The 2024 Maxies - Part One
MY AWARD SHOW IS HERE : )
Welcome welcome welcome!! Ugh, you all look so lovely tonight! Thanks for dressing up. I know it feels crazy to go all out just before NYE but I appreciate you joining me for such a special night.
For those of you who are new, The Maxies are my made up, mostly silly, but also deeply earnest attempt at highlighting the music that really shaped my year. I hope you’ll find something you love here, but appreciate you indulging me regardless.
Stick around to the end for some 2025 predictions :)
Let’s get into things with a little State of the Substack:
The Year That Was
Well, it was a good year! Overjoyed to celebrate what so many of you have made possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Subscribers are up 50%! A huge growth in subscribers, and the third straight year of consistent growth! Slowly but surely this thing is getting bigger and better <3 It is so humbling. A big thank you to everyone who has shared this newsletter with a pal, as well as all the other substack writers who have recommended MMM to their readers too. It makes an incredible difference.
Paid subscriptions are also up, at just over 20%!
This newsletter, and everything that comes from it (see below), are genuinely all I want to be doing with my life. Practically every subscription dollar goes back to musicians in one form or another. Your contributions are literally fueling the work I do and helping so many artists at the same time.
All I ask, is if this newsletter has brought you some value, you’d be generous enough to invest a little bit of that back in, and help me continue the work.
Everything I do comes out of my pockets, and without a job at the moment, it’s a… tough situation. Each subscription helps make these projects happen and truly makes them better.
Next year, I’ll be focusing on additional posts for paid subscribers, and delivering as much as I can to make it well worth your while. Your support would mean the dang world to me.
Also new this year, MMM sported some new graphics. Thanks to Nat Nick for the designs. I really felt like it legitimized the newsletter and loved seeing them get shared.
We had two guest essays!! Two of my favorite posts of the year, thank you Romy, thank you Georgia!! Seriously is such a thrill to feel the MMM world grow and change bit by bit. Thank you both for trusting me with your work.
We released the second compilation!! Big love to all the artists, and again, to Nat Nick on creative direction. These compilations are such beautiful collections of music. Can’t wait for Vol. 3 next year :)
Oh, and I launched Mendel Records!! The compilation process was so fulfilling that I’ve continued down this path, working hard to help artists release their projects into the world and help them develop the careers they deserve. This year, I released redbrd’s debut EP on cassette, and next year?? Oh, there’s a lot on the way.
After nearly 6 years of booking shows at Sofar Sounds, I was laid off this summer. So I’m deeply proud to build on those skills and find new places and ways to curate shows with artists I love.
We had an MMM favs show in NY last August with Farrah Hanna, Purser, and Hudson Freeman. Followed by a crazy October show featuring Salome Hajj, Purser, Tyler Ballgame, and Ren Martinez at Make Out Music here in LA. Then earlier this month I held the first of a new series, Two by Two - putting artists I love on stage together to trade originals and cover each other. It was beautiful.
This momentum is pushing into next year already with the newly announced Maddie Jay album release in LA (January 18th at Scribble) and my second Two by Two show on February 4th at Scribble as well. Hope to see you IRL and hope to bring more shows to you wherever you live.
An incredible year when you lay it all out. Thank you for being a part of it.
On to the awards! The Maxies has always been home to historically significant and often not-repeated categories like IDK What The Hell You’re Up To But My God It’s Good, and The Best Musical Moment (aka my favorite moment that made me say “oh shit!!”).
This year, I’ve spent the majority of my words on more “traditional” awards, but we still got a couple ridiculous ones to catch these otherwise-fleeting ideas, memories, and moments.
The Annual Faye Webster Award for Best Lyric in a Faye Webster Song
Nothing better to get us going than some absolute gems from one of my favorite writers doing their thing right now. Her writing is INSANE. She’s wise and generous, but also able to pull off some of the funniest lyrics I’ve ever heard. If anyone else tried it, you know they’d fall flat. Now… our nominees are:
After the First Kiss - On Love and Queerness
She got me callin' her "wife" / After the first kiss
A little dramatic, but that's alright / After the first kiss
eBay History, verse two - She’s back on her bullshit
But I'll keep my anonymity hid
I just learned that word I thought that I'd use it
He Loves Me Yeah! verse two - Love and the cracks beneath
He say he miss me, thеn I say it back / And we drink water straight out from the tap / He owes me money but I let it pass
But Not Kiss, verse two - a practical delusion
I want to see you in my dreams / but then forget / we’re meant to be but not yet
And the first Maxie of 2024 goes tooooooooooo:
Underdressed at the Symphony, chorus
Are you doing all the same things? I doubt it.
OOF!! The impossible curiosity of fresh heartbreak. Love this one. Congrats Faye!!
The Father Time Award for Music That Lasts
My fatal flaw as a listener? I’m obsessed with new. Shocking, I know. As we saw with my top 100 songs, like 95 of them were from 2024. So, I always want to take a moment to appreciate the music that stuck around. This year’s winner is a repeat winner, once again it is Absolutely by Dijon (2021).
This record is still unlike anything else I’ve ever heard. Brave and weird and expansive. Genre-melding, story-telling, world-building. Pretend that last one rhymed too.. I find myself turning to this album so often, and each time different lyrics, different moments catching my heart and genuinely bringing me to tears. It feels like an album I’m growing into. With every bit of my own change, the album reveals itself a little more. It’s so damn good.
As someone who Works In Music, I’m equally inspired by how unique the shape of it all is. Twelve songs, four of them less than two minutes, the highlight reel/interlude, the End of Record meditation, and an end credits soundtrack. It’s bizarre really, but it all works so beautifully. Showcases this artist, the world he’s forging, the people who are forging it with him - musicians and otherwise.
I still watch the film at least once every few months. Special stuff. It’s got me in a perennial chokehold and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Can’t wait for him to drop more music and it become my entire personality once again.
The Artists That Have Me So Excited for the Future of Music Award
I always worry this award will stop at some point. Have I found everything I’ll ever find? And then I’m instantly proven a fool, and suddenly discover my favorite music of the year. Here are the artists I’ve really fallen for this year who I believe are carrying us all into the future.
There’s no nominees here, just winners, and tbh we’re all the winners thanks to these folks. Rock on.
Jia*
I couldn’t quite believe my ears when I first heard this duo. They just seemed to appear as a fully-formed, brilliant band. Complete with a well defined sound, strong vision, and just flat out good music. The kind of thing where I heard it and felt like “oh everyone must already know about this” and turns out it was their debut single.
Does that sound like a debut??? Holy moly. Everything is right. They have such a clear sound and it is a great one. The production is dialed in but still daring? The sibling’s voices balancing each other beautifully. I adore it. They released a 10-track project, Yes, No Question, back in July and I was immediately obsessed. I wrote about so many of these songs throughout the year, but it’s a perfect 16 minutes of music that I continue to return to and be floored by. I’m freaking out just thinking about what these two have ahead of them and feel so lucky to be along for the ride.
jerod
There’s no way for me to prove it, but I’m pretty sure jerod snuck into my skull, stole my brain, and has been making music to perfectly match my taste ever since. And I’m not even mad about the skull part, I feel fine!!
I caught jerod’s music at the end of last year, stumbling onto his delightful project, TURTLE. mr. turtle was probably the first I listened to →
That charming mic test all I needed to be in. The insane drum pattern enough to hook me for life. A gorgeous arrangement where every instrument deserves recognition. Just soak it all in for a min. jerod sings sweetly over acoustic as the band builds back up, rocking hard with those four big kicks at 0:37, the yelling in the background right after. Fuck!! It’s a microcosm of jerod’s music I’d reckon.
His songs are these fascinating sonic collages. They’re filled with remarkable performances from every instrument, perfect tone coming from everyone, heartfelt lyrics and vocals. There’s a clear feeling from the song titles (see: ECF game 6 rough) that we’re not taking anything too seriously here. But in that looseness jerod is still showing off endless skill and creativity, and PLENTY of polish, don’t get it twisted.
This year, he continued his hot streak with Big Green (#8 on my Spotify Top Songs). His sound is refined yet ever-evolving and I’m literally freaking out listening to it again right now. There’s influence here from so many of my favorite artists, yet jerod is making it all entirely his own.
Following Big Green came signal; and I could just copy and paste the above paragraph^^. I’m so excited about what this guy is up to. He’s a part of the harcourt paloma collective, a community of such creative and unique artists, feels like they’re all building something so special and I can’t wait to see it blossom.
Esme Emerson
A second sibling duo, Esme Emerson also just appeared in my music world this year. And thank you to the music gods for that. The two have been making music for a few years now, and it’s always been special. Even checking back in on their 2022 EP S for Sugar, D for Dog, the songs sound incredibly fresh.
They returned this year with a few great singles, eventually Fade Out dropped and luckily, fell right into my lap. It’s unreal.
The final minute here??? Like how could you ever resist. They follow it up with Yard and Together and it looks like there’s no end in sight for these two. There’s a familiarity in their sound, elements of folk, of alternative, yet filled with these musical flourishes everywhere. So thoughtful, so well executed.
Yard is so fun. I feel like this is what SO many bands were trying to do in the 2010’s but Esme Emerson actually figured out how to do it and how to make it sound fantastic. They’re great writers, thoughtful songs built on tasteful tone, I just can’t get enough. Stoked to see their touring dates start to pile up and cannot wait for them to reach the states. You know I’ll be barricade for that one.
Mal Not Bad
I really fell for Mal Not Bad back in September of ‘23. Opening for Al Menne at Bob Baker Marionette Theater. As the playful puppets came and went, Mal was mesmerizing me with a bold solo performance. Placing dang padlocks on piano keys to hold chords for arpeggios, sharing this blissful tone on guitar. I was hooked.
This year, we got a lot more music, culminating in the August release of This Is Your New Life.
This is a brilliant record. Just under 30 mins of Indie Rock driven by experimental sounds, complete with three instrumentals and an outro. Giving space to some of the most special musical moments that might not fit on a “traditional” album. But these moments really help make record, showcasing other musical ideas that just didn’t form into a typical song. Beautiful and deserving to be heard nevertheless.
What makes me excited about Mal are things like this. There’s a really complex and complete language here. They aren’t just releasing music, they are building a world. Sonically and visually, everything is developing together and making things that are so inspiringly recognizable. I know a MNB song when I hear it, but also I know a MNB Instagram post when I see it. Every detail considered, every moment shared and shown through the filter of their vision. Cannot wait to watch the world catch up with what Mal is doing. Go listen to this album if you haven’t already.
Honeyglaze
Strap the fuck in. These three rock. I came to them via Bandcamp, lucky to have their album cover catch my eyes as I went looking for cassette inspiration while working with redbrd. I hit play on Pretty Girls and that was a wrap.
But jump in anywhere and you’ll feel it too. The British Post-Punk world is alive right now (ok look at me knowing genres and stuff), and there’s a lot of bands trying to do what Honeyglaze is doing. The songs are sharp, often sparse, full of brilliant riffs and great arrangements. The big moments feel HUGE and the small moments feel so intimate. The vocals are fantastic. So much control and emotion in the quiet moments, the bits of talking/singing really sting, I just love it.
By the looks of it, the live show is insane, and I hope to see it stateside sooner than later. Give Hide and Pretty Girls a listen today and see what you think.
Alex Ivy
Similar to Mal Not Bad, I can’t believe how distinct of a sound and vision this band has. When I found their music for the newsletter, I was trying so hard to learn more about them. Certainly a band this thoughtful, where every piece from socials to videos to album art felt intentional, must have a lot of backstory. Nope. It’s just a few friends who are sick as hell musicians and deeply creative and brilliant people.
Originally, I wrote about MJ, but take a listen to any part of their still-too-small discography and you’ll feel it too. Amazing production full of great sounds and bold decisions. Vocals sound confident and experienced.
Run through The Record and you’ll hear it all - a moment for each instrument to shine and lead the charge. The contrast between the acoustic guitar sections and the wrecking ball drum sections is mind-blowing.
Take Knot out for a ride, and watch a familiar sound launch itself off the cliff and breakdown into this nasty, gnarly, beautiful distorted-to-all-hell track. So unexpected, so exciting.
I cannot wait to see what these guys are up to in 2025. Feels like just a matter of time before they’re stars.
The Steve Jobs Maxie for Continued Innovation From a Beloved Artist
This one is for a handful of artist who I’ve loved for a while but who, in their continued evolution, really got me this year. Whether a new album or a specific song, something they did made me an even bigger fan than I already was.
Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police
Yeah yeah we all know. But it’s true. He’s really going wild on that thing and making crazy music. I still can’t get over New Low as the craziest opening track off a record this year. He’s really pushing the envelope and it’s thrilling to listen to.
Beyonce - 16 Carriages
One of the coolest songs I’ve ever heard. The gentle intro, the (ofc) stunning vocals, the cowboy beat. It sounds like we’re riding a horse!!! The big drop past the minute mark? This thing goes tf off and makes me scrunch my face and turn up the volume every single time.
Adrianne Lenker - Fool
I mean… she is the king. This song had me in a chokehold. And she name drops me?? You know my ass is gonna play!!! An inexplicable guitar riff, magic production, a perfect performance. It’s just a treat.
Kacy Hill - BUG
Criminally under-discussed record from this year!!! Hill has this unfathomably angelic voice, and she’s never sounded so good. Working alongside new producers and MMM favs Aidan Spiro, Bartees Strange, and Henry Kwapis, her sound feels refined and elevated here. We add in features from Nourished By Time and Donna Missal, and I’m floored. I do think Damn was one of the best songs released this year, and No One is one of the sweetest.
And the Maxie goes to..
Haley Heynderickx - Seed of a Seed
This is a masterpiece. Rare for someone to truly boil down life into one sweet little song. Appreciating the little things, smiling with optimism. Understanding our parents, and their parents, as people who just like us, are trying their best to figure it out.
If I get lucky, maybe a simple life
If I get lucky, maybe some free time
No, if we don’t know better
If we don’t know better
Well did my parents’ parents know better better?
No, but they tried.
I let this song spin on repeat often, it’s message hitting harder with every listen. It’s brought me to tears many times. Sometimes sad, sometimes grateful. I love it so much.
Best Live Shows
As many of you know, live music is one of the best things that exists IMO. It’s one of the few ways to effortlessly connect with a roomful of strangers. A chance to feel and hear the music you love in new ways. For me, it’s one of the most healing things I can do for myself. In any room, any field, any bar, anywhere. I feel myself, I feel free, I feel open, and I feel alive.
I typically split this award into two categories - festival show and non-festival show. And this year is no different.
The nominees for Best Live Show (Festival) are:
Mei Semones at Cheer Up Charlie’s, SXSW - I’ve been a huge fan of Mei’s for years now but this was my first chance to see her live. And omg who is putting together a cooler band than this. Stunning string players at her side, Semones is so so good. The vocals are insane, the guitar playing just as crazy. The kind of SXSW set I made a point to catch early in the week so I could round up more pals and see it again later on. Special stuff. Can’t wait to watch her continue to grow.
Bia Ferreira at the Sofar Showcase, SXSW - It’s a rare experience to see an artist you know absolutely nothing about, and end the show giving a standing ovation not sure what the hell just happened. If you have the chance to see Ferreira, do it. Don’t even listen, don’t look her up, just go. She had the entire crowd eating out of her palm, doing things with a guitar I didn’t know you could do, effortlessly moving from singing, to talking, to beatboxing, all so well executed. I was in awe the whole time. And she KNOWS how to put together a show, every moment was earned.
Sam Tudor at Swan Dive (Outdoor), SXSW - Similar to Mei Semones, I got to see Sam Tudor to kick off the week and then had this other show circled like a thousand times over in my calendar. His music has been in consistent rotation for years here at MMM HQ. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to Everybody’s Keeping Their Word, and I was so in love with his pre-SXSW singles Do You Feel Free Now and Fixture. Seeing it live re-instilled my love for these songs and put me on to older releases I’d overlooked. Spring is genius, Change My Shape gets stuck in my head every other week, Chlorine came out in 2017 but it would still sound so new today. I loved these songs, loved how much life the band breathes into them, and had such a wonderful time getting to share the experience with people I love around me.
Meagre Martin at Cheer Up Charlie’s, SXSW - All praise to the legend Margeaux. When I saw one of my favorite curators was putting on a showcase at SXSW (with Winspear no less) I immediately started listening to everyone on the lineup that I didn’t know. Meagre Martin was immediately captivating. Their latest single, Malcom, just smacked me in the face. They fucking rock. I was geeked up for this set and the band absolutely delivered. So much fun on stage, letting these songs be exactly as loud as they were meant to. There’s a cheekiness but there’s just as much earnestness. Perfect balance, perfect band.
Brittany Howard at Bonnaroo - The running theme at Bonnaroo (for me this year) was “it’s hot” and there were moments when it was all too much for me. Moments where one of the happiest places in the world became a genuine test of will power and ice water. I walked into Howard’s set in a funk. Trying to survive. The way her music lifted me out of my body and erased any concern and heaviness??? If you’ve seen her live, you know what I mean. There’s a religiousness to it, a connected experience with faith in a better world, faith in our part in shaping it. She brought me back into the present moment and out of my head in a way I didn’t know I needed. Music as medicine. ty bh.
Ryan Beatty at Bonnaroo - A year ago I was here writing about Beatty’s Calico and how much it meant to me. So to finally witness it IRL was really really special. Again, Bonnaroo’s heat was at times, insufferable, but as Beatty put it (and I paraphrase) ‘all you can do with heat like this, is lean into it’. It’s often how I feel about his music. Sometimes the emotions feel too intense, but I still let it all flow through me, the only way out is through. I shared this set with a couple friends, one new, one newer. I felt even closer to both through loving these songs together. Special set.
Chappell Roan at Bonnaroo - Crazy to get to be a part of history!! Her festival crowds were something that’ll get talked about for years to come, such a sudden rocket launcher to stardom. Bonnaroo was one of (if not the(?)) last of the festival run for her, and you could feel the anticipation. A never ending sea of people braving insane heat and sun just to dance and be queer together for an hour. It was everything it was meant to be and more.
AND THE MAXIE GOES TO……
Medium Build at Bonnaroo - LOL what’d you expect. Thursday evening kicking off with my fav. Alongside one of my best friends, and a small group of new friends, I was so eager to share the moment with all of them. After working through a bunch of technical issues, the set was late, and my anxiety was growing. Would the waiting be worth it for all my new friends? Was I responsible somehow? Would they scoff at any future suggestion I made?? And then Medium Build & Co. took the stage and everything was beautiful again. This music, these shows (10 or 11 times for me now) have meant the world to me. So to share it with my friends, to sob arm in arm during Rage, to just let go of everything and just be there and sing. Man. Grateful for this show.
Now, The nominees for Best Live Show (Non-Festival):
June McDoom at Gold Diggers - Another one of those artists who I’ve loved so much and never had the chance to see live before this. Worth the wait and then some my god. Supported by trusty and brilliant collaborator Evan Wright, and iirc a boombox with the unbelievable string arrangements playing through. McDoom is such a gentle powerhouse. Her songs sweep me away and just feel so human, so full of soul. I loved the chance to see her live. Someone I’ll make a point to see again, every chance I get.
Saya Gray at The Moroccan Lounge - The folks down at TML are not afraid to pack the room out. This was one of those sardine shows, but my god it felt so good. A hungry room of Saya Gray fans eagerly awaited this LA debut. I’m talking ravenous. She’s such a unique artist, crafting such beautifully weird songs. Then live, it’s somehow more beautiful and more weird??? The band is sick… the crowd singing every word they could, everyone sweating whether they were dancing or not, Gray so pleased with it all, smiling as they rocked through a killer set.
Remi Wolf at The Greek - I’m sorry to be that guy but I literally did see Remi play in a room of 40 people in 2019… So to be at The Greek hearing some of the same songs?? It’s so fucking cool, so inspiring. I’ve seen Remi many times at this point, and it never gets old, never isn’t a blast. The Greek is such a goofy experience, tucked into the hills, sipping my $16 wine, and my nibbling $20 chicken tenders, but folks I loved every second of it.
Wow. What a trio of an incredible nominees and incredible shows! Let me just pop open this envelope and…… YES!
The Maxie for Best Live Show (Non-Festival) goes to Medium Build at The Troubadour (Night One).
That’s a live show sweep for Medium Build!! And what a well deserved win. This show was genuinely perfect. MB & the Band offered up two and half hours of magic. They’re relentless up there!! The number of times I had to say “oh fuck not this one” as I began to cry again. And that’s like from song #2 on. It just doesn’t stop, a 23-song set. He’s really doing something special up there, tapping into something so human, so raw, but still executing it at such a high level. It’s wild. This show was one for the books, one I’ll never forget. And luckily one I can relive on youtube. As I left the show I passed by another friend (and reader! hi!!) who was there to see him for the first time. We exchanged knowing looks and she asked “Is he always like this?” Yep :/ every time. I cried about love, about friendship, about family, about life. I cried about memories of hearing these songs in the past. I cried anticipating hearing them in a few short weeks at Bonnaroo. I just love this music and cherish every second I get to witness it.
I was absolutely blessed this year, it was full of unforgettable performances. Beyond spoiled. Like… whew. Honorary Mentions include: Villagerrr at SXSW, Merce Lemon at SXSW, Parcels at Bonnaroo, Fred Again at Bonnaroo, boylife at The Moroccan Lounge, Caroline Rose at the Lodge Room, Deloyd Elze at Make Out Music, Superfan & Micah Preite at some backyard in LA.
Three Special Albums (Katy, Wax, Clairo)
While none of theses were my AOTY, they all were contenders. These have been albums that have moved me - emotionally, musically, physically. Records I’ve really loved, that I won’t be leaving behind in the new year. Safe worlds to turn to no matter the mood. Grateful for all three and proud to hand them each a Maxie.
Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry
Holy shit.
That could be the whole review because that really says it all. Katy Kirby is an absolute magician, I don’t know how an album like this exists.
Kirby delivers epic poems alongside the most beautiful band you’ll ever hear. And then does it 10 more times. I am obsessed with her storytelling… These songs feel so otherworldly. In this larger than life way, like music with the strength, the importance, the permanence of The Odyssey or something. Do you know what I mean? But even in their massive sense, the songs are vulnerable, they’re contemporary, they feel new and relatable all at once. She’s exploring her queerness for the first time, exploring life questions in new ways, and I’m so grateful for it. What an album.
‘Redemption Arc’ is a jaw-dropping opener. Literal poetry. Her impressive vocabulary only feels fun and inviting, never exclusive or elitist in any way. A delicate balance pulled off wonderfully. To me, the chorus also finds a way to straddle another balance. “You’re doing the work now / you’re trying so hard / oh, this one goes out to / your redemption arc” lands differently depending on how you listen. There’s a sense of playfulness, raising the glass to your personal growth, that feels like a patronizing dig. But also, Kirby doesn’t play it for laughs. A seriousness that shows (me, at least) a sense of love and hope in the words too. The song is so elegant and beautiful and adventurous and I hope you listen.
It just blows my mind that you can write a lyric like “Cancer has entered the chat / I leave out the back” and land that plane with grace. Again, a timeless voice, brave melodies, and a modern earnestness that just gets me again and again. Whether it’s Cubic Zirconia’s “Cause I’m still craving that unstable sort of shine / Shining like cold plastic water bottles held against the light” or Salt Crystal’s “Spare me your obsession with that incorruptibility / the rhinestones on your baseball cap reminding me of when…”. These lyrics are ridiculously good. Complex and interesting, but never wordy or over-filled.
A couple standout tracks I need to mention.
Hand to Hand - The production on this one is fucked. So creative, so magical, so spellbinding. It feels like a jungle, Kirby’s voice floating with us from tree to tree. No discernible chorus, just verse after verse, but it doesn’t stop the final lyric from feeling so damn climactic. Incredible.
Alexandria - One time for the strings!!! Patient, warm, sophisticated. The cello is so nasty. It’s unbelievable that it’s a live, one-take performance, so massive and perfect. Written about the “dissolution of Kirby’s first queer relationship” the song becomes sharper as the feelings become more intense, everyone working perfectly together to make that final line so fucking devastating. Don’t let me touch you if I love you / any less than she can. That final phrase ruminated on as we fade out. It’s like Dijon meets Mitski meets Andy Shauf. I can hardly believe it.
Wait, Listen - Undoubtably one of my favorite songs of the year. Like… how did you do this??? How did you write a song so moving and so different?? The arrangement is mind blowing and frankly I’ve been putting off writing this for weeks HOPING I could finally find the words to describe its perfection but alas here we are. Verse Two has one of the most insane “WAIT CAN YOU EVEN SAY THAT?!?!” lyrics I’ve ever heard….
She apologized for biting in / I hope you’re into that / So I turned off my location / Let her fuck me like you thought you did / I remember every minute.
Like are you actually kidding me??? FUCK!!! Torturously sexy and brutal and sad and beautiful and I still cannot believe it 11 months later.
The album is perfect, I know you’ll agree.
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
One of those artists that I knew I’d love but just haven’t found the right moment to dive in. But folks, this was the moment. And I got lost in it (this is smart to say, because it’s a lyric in the first song).
This grammy-nominated americana album really scratched an itch for me this year. Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield has one of most stunning, distinct voices. The way she navigates melodies and phrases is incredible. Earned from years and years of honing her sound.
It kicks off with ‘3 Sisters’, a beautiful distillation of all that makes this record great. Her vocals are truly nuts here, complete with delightful writing like “I’m defenseless against the sales pitch / am I your moat or your drawbridge”. The drums are big, popping and pushing the song along. The guitars are tasteful beyond taste. Just love this track, can sway inside it for hours.
We fall right into ‘Evil Spawn’ which, what a name. Drums running right from the jump, the band is so killer. Crutchfield enters, also shining from the first line. The way she drapes these words over relentless yet gentle drums is so fucking good as we hear “You let me go on and on”. As the song continues we get the first glimpse of MJ Lenderman, his voice so different, yet similar in it’s bold distinctness, the two a match made in indie heaven. The peaks sound like the best The Chicks song ever written, just perfect Americana music. But now with a gorgeous jangly guitar guiding the way. I love this record, damn.
Track three is Ice Cold and holy moly I thought I could fly through this quicker but there’s so much to say. Again, these big nasally melodies are so damn special and sweet. I love the short phrases drawn out, it’s intoxicating. Jumping up and down to and from the falsetto, the band crushing, just so good.
Ice cold goes so hard, that a frequent Song Of The Year pick, ‘Right Back to It’ slides in like a warm bath. MJ reappears in full credited force here. This chorus will give you goosebumps. And also comes with my fav 00’s trance remix of the year, from my favs, SoFTT - here. Cascada who?? Anyways, the song is so good, that titular lyric beyond heartfelt. ‘I’ve been yours for so long / we come right back to it’ Gets me every time. And hearing the two voices, theoretically the two sides of this relationship, it just hits.
For a record with so much juice up top, I think I actually like Side Two better?? ‘Crowbar’ → ‘365’ is just crazy to me. Songs that just beggggg you to grab a cold beer and hop on that karaoke mic. Songs that beg you to sing along, and just let loose. And this whole second half is stuffed with brilliant melodies and a specific and unmatched vocabulary.
Spellbinding copperheads banging a tambourine / And it’s the kiss of death, but it’s the only way out / galloped up to a mirror, looked her right in the mouth.
It feels so real and so lived in. The images, the energy of Americana. Wood floors in a sticky summer, sunsets behind the one bar in town. It’s transportive to a version of this country that may or may not exist but for these forty some minutes, I’m the damn mayor of the place.
The record now ends with ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, an October single that feels right at home here too. It’s maybe my favorite… Got me two steppin with my beer in the air just yelling ‘ON NO IM DOWN AND OUT / I’M TRAGICALLY AMISS!!!’ no one else could pull that off. Hell of a record.
Clairo - Charm
My god. my god. Like duh I love it or it wouldn’t be here but my GOD. Clairo is truly crazy for this one.
Summer of ‘23 I watched Clairo at Re:SET here in LA. A perfect day of Bartees Strange → Dijon → Clairo → Boygenius. Anyways, I just watched in awe as she held it down, leading a full band on stage. A true pro up there. I watched and realized that we’ll be seeing her headline festivals for the next couple decades. And this album musically validates that prediction. A timeless record weaving indie rock, soft rock, jazz, motown, and so much more into something mystifying.
While I was rightfully gagged for the Clairo x Rostam work on 2019’s Immunity, this new collaboration with Leon Michaels feels like Clairo really stepping into her sound. His production style suits her so well, and the performances across every song are incredible.
The first single, ‘Sexy to Someone’ is an all-timer for me. The phrase itself rolls off the tongue with a wink in its eye. I loved what she said in her Interview Mag convo with Remi Wolf “… I want them to feel like I’m in their lap telling them things in their ear”. And this song achieves that in spades.
The chorus is so sweet!! This idea that feeling sexy could get us out of the house more is very relatable to me. Articulated so well here too. The bridge goes off, in the way that Clairo songs can go off. The two vocals pushing and pulling, the band coming back to life, it’s just so great.
Juna was my fav off the album, and has since become so popular that it’s almost corny to say. But that ‘you make me wanna’ section is so seductive and so genius. The mouth-trumpet?? Come on.
Terrapin is a perfect song, Glory of the Snow is a perfect song, Pier 4 is a perfect song. I’m just kinda in awe from open to close. I wish I would’ve had the chance to see her play this out in ‘24 but hope I’m lucky enough to witness on the festival circuit next summer.
Alrighty! That’s enough for now. Congrats to all of today’s winners.
I’ll be back soon with Part Two -The Big Awards. But in the meantime, I have some music predictions to share. Let me know what you think!
My 2025 Music Predictions - Ranked by Confidence Level
New Caroline Polachek Album and it’s WEIRD (good). Leaning away from pop and towards orchestral Bjork.
There’s no new artist who has a Chappell Roan moment on the festival circuit, but(!) we do get a new historic headline performance that everyone talks about for years to come. It could be Gaga at Coachella, but I have a feeling it’ll be someone more unexpected.
We reach a breaking point in the Ticketmaster/Scalpers of it all, and one big artists ends up throwing a massive, arena-level show entirely for free. Kind of like what Kendrick did in LA this year but this one will be explicitly in response to ticketing issues.
Too many artists try to recreate Brat Summer, and we’re stuck with a bunch of bad songs called ‘Rascal’ and ‘Scamp’ and it’s so embarrassing.
Two musicians make major/surprise splashes in other mediums. My gut says one best-seller book and one art exhibit (I feel like it’s someone like Beck?).
We start to get a wave of Spotify-killer streaming alternatives. One of them looks like it might stick. But will it? TBD for ‘26!
TWO(!!) more new Taylor Swift albums, as she continues to push the limits of how much her fans will spend on her.
Re: the Festival Moment noted above - the artist is just like, naked on stage.
Do these resonate? What do you think will happen next year? I hope it’s good…
Thank you so much for reading, for being here all year. All my love,
Max
A Beck prediction 😎