2022, I think, has been a difficult year for many of
us. I cannot imagine how difficult the
past few years have been for musicians with the closures and shut downs taking
away essentially every opportunity to perform and share their art or even
create it.My goal in sharing the music
I love with as much gusto as I have is to celebrate it!Not just those that I champion here, but all
of it.I admire the effort and passion
to not only have the talent and creativity and vision to make music, but to
also bring it to the public for those of us who struggle to make things
happen.Considering all of the
obstacles, 2022 has been as vibrant and exciting as any other year in music.These choices below are an approximation of
what I believe my most listened to albums of the year have been.
I’ve often wondered why the search
for new music has been such an important part of my life, and though I don’t
really ever find a satisfactory answer, I think the biggest part is to find a
way to capture and keep capturing that initial joy of discovery that comes with
finding music at a young age. It’s like
an eternal search for youth. I know that
there are a few releases every year where a big part of their appeal to me is
from the artist’s high energy alone.
Speaking of energy, the aptly named Fresh
released their third album, Raise Hell,
last month and I’m pretty excited about it.
My summer of 2019 was pretty well
dominated by their last LP, Withdraw. I fed into the pop hooks, the youthful energy
of the performances, and especially the frank words (mostly about low
self-esteem) and vocals Kathryn Woods. I don’t know, it boosted me. It was refreshing to hear twelve songs in
under 30 minutes that are not all identical.
I’ve listened to it endlessly and have had each song as a favorite at
different points in time. Their second
album was them finding their voice. It
is a marked improvement on their debut, as it claims their own territory and
stands out as unique.
Not sure if I had any expectations
for the new album.Gone, for me, are
those days of high expectations of bands and then harshly judging them on the
actual results.Nowadays I prefer to
just wait and see.I liked their singles
leading up to Raise Hell, and I can
announce that there’s nothing super different here, yet it’s still a blast to
listen and often!They are a band that
puts together songs that feel effortless in the sense that they can go all
kinds of different directions and it all sounds right.Plus, they play with such gusto, it is
addictive.
The opener, “Our Love,” is a slow
builder that utilizes a similar keyboard sound to The Kinks’ nostalgic elegy “Come Dancing” from 1982, before heading
into becoming a full-on rousing
number. The pre-LP single, “Morgan &
Joanne,” pops up next and I dare one to not get this tune about a relationship
that is doomed from the get go, stuck in their head. For the real highlight comes at track four,
“Going to Bed.” It opens quietly,
befitting the title, but quickly turns into a pseudo-ska jaunty pop classic,
complete with horn section, that sounds as fresh to me now as the old 2 Tone stuff did 40 years ago. For some reason, the wonderful chorus in the
round makes me think of The Rifles
at their best. What a great song!
This album isn’t as starkly as
dramatic lyrically as Withdraw, but
the breezy sounding “Fuck Up” and the vulnerable “Deer in the Headlights” show
that a mental health break might still be needed. I could easily see any of these songs
becoming huge hits, but in a good way, like “hey look at that indie rock band
on tv!” The recording is excellent as
well, I love how many songs have a soloing guitar slotted to the left a bit,
kind of like a Dinosaur Jr. song.
This kind of music feeds my soul and keeps
me going. When I listen, I feel like
jumping around. I no longer ever feel
young anymore, but it does get me out of bed.
Not feeling especially nostalgic at the moment, despite reaching the end of another year - another decade. This list is comprised of my most listened to records of this past year. There are many other deserving releases that I'm neglecting, which is never easy for me. Here it is nevertheless.
There are a few album covers in the
music collection I’ve been amassing for the last 35 years or so that are
photographs taken from inside a home looking toward a window or two.There is something so appealing and intimate about
this.From the get go, one feels invited
and welcomed.As I listen to Withdraw for the 400th time
this week, I find myself getting lost in the cover photo.I feel like I’m visiting an old friend, sitting
in a comfy chair looking out the windows towards the setting sun.I’m admiring how the plants’ leaves turn
toward the light and wish I could absorb it’s nurturing power in the same way.
Withdraw is
the second album from UK four piece Fresh,
and once again, I am catching up with another band (debut album ordered!).Not only is this album as inviting as the
cover suggests, with its sharp, short, bright pop songs, but songwriter Kathryn Woods’ lyrics are as intimate
and personal as a conversation with your best friend.It all feels very real and powerful.A lot of bands have the upbeat/happy albums,
or more accurately, happy and or sad songs, or there’s the very serious
depressing songs that sound upbeat and joyful, but Fresh cram all of these
things into two minute songs without sacrificing melodicism.The clearest example of this is the exciting
and momentous sounding “Nervous Energy,” where the first verse feels triumphant
(“giving hi-fives out of a moving van / trying to soak up every moment I can”),
but then we quickly learn in the second verse that maybe this move is not so
welcome (“wishing things we back to what they were / feeling suicidal nobody
cares”), and that something is deeply wrong.There is a sense of uncomfortable transition and of low self-esteem
throughout this brief album, along with a strong determination to overcome these
issues that make Fresh defiant and powerful, instead of pitiful.A move is again tackled in the endlessly
catchy “Going to Brighton,” but this time Woods tackles the notion with a
positive tenacity (“I feel a fire inside me” / “I refuse to be let down”).On “In Over My Head” Woods admits that she’s
looking for security, despite the move (“I just wanna feel safe in my own bed /
the rest of my life beckons up ahead / I’ve just got to embrace it”).On the other hand, in “New Girl,” Woods is
restless and doesn’t want to stay put as her depression sets in (“woke up last
night / with tears in my eyes / because I am fundamentally unlovable / packing
an overnight bag / wish I could never come back”).
Elsewhere, the beautifully touching
acoustic “Nothing” breaks hearts with the repeated refrain “everyday I tell
myself that I am nothing,” yet again, Woods fights this with the hope that one
day she will tell herself that she is “glowing.”For those of us with that negative self-opinion,
this is easier said than done, but you can sense her determination to make it
happen which feels incredibly encouraging, as does that lovely soothing trumpet
at the end.In the breezy “No Thanks,”
we find Kathryn taking a firm stand regarding her resiliency and strength (“I
am fire and light / I am fine on my own”), despite her insecurities.
I find this all so damn relatable,
because even though I feel a strong sense of doom and gloom weighing me down
pretty much all of the time, I find that I can still laugh and find moments of
joy and functionality.I’m sure I’m not
on my own with this and it is incredibly refreshing to encounter such vibrant
music adorning these nakedly honest lyrics.Withdraw is a fun album to
crank up the volume out in the summer sunshine, and it can also keep you
company with understanding through those moments when you’re having “dark
thoughts again.”
I’m tapping into the lyrics here,
perhaps too much, because these kids bring the tunes!There is a tangible joy in their performances
that infuse these songs with electricity.Myles McCabe’s guitar work is
stellar throughout, while the rhythm section of George Phillips (bass) and Daniel
Goldberg (drums) are tight. The
opening title track feels like a crashing mess – not far removed from flirting’s psychological dramas, while “Willa”
begs for frequent repeated listens at high volume, and I can’t get through this
without acknowledging the “Summer Nights” (Grease)
referencing pop song “Punisher.”
I cannot recommend Withdraw enough!Meanwhile, I will continue listening to the
album, as I gaze out the windows on the cover and wait for my copy of the first
album to arrive in the mail.
