Noots Letter: Rotten right to the core
July 2024
July was…rough. Great vibes as far as months go, but the new music this month was not my favorite! It was the first time all year where I really struggled to find new albums everyday that appealed to me. I fear that June hit way too hard, causing July to deal with the aftermath of Brat Summer. And then on top of this, we all had to deal with the aftermath of Brat Summer falling into the hands and out of the mouths of middle-aged political pundits. RIP.
Believe it or not, there are some small highlights to not listening to music every moment of everyday. Firstly, I’ve loved listening to Meryl Streep narrate Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Secondly, I’m extremely into Duolingo right now so instead am listening to my little Brat-colored app tell me things like, “Tu mangeras des choses bizarres <3.” Third, I am listening to my own voice because the Love Of My Silly Little Life,
, and I just launched a new project! ⭐️⭐️ is right here on Substack and it’s a hoot and a half. If you are so in love with the Noots Letter that you want to hear me, onscreen, yammer for 58 american minutes, go check her out!I do also need to recognize this month’s amazing moments in music that we experienced thanks to the Olympics. The US gymnastics team, which continues to singlehandedly hold everyone’s dwindling senses of patriotism on their backs, got a new VIP member. Lady Gaga had a number with big old pink pompoms that paid homage to that scene where she sang “La Vie En Rose” in that really sad movie I saw once in Secausus, NJ, after having appetizers at Chili’s.
But most importantly, we witnessed the grand return of Céline Dion, Stiff Person survivor, voice of a generation, wordsmith to whom we owe exaltations for the quote, “I walk the shoe, the shoe don’t walk me.” Her performance? Phenomenal, stunning, awe-inspiring, obviously. But what I’m really thrilled by is her re-emergence in the press. We have this photo series in which she’s literally the only person who’s ever been to Paris (her Photoshop intern has not slept in weeks). Then we have this pelvic-gyration-heavy dance combination atop a metropolitan ferry, which is not far from Fosse number I did in a student-run theatre production in college—Miss Dion cha-chaed with that top hat in a way that yelled, “Stiff Person who?” Last but not least, this lackadaisical visit to the Eiffel Tower (famously one of the Wonders of the World). In one of my now favorite videos of the year, Céline, is riding the famed Eiffel elevator, Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto” playing softly in the background. The angle of this selfie stick has her looking—respectfully—like Mr. Bean, donning a long leather necklace with spikes (??) atop a Victorian-era blouse. This is the closest we may ever get to Céline Dion taking a 0.5 selfie, and for that I am grateful. I revel in the fact that there is no one else on our earthly planet who is more serious and more unserious than she.
Anyway, I digress. Here are your usual recs…
If you wish you were sipping fresh orange juice on a summer day in a tiny Italian town…
That’s how Liana Flores, Flower of the soul (2024) sounded to me. Ohhhh it’s just so lush, so heart eyes. Grand escapism for people who can’t afford Europe this year (me).
Retro-inspired electropop that feels like you should be on a boozey boat…
Palm Springs. Lounge. Velour. Ambience. Poolside. FUNKy! If you’re wondering how all these words go together, try Brijean, Macro (2024) for 1970s vibes. Turn on Tourist, Memory Morning (2024) and Joe Goddard, Harmonics (2024) for more modern versions.
If you want an album that’ll make you say “Now THAT’S what I call music!”...
These are easily four favorite albums of the month, and definitely in the top of the year. ICYMI, I write ~5 word notes next to each album in my spreadsheet to keep track of initial thoughts, so as to not give too much away, I will include those here:
Lucky Daye, Algorithm (2024)
meg elsier, spittake (2024)
PLUMA, Não Leve a Mal (2024)
Remi Wolf, Big Ideas (2024)
If you’re into mainstream pop music…
Glass Animals, I Love You So F***ing Much (2024). They used to make cool indie tracks like “Gooey”, then made one excessively huge hit, and now they are caught amongst the shackles of commercialism and Old Navy shopping soundtracks. Sorrows, sorrows, prayers.
If you wanna try some more new and exciting pop music…
I’m calling that Griff is the next Pop It-Girlie with Vertigo (2024)! She has millions of streams and was a recent opener for T*ylor Sw*ft, so this is not news, but she’s a relatively newer voice worth getting excited about. This month also ushered in the debut album of heartthrob guitarist Towa Bird with American Hero (2024). Punching the air over the fact that Towa and Renée Rapp get to perform together AND date! Together! Lastly, Role Model is one of those artists who balances a bedroom-pop level of intimacy with a mainstream audience. The wry honesty and earworm nature of Kansas Anymore (2024) exceeded my expectations, considering I previously only knew him as Emma Chamberlain’s ex-boyfriend (sry).
If you prefer Love Island UK over Love Island USA, because the accents…
I’m frankly obseeeessed with Lava La Rue, STARFACE (2024). I admittedly was not sure at first which one of the indie-pop-artists-with-whimsical-names they were: Lava La Rue, Luna Li, Hana Vu, Beabadoobee1, etc. They are so cool and hot and I cannot recommend this album enough. On the note of London-born artists with debut studio albums, we also had the artistry of BERWYN grace us this month. More reflective in tone, BERWYN hits on identity, immigration, and romantic and familial love on WHO AM I (2024).
If you like country / this country, even when the Olympics are not on…
I really tried with double-first-name-chart-topper Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene (2024). He got me in the first track, with his little raspy poetry, I was like OOH maybe I can get into this! Turns out, I cannot get into this. Ladies, I can’t understand a word this gentleman is saying.
Some Americana I did love, however, was Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, South of Here (2024). He has such soul to his voice, at moments sounding a bit like Bruce, and I can only imagine this is such a fun band to see live.
For wide open spaces…
West of Roan, Queen of Eyes (2024) shares no overlap with Chappell other than the name, but this is some good folk listening for those in big sky country. Cassandra Jenkins, My Light, My Destroyer (2024) is an incredible record for considering the cosmos, nighttime sky, and existentialism. Her specificity on these tracks is at times both hilarious and heart wrenching.
If you like making out to music under 60 BPM…
I feel like simply due to the name, we can assume Cigarettes After Sex makes music for, well, love-making. So tell me why is X's (2024) so darn slow? Sir, this is mere steps away from the brown noise everyone is telling me to turn on before I fall asleep.
If you also don’t believe Donald Glover is saying goodbye to music forever…
He better not be, because Childish Gambino, Bando Stone & The New World (2024) was not enough of a grand finale for me. I preferred Childish Gambino, Atavista (2024), his re-release of 3.15.20 (2020), which I didn’t love at the time solely because of all the numbers. What is this, math class?
If you had a mustache finger tattoo before everyone else…
Washed Out, Notes From a Quiet Life (2024) is an indie film soundtrack in the making. I’m also including Empire of the Sun, Ask That God (2024) here for the sake of theme. Cults, To The Ghosts (2024) is so so fun—nothing crazy new, but they’re great at what they do and for making listeners nostalgic for the era of the hipster.
If you’re curious who’s going to replace Daisy Edgar Jones in the film version of Beautiful…
Clairo, Charm (2024). Girlllllll she is in her Carole King era!! Piano singer-songwriter with a little bit of funk! I like this direction for her–got this one on repeat lately.
TTFN!
this is a poem