August | 2016 | You Hear That

Thunder Tillman

Very, very fond of this Thunder Tillman EP.

I have Pitchfork to thank for the heads up, and it’s indicative of a new normal I’ve fallen into. Lately, I’ve been checking the site in the morning and giving one or two of the albums a spin without reading the reviews. For me, this is the perfect middle ground between curation and discovery. There’s enough info on the front page to pique interest (artist name, album name and art, genre, the implication that it’s notable for some reason) and a wealth of information waiting in the review if I like what I hear. The score and whether the reviewer liked the album — they’re not irrelevant, they’re just secondary, which I’ve found to be a more beneficial hierarchy.

I don’t mean to crap on Pitchfork here — that’s a pastime I tend to opt out of. Just sharing what’s been working for me. Given more time, I think I probably would read every review they publish. Pitchfork’s writing remains the strongest and most consistent in the realm of music criticism, and I’ve been enjoying their new Sunday reviews of notable past albums. (Be sure to check out Amanda Petrusich’s take on Tusk.)

Speaking of good writing, I love how narrative Thunder Tillman’s music is. I was hooked halfway through the EP’s first song, “Exact Location Of The Soul,” in large part because I felt like added elements and changes in mood were advancing a story.

See if you agree:

Thunder Tillman — “Exact Location Of The Soul” [Spotify/iTunes]

Feist

Officially putting CD Monday on hold in favor of the new morning commute paradigm, which I’m calling Stockholm Syndrone. These are the songs Toddler YHT hears, likes, and then asks for repeatedly, giving me a sanity-irrespective glimpse into their deepest depths.

In all seriousness, I’ve been meaning to keep track of what she likes, like a vicarious version of my That’s My Jam Spotify playlist. Would be fun if she just took it over one day.

I’ve mentioned “Video Killed The Radio Star” a few times, but the first Stockholm Syndrone arrived via Leslie Feist’s appearance on Sesame Street. Mrs. YHT and I managed to gradually replace the audio from that skit with the version from The Reminder a few months back, but it still kills. Consistently generates encore (“Again!”) requests and even the occasional “Good idea, Daddy.”

The Reminder was actually a recent CD Monday pick, I’m still in awe of how well it holds up, and how much bigger a song like “1234′ is than the sum of its parts. It’s fun trying to guess at what my daughter sees in the songs she latches onto, and while Sesame Street was definitely the catalyst here, I’d guess something more universal is at work here. Remember how huge this song got? It turned into a genuine pop hit — commercials, chart success, the works. Reminds me of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” Both make good on the promise that, as stacked as the deck may be in favor of a small group of already-famous artists, music still functions as a meritocracy in its best moments.

Maybe it’s the exuberance “1234” builds, or the bright, positive feeling you get when listening to it, despite the fact that some of the lyrics are dark. Who knows. This I do know: It’s the original Stockholm Syndrone.

Feist — “1234” [Spotify/iTunes]