Noots Letter: Happy Wrappy!
November 2023
Are we all enjoying the tidings that Jolly Old St. Spotify left under our trees? Some highlights, imho: the colors and graphics are always a hit, loved the month distribution of peak listening, sandwiches are yummy (sorry to my GF brethren), and preemptively blocking (clicking “Exclude from taste profile”) musical theatre songs mostly worked! Except for the two that slipped onto my Top 5 list that I learned for an audition that I did not, ultimately, book. Not bitter!
Wrapped is so curious to me, because some aspects are like “duh you have my data” and other things are… unrecognizable. Why is my top song one I only listened to 15 times, and how is that possible? Does Spotify track listening when we are offline (I’m offline a lot thanks to my limited data phone plan)? How do songs I barely know make it into my top 100? What are other people’s numbers and how do my listening habits compare?? Is everyone else’s little animation video so glitchy?? How did Todd Rundgren steal spot #34???
Especially during a year where I was paying distinct attention to my listening habits, it was interesting to see what I could/did anticipate correctly or not. My top artist was Boygenius, who I love out of principle obvi, but I don’t even remember listening to them that much. How did Cranberries make #5, after I listened to 3 of their albums in January only? There’s got to be a better way to make sense of these patterns across the whole big picture. But I guess I’ll just have to do it by hand!
This is all to say that this month’s NL won’t be too detailed, because I’m gearing up for a BIG boy End Of Year edition! It will hopefully fill in some blanks that Spotify Wrapped didn’t answer: what how do all of these albums compare? What were all those subgenres among the 54 I listened to? How many new vs. oldies were there? Anything else you’re curious to know??
Here’s my list if you’d like to listen along (minus the two musical theatre ones sry). In the meantime, I guess I’ll be packing my bags and moving to Berkeley, CA:
If you’re just a teen in your mid-to-late-twenties…
Baby Queen, Quarter Life Crisis (2023).
If you want to feel like you’re in a cottage in the Alps…
Beirut, Hadsel (2023).
What album has scooted its way into the top at the last minute…
Ian Sweet, Sucker (2023).
If you’re into both rap and STEM…
Aesop Rock, Integrated Tech Solutions (2023).
If you like your tunes a little contemporarily jazzy…
Sen Morimoto, Diagnosis (2023).
If you’re reminiscing on Wrappeds of the past…
Kevin Abstract, Blanket (2023). The way he had a grip on my Top 5 for YEARS.
If you’re curious how internet fame may translate to real world potential…
PinkPantheress, Heaven Knows (2023).
If you’re a white man with a beard…
The Brook & The Bluff, Bluebeard (2023) and Fust, Genevieve (2023).
If you like your music to feel like a soaring cinematic soundtrack…
Polyphonic Spree, Salvage Enterprise (2023).
If you want to hear cockney accents?
Madness, Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie (2023). I’m not actually endorsing this album, to be clear; I’m just puzzled.
In case you missed it…
Dolly Parton, Rockstar (2023).
If you never aged out of your emo pop punk era…
Mom Jeans., Bear Market (2023). Real fans are mad I guess tho idk?
If you’re pro-nepotism…
Gracie Abrams, Good Riddance (2023). Why are her dad’s movies soooo loud and her music sooo soft.
If you’re wondering how I missed this back in March…
Me too?? Embarrassing~ Yves Tumor, Praise A Lord Who Chews, But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (2023).
What Spotify has been randomly feeding me…
Soda Blonde, Dream Big (2023) and Allie Crow Buckley, Utopian Fantasy (2023).
If you wanna hear from someone who isn’t me!
Shout out to Clog With A Blog for giving me some recommendations in this time of mid-autumn-new-release dearth. Here’s what she has to say:
In The Mood For Love Soundtrack (2001): first and foremost you should watch this movie if you're heartbroken. It's a painfully accurate depiction of what it feels like to love someone and not be able to be with them. Also this film invented the color red. The soundtrack is also red and perfect for being in your feelings this time of year. Highlight: “Quizas quizas quizas” by Nat King Cole.
Joanne Robertson, Blue Car (2023): I put her on when I want to toggle between thinking my thoughts and zoning out to the music. Her vocal melodies, tucked away in guitar loops, draw me back in from the world around me. I also like her collaborations with Dean Blunt on ZUSHI (2020).
Tirzah, trip9love...??? (2023): Again really good for those who are lamenting a lost relationship or who just generally lean towards the melancholy side (c'est moi). Top tracks: “Promises”, “u all the time”, “2 D I C U V”.
See you next time… almost to the finish line!