Best of November: Taylor Swift, and Who Cares What Else (KAYTRANADA, Courtney Barnett)
Oh hey! What’s up? How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you enjoyed the food. Anyway, we’ve got business to attend to. This was a busy month for music releases.
Before we get to everything, it would be super tasty of you to subscribe to Music Is Good. That’s all I’ve got to say. Oh wait, I forgot. Share this with the music fan in your life. Just kidding, I didn’t forget.
Also, I wrote not one, but two newsletters including reviews of albums released this month, including Aminé’s “TWOPOINTFIVE,” Snail Mail’s “Valentine,” and Silk Sonic’s “An Evening With Silk Sonic.” Check those out, because I ain’t covering them here.
Now, to business.
Red (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift
I put this one first so you didn’t have to skip through the rest to find it, because I’m nice. You can close out after reading it, too. I won’t even be that offended.
Obviously, this is a win for Taylor Swift and the whole concept of intellectual property belonging to the musicians that write it. Swift has gone out of her way to recreate so much of her personal library, with more to come.
“Red” feels especially symbolic in regards to her masters, because this is one of her more emotionally vulnerable albums. In a way, it’s like she’s reclaiming the feelings that she put out into the world about relationships, fame, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The extended version of “All Too Well” and its accompanying short film are obviously the main attraction here, but the collection of unreleased songs “from the vault” bring some really strong contributions to an already insightful album.
I was obviously immediately compelled to listen to Swift collaborate with Phoebe Bridgers, and I wasn’t disappointed by the performance nor the songwriting. Swift, as I mentioned, is really insightful for the young age of 23, and “Nothing New” encapsulates that in spades.
I don’t know if Taylor is just a grudge-holding expert, but she somehow brings as much, if not more, energy to these new tracks than she did with the original. Part of it is her growth as a musician, and part of it just seems that these emotions haven’t really gone away. It’s impressive, really.
Even songs that I couldn’t stand as a teenager, like “22” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” are delightful. Her more pop-centered tracks have aged well, as has she, as has my music taste, apparently.
I know it’s not controversial to say you liked “Red (TV),” but I liked “Red (TV).” I know Taylor will continue to move through her discography and claim all of her masters, and that rules.
Intimidated - KAYTRANADA
I really gotta commend KAYTRANADA - dude is CONNECTED. So much of his most memorable work comes from the delivery of its feature, and his latest EP “Intimidated” is the same way.
KAY teams up with H.E.R, Thundercat (<3333) and Mach-Hommy for a small morsel of his usual chill, R&B-influenced stylings. Thundercat delivers a great vocal performance, as per usual, and H.E.R’s track is unsurprisingly wonderful.
Mach-Hommy’s track “$payforhaiti” is a particular standout, because the Haitian-American rapper wasn’t really on my radar before I heard this track. He impressed me, and now I’m really into his solo work. Thanks, KAY.
KAYTRANADA isn’t exactly INNOVATING in the dance/electronic spaces, but he’s certainly taking the existing formula and making fantastic stuff with it.
I really enjoyed his 2019 full-length album “BUBBA,” and I’m looking forward to his next full-length effort, as he’s now released this EP and another supremely catchy single this year.
Things Take Time, Take Time - Courtney Barnett
I’ve been waiting to talk about this for a long-ass time! I somehow haven’t gotten around to it since its November 11 release, but I am still absolutely gushing at how great this album is.
Courtney Barnett is an expert in multiple forms of alternative music. When she wants to rock, she can rock. When she wants to tell stories, she can tell stories. On “Things Take Time, Take Time,” she wants to reminisce about what she’s seen, and think about how she’s changed.
While some may want more of Barnett’s heavy stuff, I think she flourishes when she allows her thoughtful lyricism to shine, regardless of avenue. “Pedestrian At Best,” which is linked above, is both thoughtful and musically put together.
But, we can’t always be fully put together. Hell, “Things Take Time, Take Time” doesn’t even have a drummer, just a machine.
“Before You Gotta Go” is definitely my favorite track. It has a sense of inner peace that Barnett has aimed to display in the past, but it feels more genuine as she’s grown older and into her mid-30s.
Part of the reason I love this album is because I think I needed it. I needed someone to tell me that change is coming, regardless of how slow it is. I needed a collection of relaxing songs to tell me that things are alright, even if you’re not alright all the time.
Some of its songs are reminders, like “Take It Day By Day” and “Write A List of Things To Look Forward To” (that second track is another personal favorite from the album).
“Things Take Time, Take Time” is pensive, introspective, and delightful.
Honorable Mentions
Some honorable mentions go to ABBA’s “Voyage,” Adele’s “30,” and IDLES’s “Crawler.” These three albums were good, but not something I’d really want to go in-depth on.
I really wanted “Crawler” to be a standout, because I think IDLES has done a great job in the past, but I was pretty lukewarm on it.
Speaking of lukewarm, there are a couple of albums that I avoided talking about, Damon Albarn (Gorillaz, Blur)’s “The Nearer The Stream, More Pure The Stream Flows” and They Might Be Giants’ “BOOK.”
I don’t usually like to be negative, because I think Music Is Good, but I was disappointed by both of these.
Albarn gets a pass, because I just don’t like the kind of atmospheric synth stuff he’s making as a solo artist. It’s probably great to someone who listens to that genre, but it’s not my cup of tea.
“BOOK” is my cup of tea, and it just bummed me out to listen to it. I just want ONE MORE album from TMBG that gives me the same feeling “Flood” did the first time I heard it. That may be a tall order, but I just need one more, man.
I like some of the things “BOOK” does, it’s definitely less run-of-the-mill than the rest of TMBG’s work in the 2010s, but I just want something a tiny bit better. Please. I beg.
Anyway, I guess that’s it.
I’ve got a Beatles documentary to watch so I can get some words down on it. Not this week, but soon. Here’s a playlist with all the albums mentioned in this newsletter, even the ones that bummed me out.
Talk to you Thursday! Bye! Miss you already!