely scene. The song just naturally picked up so much size and energy, when the third verse kicks off with just drums and bass and one vocal, it’s kind of surprising to realize how much was going on just seconds before. It’s so rich but all assembled perfectly, just naturally picking up steam. The extra space gets filled by some nice guitar, more light to see Segal’s impressive performance too. Another chorus swelling up, it feels like it’d be a natural end, so I am pleased to tell you there’s still a good minute and a half of this song to savor. And when I say savor, I mean it!! A delicious bridge fitting itself nicely over the chorus which is still shining underneath, the band all bigger than ever. The drummer walks off the stage, and lets the rest of the band slowly fade out, it’s a ripper and I can’t stop listening.
Follow Nikki Segal on IG / Spotify
‘03 FUBU JERSEY - stoop lee
Another one of those songs, where just the intro is enough to lock me in. There’s so much life there, human mumbles, insects and animals, all finding the nooks and crannies of those moving chords. As the drums hit, we might lose the sounds but keep all the life. It’s a gorgeous canvas for stoop lee to add to. And I love the way he does - those first couple lines with bouncy sing-song positivity, transitioning on quickly, where lee’s tone is mesmerizing. That little edge that seems to get grittier the harder he pushes. Those harmonies come in out of nowhere and elevate everything. “And if I’m in Japan / Imma go to Yokohama ‘cuz I like Gundam” is such a perfect line. Right on par with the playfulness of the song, such a personal specific, it’s hard not to love it and feel like you know stoop lee just a little bit better. Endearing stuff!!! Those ooo’s are heavenly, the whole moment feels soft and loving. A summer feel, all brought together by perfect drum sounds. The second verse flies by with help from those background vocals. The flow stays familiar but doesn’t stop lee from exploring a bit - “that’s the way that I do” flying into a new place. All so well done. Another fresh moment shortly after, gentle vocals floating on. A familiar few lines come next, so much more intimate with just lee’s vocals. They fall off before I’m ready, but lucky for us that guitar is there for a quick and groovy solo. The bass steps in to lead us on, all we need to hold this bridge, the band and singers slowly building back up around the lead vocals. Those drums kick right back in, the ooo’s flowing, the band at ease, it all comes together so well before another tasteful fade out. Big week for the TFO!!! Really dug this one and can’t wait to dig into more stoop lee soon, hope you’ll join me.
Follow stoop lee on IG / Spotify
Yeah, my brain is on empty, sad the festival is over and completely depleted of all Good Thoughts, but these songs were too good I needed to get them in your hands as soon as I could. I hop you enjoy them.
See you on Friday, I can’t wait.
Yours,
Max