Noots Letter: You're lucky this one isn't just about Wicked
November 2024
Hi! What a month it’s been. If you are online enough to be subscribing to Substacks, you are likely feeling discouraged about the state of the world and pondering when, at this rate, Judge Judy will be appointed to the Supreme Court. While I’d like to offer you a comprehensive list of action items, a guide to getting your hometown friends to care about other people, and a full wallet used to send recurring donations right now—such as but not limited to local mutual aid groups and trans-centered organizations and abortion funds and humanitarian work in Palestine and and and—I will stick to advising what I know best and believe is the !ultimate! soul-soother in uncertain times. Which is, surprise, music.
Some starting places: Them’s Queer Anthems of Resistance For When You Need to Scream Into the Void, NPR Music’s Ann Powers ever-articulate post-election thoughts, this genuinely great playlist entitled female rage but make it actual RAGE rage, “Songs of Hope” from Bob Boilen’s Tiny Music Show.
Whether you need to dance around your room, lock in with instrumentals, go on an aggressive run, stroll through a graveyard, sob your eyes out, cook a loving meal, block out the noise of screaming teenagers on public transit, or block out the noise in your own head (whoops!), keep reading. Below, you’ll find a selection from October and November, since last month’s Noots Letter was a special themed edition. I’m coming to ya early this time, as I know next week ushers in the holiday season. And by holiday season I mean Spotify Wrapped!! Which will likely deserve its own article hehehehe.
If you want your mind bloooooown…
Jean Dawson, Glimmer of God. I turned this on and was like okay, right, welcome back Prince. This transcends genre, it is brilliant from top to bottom, it is unequivocally one of my favorites of the year.
If you ever wonder what it’s like being a young woman trying to keep up in an over-saturated industry dominated by dudes…
Whew, not for the faint of heart. Wallice navigates this so well on her long-awaited debut album, The Jester, with moments sharing sentiments of Olivia Rodrigo’s “teenage dream”. Wallice’s track “The Opener” bums me out for sure, but I also just have to point out that she is the current opener for St. Vincent which is actually extremely cool! YGG!
If you crave the shine and shimmer–plus a funky bass line–of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s…
Lynda Dawn, who draws on the musical stylings of idols like Chaka Khan and Patrice Rushen, delivers vintage luxury with 11th Hour. Not surprised to learn she’s British (all the best so often are), but still shocked that this was made in the year 2024 and not in the year my parents met.
If you have thoughts on People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive competition…
So does Gwen Stefani, probably, because she still wishes it was her man on the cover. Do you remember that? What a dark time. Anyways, I guess true love can surprise you because Bouquet is all about the man who literally has a clothing line at Lands’ End, Blake Shelton. I miss who she was before she preferred country living!
If you want the enraged euphoria of Gwen’s “Just A Girl” era of the early 2000s…
Amyl and The Sniffers, Cartoon Darkness, will truly have you saying “girls rule and boys drool.” Pom Pom Squad, Mirror Starts Moving Without Me, for the goth cheerleader in your life. I’ll even throw in The Linda Lindas, No Obligation, because I believe these children are the future, unlike our current elected officials!
If you’ve purchased advanced tickets to Wicked…
You, like me, care about the musical theatre landscape. Perhaps you care so much that you have not questioned why there are so many Musicals About Street Gangs (The Outsiders, West Side Story, Threepenny Opera, need I go on)! We can officially add one more to the list: Warriors by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis. And even though we actually *don’t* need to make a musical about *everything*, this was absolutely fire and I totally do recommend a listen.
If you’re wondering where all the Black girl-groups went…
FLO, Access All Areas (2024). Firstly, they have an iconic song also called “I’m Just A Girl” (see above). Secondly, their album begins with an introduction by none other than aforementioned Wicked star Cynthia Erivo. That’s like the inventor of the best sandwich in the world being like “these gals made an excellent sandwich, here it is.” You definitively cannot top this endorsement. Thirdly, I was too young to appreciate the peak era of TLC and Destiny’s Child, so I am very excited by this album and have high hopes for today’s outstanding trio!
If you’re living for GloRilla features on nearly every album these days (including the above)...
Tyler, The Creator has all this and more on CHROMAKOPIA! I was enjoying my listen but I really locked in for “Sticky”. Also need to point out that GloRilla has released two full-length albums this year? Booked and blessed. A moment of thanks for her cutest accent in the universe.
If you want to know what really pisses me off…
When I, ALONE, by MYSELF have to discover my latest favorite. Who the hell is annie hamilton and why didn’t any of you freaks tell me about stop and smell the lightning?? It’s like no one even knows me or cares about me anymore. I actually fear AI being at play here because I feel like this album was made specifically for Noots McGoots in the year 2024.
Others that you should keep an eye out for because I’ve been loving them for a long time…
Orla Gartland has been on my radar since 2019, and I’m thrilled to announce Everybody Needs A Hero is a damn winner. Similarly, Sara Kinsley, caught the virtual world by storm with her breakout hit “The King” back in 2021, and her prowess as a singer, producer, and songwriter is epitomized on Escaper.
An amalgamation of the CDs in my parents’ stereo…
Jordana, Lively Premonition. She channels many different eras, from Carole King-style ‘70s piano to ‘90s bubblegum pop to early ‘00s indie singer-songwriter. And the voice? Stunning. Nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite track.
If you’re walking through a cemetery…
Ughhhhhghghh do this! It’s soooo freeing to be emo sometimes. And thankfully my two Ideal Artists To Listen To In A Cemetery really delivered on November 1: Laura Marling, Patterns in Repeat, and Haley Heynderickx, Seed of a Seed.
Additional perfectly-timed releases this sweater season…
Screw the Song of the Summer, let’s focus on the Album of the Autumn! The boots: Our Girl, The Good Kind. The beanie: Joy Oladokun, Observations From a Crowded Room. The scarf: Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham, Cunningham Bird. The flannel: Peach Pit, Magpie.
Thanksgiving is coming up! If you need an album for your dinner party…
Thee Sacred Souls, Got a Story to Tell, and Various Artists, Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan, were hits at my last group meals. May I also suggest Leon by Leon Bridges, a family fave? Or Rita Payés, basically a Spanish Laufey, with De camino al camino!
And perhaps some light jazz?
Jon Batiste reimagines the most famous classical pieces of all time with his distinct flair on Beethoven Blues. Samara Joy, Portrait, delivers some of the most tremendous vocals I could ever possibly imagine hearing with my little ears. I’m not exaggerating. Immanuel Wilkins, Blues Blood, features several great collaborations, including my other favorite vocalist: Cécile McLorin Salvant.
Babe, wake up, new epic gay romance album just dropped…
070 Shake, Petrichor. It’s been a while since I’ve been genuinely touched by a love song but y’all, this made me YEARN! I’ve had “Never Let Us Fade” on repeat. Crying, screaming, punching the floor that I’m not Lily Rose Depp right now.
If it’s Friday and you’re in love…
The Cure landed at the top of Billboard charts for the first time in the US with Songs of A Lost World. After 16 years since their last studio album, their high-flying, cinematic sound pairs well with this triumphant return.
If your name is Abigail or Abby…
I listened to Katie Gavin, What a Relief, and Soccer Mommy, Evergreen, on the same day, as did many people probably because they have similar target audiences. Very thrown by the fact that they both featured tracks addressed to Abigail and Abby girl. Dare I say the same Abby?? It’s giving The Chart from The L Word. My name is never in songs :/ Except one by Bruno Mars where he’s talking about a killer :/
If you’re wondering what album shows up next to the definition of “Noot’s Fave Shoegaze rn” in the dictionary…
Fazerdaze, Soft Power. Been listening to the track “Bigger” all year whenever I want to get my hopes up, and the rest of the album didn’t disappoint either. I love this article’s label of her sound as “bedroom stadium”.
If you’re wondering what album shows up next to the definition of “Absolutely Coming For Lana Del Rey’s Bag” in the dictionary…
Holly Macve, Wonderland. These vibes are so early Lana, like if she stayed in her 2012 ethereal era—just so we’re clear—not the Lana with painstaking prose on Tunnel, nor the one who has since wed Crocodile Dundee.
Songs that made me pay attention to–and even snort at–the lyrics…
I believe there are two types of music listeners: the ones that listen to the words and the ones that listen for the vibes. I am firmly the latter. As a result, I’m not always struck by memorable lyrics, but that was not the case for Okay Kaya, Oh My God - That's So Me, and Freak Slug, I Blow Out Big Candles. “Sisyphus” is being rhymed with “health nut geologist”. Lemons are being called sexy. You get the picture.
If the 2+ hour long album Dolly Parton released a year ago wasn’t enough for you…
Maybe you’ll like Dolly Parton & Family’s 2 hour long Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables. Peace and blessings to her whole family, but my preference is still with the fourth sister. I do respect how Dolly is still churning the records out as if she’s not nearing 80 years old. This is not dissimilar to Willie Nelson, a ripe 91 (?!), who just released Last Leaf On The Tree. Brother, this man is older than Frankie Valli, and we’ve all seen that video of Frankie Valli singing live. It’s 2024: if even Charles Entertainment Cheese and his animatronic band have already retired, we can let these elders get some rest too, no?
