CD Odyssey Disc 1519: Phoebe Bridgers

It’s been a long day, and as Leonard Cohen once sang, I just want “to get lost in that hopeless little screen.” But my wise and caring wife reminds me that getting lost in the written word is likely to be much better for what ails me. So here I am…and here we go.

Disc 1519 is….  Punisher

Artist: Phoebe Bridgers

Year of Release: 2020

What’s up with the Cover? Behold, the red planet Mars! Where the dead cavort among the broken stones and dream of vengeance!

Does this dread spirit have some power to destroy music? Because as I listen to the record the sound is all wrong, as though possessed by some terrible spirit…[insert 20 minutes of Logan testing various connections to the point of panic].

And…I’m back. Whew! I thought for a moment that my headphones (which I fucking LOVE) had finally given up the ghost. But no, it was just a broken cord, making the record sound garbled. Thankfully I have a spare and I’m back.

Also, it’s just Phoebe in a skeleton suit, no undead horrors from outer space. That was also a false alarm.

How I Came To Know It: I loved Bridgers’ first solo record “Stranger in the Alps” (Disc 1410) and also her work with Conor Oberst as part of Better Oblivion Community Center (Disc1292). In fact, both those records got 5 stars, so buying “Punisher” seemed like a no-brainer.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Phoebe Bridgers albums, and although this one is amazing, I still have to put it in #2.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Punisher” is a breathy confessional that will wrap itself around you like a swirling fog; cold, comforting and possessed of a churning energy underneath. This is a stark and honest record, with Bridgers stitching together relatively simple imagery to generate surprisingly complex emotions.

For an album that will blow your mind, this honesty starts a bit too literal, with “DVD Menu/Garden Song”. You know that ambient, circular quality the music has on your DVD menu? The kind that lets it start again from the beginning every couple of minutes with minimal disruption to the flow? Well…that’s how this song starts. It isn’t bad, but it did make me want to get on with the movie.

Fortunately, that is the last time the record seriously disappointed me, and the “DVD” portion of the song only goes on for a minute, before Bridgers launches into “Garden Song,” lilting her way into your heart with her dreamy head voice. Some breath singers let that sound become an affectation, but Bridgers vocals have an easy power and clear enunciation, even as her ethereal delivery makes you certain elves are nearby.

After the relatively sleepy beginning, Bridgers launces into “Kyoto”. With its galloping tempo and wistful, “I’m spinning pixie-like around lamp posts” melody it makes you feel energized and thoughtful at the same time. It is almost meditative the way she can take all those layers of sound, and then plot your course through it so you never lose touch with the story she weaves. The song was destined to be a hit and, for once, radio America got it right. Well, it broke the Top 40 anyway, which for thoughtful indie music is a win.

I have a lot of favourites on this record, but “Halloween” is particularly beautiful. I’ve always loved the effect Halloween has on people, and its ability to make us feel safer in our truth when protected by the psychological armour of costume. Or in the context of the song:

“But I count on you to tell me the truth
When you’ve been drinking
And you’re wearing a mask.”

The song could be the contemplation of a crime, or just a couple that have had too many, but determined to dance the night away in honour of the titular holiday. Maybe something else besides. All I know is it evokes a sense of sad but celebratory excess.

While all the songs have the same atmospheric alternative pop quality, Bridgers shows subtle range and artistry dressing that sound up in different styles. “Graceland Too” could be an alt-country classic with different production decisions. The violin and banjo featuring prominently would be a giveaway regardless, along with lyrics like:

“She picks a direction, it’s 90 in Memphis
Turns up the music so thoughts don’t intrude
Predictably winds up thinking of Elvis
And wonders if he believed songs could come true.”

Here Bridgers has managed to write a song about someone thinking about country music, while thinking about something else, all the while writing a song that is country music, while also being something else. I’d say it’s clever, but that would imply it wasn’t also beautiful, and the truth is, it is both.

Speaking of that violin, it is played brilliantly by none other than Sara Watkins (Watkins Family Hour). The record also features guest vocals from Lucy Dacus, Conor Oberst and a host of other musicians I generally love, all of whom serve the song first.

And before I conclude, I would be remiss to not point out just how awesome the CD booklet is. Not only does it contain all the lyrics (I encourage you to follow along for maximum enjoyment) but also a series of black and white drawings by artist Chris Riddell that are both whimsical and provocative. Thank you, Phoebe Bridgers, in the midst of this digital-only wasteland, for still making the physical medium a treasure to buy and won.

I ranked Bridgers’ first album my #4 record for 2017, and I put 2019’s Better Oblivion Community Center at #2. I put “Punisher” in at #6 for 2020 as Phoebe Bridgers once again hits one out of the park.

Best tracks: Kyoto, Punisher, Halloween, Chinese Satellite, ICU, Graceland Too

The Best Albums of 2020

 Welcome back! I’ve been on vacation and have had limited opportunities to fulfill music listening within the parameters of Rule #4 (n.b. – I usually do this on my way to and from the office, so with no commute, reviews tend to drop off).

Never fear, intrepid reader! I am here to provide a timely salve to the interweb’s insatiable need for content. Not just content, either, but the second most popular thing people do on the internet after cat videos – read lists!

I listened to all or part of over 150 albums released in 2020, and bought 70 of them. Of all of these albums, I narrowed the field to a top 20. Over the course of the last week or so, I’ve played each of these 20 albums one more time to get them back in my head. I did so with the participation and assistance of my lovely wife Sheila, who helped me with her opinion of each, and more generally called bullshit on my more offside choices - apparently I have a hidden weakness for very specific guitar strumming patterns…who knew?

Anyway, without further ado, here are my Top 10 albums and – because choices are hard – five more albums good enough to achieve an “honourable mention” that fell just short of the final list. Depending on your tastes, these could be interchangeable for you in your quest to hear something good.

10. Lucinda Williams – Good Souls, Better Angels

     - Lucinda is consistently good, but with Good Souls, Better Angels she delivers her finest work in over a decade.

9. Sarah Siskind – Modern Appalachia
     - Sweet and tasteful exploration of Appalachian music from every facet you can imagine.

8. Lydia Loveless – Daughter
     -  Loveless’ seventh record is her usual mix of regret and heartbreak wrapped within her best collection of songs yet.

7. HMLTD – West of Eden
     - A mix of psychobilly, post-punk and New Wave, this record is a ton of apocalyptic fun. Also the record that most impressed Sheila.

6. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
     - It was a hell of a thing to match the brilliance of 2017 “Stranger in the Alps”, but Bridgers manages it.

5. HAIM – Women in Music Pt. III
     - Twice before HAIM has almost snared me with their talent for writing top-tier folk-adjacent pop. On their third attempt I swallowed hook, line, and sinker alike, as the saying goes.

4. Jaime Wyatt – Neon Cross
     - Like Bridgers, Wyatt also ascends once more to the heights of a 2017 debut. This is country music with edge and honesty like you’ll rarely hear. Also the record that least impressed Sheila.

3. Run the Jewels – RTJ4
     - Is this Run the Jewels’ best record ever? It is good enough to beg the question.

2. Bonnie Light Horseman – Self-Titled (Reviewed at Disc 1351)
     - Sometimes music is so pure and perfect that everything else just melts away. This is one of the best folk records I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard a lot of folk records.

1. Katie Pruitt – Expectations (Reviewed at Disc 1361)
     - One young woman’s courageous journey out of the shadows of self-doubt and small-town Georgia to find her place in the world. A fabulous collection of folk-rock gems that leaves me verklempt every time.

Honourable Mention: Taylor Swift – Folklore; Sarah Jarosz – World on the Ground; Clem Snide – Forever Just Beyond; THICK – 5 Years Behind; Dehd – Flower of Devotion

CD Odyssey Disc 1410: Phoebe Bridgers

Hello, weekend! Let’s get right to the music review and one of the best albums of 2017.

Disc 1410 is…. Stranger in the Alps

Artist: Phoebe Bridgers

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? This cover is pretty scary, but that’s only because I’m leery around large dogs and that one is looking right at me. There is also a kid painted up as a ghost – a grim and terrible reminder that the pandemic has most assuredly cancelled Hallowe’en this year. Maybe not for the kids, but definitely for the rest of us.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review back in 2017 and checked out the album’s first single, “Motion Sickness”. I was impressed.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Phoebe Bridgers albums and this is #1.

Ratings: 5 stars

“Stranger in the Alps” did not make my best albums of 2017 list, but that’s only because I didn’t know any better at the time. If I could go back it would place no lower than #4, and maybe higher. This record is raw and powerful, and only gets better and better every time I visit it.

“Pop” is a label that is often applied to lighthearted bubble-gum music, but Bridgers proves that pop music structures can also be used to make serious and thoughtful music. “Stranger in the Alps” is confessional and insightful. Bridgers lays her soul bare for us, inviting us to see her at her most vulnerable. This vulnerability becomes the prism through which she shows us the world, unflinching and cold, but also beautiful.

I could spend this entire review just writing about the troubled perfection of “Motion Sickness” but there are plenty of articles on that already. Just Google “Phoebe Bridgers Ryan Adams” and you’ll have the whole sordid (and important) story soon enough. Instead, let me invite you into the deep cuts on “Stranger in the Alps”, since inexplicably the album failed to chart any other song (pop being the ficklest of mediums).

“The Funeral” is one such high point, a stark and painful exploration of an untimely death. Bridgers explores the issue through the prism of her own struggles with depression. This could feel self-serving in lesser hands, but she is keenly aware that no matter how low she gets, somewhere out there “someone’s kid is dead.” It is as cold as comfort can be, and painfully confesses that no matter the depths of someone else’s tragedy, we can only reconcile that grief through our own experience.

The production is ambient, with lots of space for Bridger’s breathy, light vocals to float over the top. The effect is to pull you into the stories, which are the perfect blend of narrative action and emotional exploration.

Musically, the record ranges all over, employing piano, strings and various other effects. These all blend so subtly you don’t notice the individual flourishes so much as the overall effect. When I did notice, it was often a perfectly timed electric guitar lick, infusing just the right amount of sharp edge to warn you that these songs are liable to cut.

While many of the songs feel deeply personal, one of the best is a murder ballad, reworked into Bridgers’ style. “You Missed My Heart” is the story of a man breaking into his ex’s house to murder her new lover, and then attack her:

“I chased her up the stairs and I pinned her to the ground
And underneath her whimpering I could hear the sirens sound
I rattled off a list of all the things I missed
Like going to the movies with her and the way she kissed me
Driving into downtown Wheeling, showing her off
Backyard barbecues and reunions in the park
I said I missed her skin and when she started laughing
And while I clenched down on her wrist, she said "that's quite a list
But there's one thing you missed

"You missed my heart, you missed my heart
That's quite a list, but what you really missed
You missed my heart, you missed my heart”

Bridgers juxtaposes this tale of woe (the narrator later is killed during a prison escape attempt) with a lullaby of a tune, trapping you in the rosy-coloured world of the killer who sees himself as a romantic until the end. That villain may have missed the heart of his victim, but Bridgers stabs her listeners clean through.

That mix of edge into pop music, aligned with vocals infused with a sad and raw reverie, owes a debt to both Liz Phair and Aimee Mann, while creating a unique sound all its own.

While I’ve talked about two songs in particular here, it was hard to separate out individual moments because of how intricate and cohesive the record fits together as a whole. By the time the final song fades out, you won’t want to go back and listen to your favourites, you’ll want to go back and listen to the whole damned thing. I encourage you to do so.

Best tracks: all tracks but particularly Smoke Signals, Motion Sickness, Funeral, Scott Street, and You Missed My Heart

CD Odyssey Disc 1292: Better Oblivion Community Center

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey! This next album is one of 2019’s best. I made a mistake in my initial posting and suggested it was produced by St. Vincent but that was just me getting it confused with another record I was reading up on yesterday (Sleater Kinney's "The Center Won't Hold"). I apologize for any confusion and the review below now gives the record's actual producers the love they deserve.

Disc 1292 is… Self-Titled

Artist: Better Oblivion Community Center

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? Chandeliers are like the distant solar systems of the ballroom.

How I Came to Know It: I read a review and was excited that two artists I already liked (Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst) had done an album together.

How It Stacks Up:  this is the first album by the Better Oblivion Community Center, but I hope it isn’t the last. For now, it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 5 stars

The last few Conor Oberst albums have been pretty much perfect. His last record was 2017’s “Salutations” which I gave 4 stars when I reviewed it back at Disc 1170. It is hard to imagine changing anything that would make his brilliance even better.

The same can be said for fellow singer-songwriter phenomenon Phoebe Bridgers. Her last solo record was also from 2017, “Stranger in the Alps” and while I haven’t reviewed it here’s a spoiler alert: it is also amazing. A bit more pop, a bit less folk, but every bit as brilliant.

Two years later the two of them together have created the Better Oblivion Community Center. The combination is exactly as awesome as you could hope for; they make each other better at every level.

Bridgers and Oberst are cowriters on all but one of the songs. I heard elements of their solo work throughout, but there was also this fantastic middle ground that borrowed from both. It served both their own signature songwriting styles, but also shifted it through collaboration into something beautiful, distinct and altogether new.

Stylistically, I noted how Bridgers helps get Oberst’s rock on. It isn’t like Oberst’s brand of introspective indie folk needed that – it is brilliant all on its own – but it gives the record incredible stylistic range. Oberst’s influence on Bridgers pulls her slightly out of the rock drone of “Stranger…” and helps give punctuation to her style without losing the ambient power that helps make it great.

The two of them sing on most tracks, sometimes one or the other taking the lead, but often blending their voices. Oberst’s high and hurt-filled quaver and Bridgers sweet but sorrowful alt-pop tone blend well. Sometimes they are in tight harmony, and sometimes they’re loose so your ear can go back and forth between the two very different styles, but they are always complementary to one another.

If there is any tension, it is only the tension of songs. Both musicians are adept at venturing out into the land of emotional oblivion, and neither shy away from another journey together. The result are powerfully self-examined songs that put you in the mood for some heavy thinking and dig deep into your soul. Sometimes the songs have narrative structure, but often they are just moments in time that speak to a broader existential or emotional exploration. Sometimes I was drawn into these characters immersing me as I got lost in their journey. Sometimes the songs became the perfect soundtrack to ruminate over Big Questions of my own.

There are too many great lines and moments to quote a single one. Besides, it is better that you experience them as they were meant to be heard, reaching into you with exactly the right musical accompaniment to punctuate each image and thought.

Oberst and Bridgers play the majority of the guitar parts on the record, and they are equally gifted here, switching styles effortlessly as the songs demand. “Dylan Thomas” and “Chesapeake” employ a jangling strum, “My City” features a sublime rolling picking section and “Big Black Heart” has the big emotional echo you might expect on a Cure album. The constantly changing production decisions give the album a constant newness, while always maintaining a cohesive structure.

Which brings us to the production, which is not St. Vincent, but is brilliant all the same. As it happens the best match for these two brilliant artists are...themselves! Bridgers and Oberst produce the record (along with Andy Lemaster, who has previously worked as an engineer and instrumentalist on Oberst's solo albums). Together, they infuse the record with just the right amount of light electronica where the song calls for it, and matched with all that variance in the guitar treatments, your ear is constantly engaged.

Every song on Better Oblivion Community Center is a precious and unique gem, but all form part of a larger piece of jewelry that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is not just a collection of great singles; this is a classic record.

Better Oblivion Community Center already has me wishing fervently for a follow up record where these brilliant musical minds can once again build something beautiful together. Whether that happens again or not, there is no question that Better Oblivion Community Center is one of the best records of 2019.

Best tracks: all tracks – unfortunately there are only 10