MMM with Alana Markel and Wallker
Plus LA Fire Resources and more new music <3
Welcome to Max’s Music Mondays. My ~music discovery newsletter~ where I get too excited about songs I love. I hope you love them too. Your subscriptions go such a long way. Free subscribers help these artists get the audience they deserve, paid subscriptions help keep this thing running and also PAY THE ARTISTS!!! 2/3 of every subscription goes right back to the artists I write about. Please consider supporting independent music and music journalism(?) here today <3
Writing you all from Los Angeles where I am so lucky to be safe and sound in my home. Tired, heartbroken, on edge, but safe. It’s been an a lot of pain, new tragedy being discovered all day long. Yet, I’ve been so inspired seeing people come together for each other. My IG feed and my city filled with donation drives, calls for volunteers, opportunities to give directly to folks who need the support right now. I hope you’ll see this week’s post not as some why-is-he-spending-his-time-on-this frivolousness but rather offering myself some joy and levity as I refuel for a long road of service and support unfurling more and more every day.
If you’d like to support folks affected by the fires, my three suggestions:
This continuously updated list of GoFundMe’s that I found through Soft Streak (thank’s y’all!). You can see who might be far from their goal, who needs just a few more dollars, whose fundraiser has stalled out and could use some love. A great way to find a place for your donations that resonates with you.
Donating to SELAH. My local org of choice, SELAH supports the unhoused community in my region of LA. I trust these folks with my life, driven by such clear and resolute morals. As many unhoused people get turned away from many temporary emergency services, it’s just as critical to make sure all of our neighbors have the support they need to survive.
Venmo me, baby!! Find me @max-himelhoch! I have been supporting folks directly as much as I can. Any money I receive will be directed towards any urgent supplies (the needs change daily) or sent direct to folks who have lost their homes.
Thank you in advance, I love this place so much. I feel so lucky to be safe right now and just doing everything I can to help the incredible people around me.
I apologize for the immediate shift in tone as we skip into the music. But again, it was really rejuvenating to spend the time doing something I love. If you’re here in LA feeling drained, I’d encourage you to do the same. There is so much to do in the coming weeks and months, don’t forget to care for yourself too.
Stay safe <3 <3
Alana Markel - Deuces
The muffled sound of the guitar grows as we walk these crunchy steps up to the door. The anticipation is genuinely thrilling, and those first clear hits of the guitar, piano, and drums feel like such sweet relief. It’s moments like these, so creative, so willing to be different, and so full of emotion that I simple can’t resist. You pair that with Alana Markel’s perfect first lyric (you know I’m a fool for a good first lyric) and I’m sold.
Deuces, babe.
That’s good. That’s really good. Another thing I love - a contemporary vocabulary with timeless delivery. A lyric that could only have been written now, but sang with such confidence and seriousness it feels so solid. Like this song, that phrase, have always existed.
The whole song feels like that honestly. Low, slow, powerful, steady. It feels heavy and important and through the whole first 45 seconds or so, I’m just kinda in awe. Letting it wash over me. Amazing production throughout.
As the first scene ends, there’s a whisper of another instrument, a sound swirling off in the back. And the band pulls out, a second for Markel’s voice to stand alone, you were in a different world. The moment of silence creating more tension, the band’s return feels crushing and massive and fresh, even as it settles back into the same progression. We see more of this relationship as it crumbles, and quickly get to one of the most damning lyrics I’ve ever heard. Now it’s just the lessons learned / hope you use them on your other girl.
Like…. come tf on. This brutal clarity, this now-ex read for absolute filth. But also a truly brilliant summation of what relationships often boil down to. The time, the memories, everything, turning sour and turning into lessons learned. Oof oof oof.
We also get more of that new sound, what I suspect is guitar, fluttering around like a lightning bug playing a violin. Appearing all over the place, that shimmering sound so beautiful. Markel’s hope that they’re used on the other girl really hit with a ‘best wishes! lol’ energy at first. Repeated back again, and I can’t help but hear it a bit more earnestly, hoping that maybe this person will actually change and won’t hurt the next girl.
The titular lyric rings out again, this time with another layer of vocals adding to the weight of it all. That string sound growing around the edges of the track. This is probably my favorite section, lyrically. Too little and too fucking late the masterpiece at the center of it all.
As we cross the 2min mark, the song is SOARING. Markel pushing a little harder on the vocals, the drummer pushing too, letting things ring and build as it goes. There’s so much power in this pain, Look at how we both get hurt a real climax. The rest falling back to the earth with some hard earned acceptance. The footsteps lead away, the conversation is over, but I can’t shake it. Been rinsing this endlessly, and so happy to share it here.
Follow Alana Markel on Instagram // on Spotify
Wallker - Don’t Hurry
You’ll want to sit down for this one. Or maybe not, maybe you want to go for a walk. This one full of so much beauty and boldness, so much to savor, I think you’ll love it.
In this underwater computer, bubbling dial up sounds surrounding us. And then out of nowhere, this fuzzy chord appears and carries us on. A life raft. Wallker right there too, singing out of love from the first notes. While Wallker holds this steady tone in the center, there’s another voice that seems wrapped around this track. A gorgeous layer. The percussion here is great, I’m just already so in and we haven’t even hit 30 seconds.
And we gotta get there!! Because on the other side of 0:30… well, this song just keeps unfolding and evolving and come on let’s just enjoy. There’s a rumbling atmospheric sound that builds, somehow even this ‘noise’ is sick, like the sound of a window open on the highway. It’s most noticeable once it disappears, the space ceded to these saxophones. They create new chords, new shapes, and Wallker’s voice starts to transform. Plugging back into the computer and playing with time. It’s genuinely thrilling, this song managing to be so sweet and inviting and experimental all at once.
As we reach the next verse, another perfect little flair, that sax ends, a weird flute rolls by, bright plucks up a chord, a low bend pulling things back down, one drum machine chord pings. It’s full of creativity and maximalism, but all in this very intentional and well executed way. Each second packed with something, all of the somethings working together to make the song better. Wallker returns to the mic, along with another layer for a brief moment. Again, every piece adding texture and character. That why the hell wobbles so vulnerably. The plea is an honest one, and the sound design emphasizes it masterfully.
The saxophones seems to take over here, Wallker reciting that title one last time. Fading out as the band takes the lead. The vocals manipulated by a computer, but feeling as human as ever, especially as the sax runs alongside it, as if attempting to prop up the vocals.
I’ve been thinking about this song a lot, obviously, but with every listen it seems to change. Who is Wallker singing to? To us? To a friend? To themselves? On IG the caption includes “A mirror” and I have to think this is a reflection, a journal entry, a mantra to stay steady. But no matter how personal, it’s also a relatable and important message to hear. The production itself is exciting yet calming, a welcoming place to really appreciate these words.
We ride with the band till the end of the song. New sounds appearing, saxophones shining, the whole arrangement full and beautiful. There’s a subtle guitar riff at 1:49. Walking up, walking down, and bending low. The tone is crazy. Used as the perfect cue to close up shop, it’s one hell of a way to go out.
Love this one.
Follow Wallker on Instagram // on Spotify
Last Week on All The Other Days:
Your Smith - Change of Heart
Vulfmon, Tyler Ballgame - Gloves Off
Lutalo - I Figured
Maddie Jay - Stop Me If I’ve Told You This Story
Annie DiRusso - Back in Town
Elora - Control Me Now
Folks, in all honesty my brain is so tired. Things are still hard here, and we’re not quite at a safe enough place for me to stop worrying. Thus, I can’t work up the words for these new releases. But trust, they are all special. Click on into the ATOD playlist and find out for yourselves.
With love,
Max