Burn Your Hits: Marisa Plaice

Remember back to when you were a child, and the holidays were such a fun, magical time? It was all twinkly lights and too much sugar and presents presents presents.

Well I’m here to let you in on something.

Behind all that, your parents were losing their shit.

There’s the shopping and the wrapping and the end of year school activities and oh the school’s director would like to fit in a quick meeting before the end of the year as would the head of every other activity your child is involved in and hey can you pull together five different proofs of residence so you can REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR KINDERGARTEN REAL QUICK???

But I digress.

Am I throwing my children under the bus to excuse my late submission? Possibly. Are they truly to blame? No question. (Just kidding, sorta). Anyway if you don’t like that theme you should probably stop reading now cuz they’re a big reason my music consumption has shifted so drastically in recent years, and I am absolutely gonna call them out. Well ok, it’s them and true crime podcasts. But who among us hasn’t experienced this?? (No one, Marisa. Absolutely no one). Ok then, let’s do this!

My first album of note that came out in 2024 was Willi Carlisle’s Critterland. I have absolutely no recollection of how I stumbled upon him, but he is a gem. His songs are sorrowful with a tinge of humor - “The Arrangements” and “When the Pills Wear Off” in particular stand out. But my favorite track is “Two-Headed Lamb”, a mournful song about a - wait for it - two headed lamb. I think this song stood out due to the fact that it’s reminiscent of, and possibly inspired by, the Laura Gilpin poem “The Two-Headed Calf”. I love that poem so much I have a tattoo based on it, and Carlisle, whether he intended to or not, manages to capture its themes of tragedy and acceptance. The end result is beautiful.

Next up was The Last Dinner Party’s Prelude to Ecstasy. This album was great, and like the rest of the world, “Nothing Matters” was the big standout for me. Then I fell off and I don’t remember why, probably because I was forced to listen to the Gabby’s Dollhouse playlist on repeat (I switched over to Apple Music for that one so I wouldn’t ruin my Spotify algorithm). No I am not including Gabby’s Dollhouse on my end of year playlist - but I’m tempted to include “Shiny” from Moana. Anyway what was I talking about?

Oh right. Bleachers released an album and my favorite track was “Isimo”. I used to LOVE Bleachers but haven’t been feeling the last few releases. That being said, Jack Antanoff is still killing it as a producer (that’s a hint for favorite albums to come).

And then! Waxahatchee released Tigers Blood, which in my opinion is her best album to date, and one of my absolute favorite albums of the year. It was somehow reminiscent of her older stuff while completely fitting in with her more recent stuff. It is perfect. “Crimes of the Heart” is perfect. Her duet with MJ Lenderman is beyond perfect (more previews of coming attractions).

Beyoncé released a country album, which I thought I’d love, but unfortunately I didn’t. It felt chaotic and too long. Moving on.

Phosphorescent released an album and I still haven’t listened to it! Sigh. Moving on again.

AND THEN. A single called “Good Luck, Babe!” was released by a little known singer named Chappell Roan. I listened to it. I loved it. I listened to her album and loved her even more. I watched her Tiny Desk Concert, her Fallon performance. I believe it was around this time that the whole world did the exact same thing. I listened to her album all summer, with the rest of the world. And here we are. It was Chappell Roan’s year, and we are that much better for it.

Next, the release that once again cemented my identity as a Swiftie (I guess). But I thought The Tortured Poets Department was fantastic. Let me be clear though: I am referring to the initial TTPD release; NOT the Anthology. I felt that the songs on the anthology paled in comparison to the original album, and as a result sort of muddied the initial release. I just wanted to make that clear. And let me also make it clear that “loml” is one of the best songs she’s ever written. I think her collaborations with Aaron Dessner are my favorite - in fact, the first time I listened to the lyrics of that song I found myself covered in goosebumps. It’s just so beautiful and so sad and I don’t know if it’s about the weird looking 1975 dude but whatever, it doesn’t matter (but I’m pretty sure it is). Oh and no, I did not make it to The Eras Tour (but not for lack of trying). I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.

Next was Dehd’s release, Poetry. I enjoy the fact that Dehd’s songs are incredibly catchy, but if you tell someone “hey check out this band Dehd”, their music most likely sounds nothing like they’re expecting.

After Dehd came Charli xcx’s release, Brat (in case you’re living under a rock and haven’t heard of it). I like this album but not as much as my five year old does (but hey it’s better than Gabby’s Dollhouse). I feel like my summer was just Spotify playlists based off of Chappell Roan/Taylor Swift/Charli xcx.

And maybe that’s true, because my next album of note is September’s MJ Lenderman release, Manning Fireworks. I love Lenderman’s obscure yet tender yet emotional lyrics. I’m not a professional music critic so that’s the best I can do to describe his songs; if you haven’t listened to him, I hope that’s enough to encourage you to give him a try.

Bright Eyes released an album around this time; I still haven’t listened to it.

And then Trace Mountains released Into the Burning Blue, their fourth (fifth?) release of great, solid albums. I first discovered Trace Mountains when they opened for someone I was seeing at Rickshaw Stop, and they reminded me of the Weakerthans, so I was sold. All these years later and I can confidently say they deserve to live outside of the Weakerthans shadow - even if that comparison exists only in my mind.

Lastly I’d like to give a shout out to my favorite album from last year, Time Ain’t Accidental. I got to see Jess Williamson at the Swedish American Hall this past fall and it really reignited my love of her and that release. Highly recommend.

Oh! And I also want to acknowledge Cindy Lee, because if I don’t, I really will be lost to mom-life for good. I haven’t spent enough time with this album at all, but what I know is great and I know the rest of the world is obsessed. I’ll get there, just give me a few years.

And there you have it. I feel as if I just limped into last place, getting this to Aaron on *checks watch* December 20th. But better late than never, right? *Aaron rolls eyes* (JK, thanks for having faith in me Aaron!!) Happy 2025 everyone. I hope that this year is better in a million different ways *remembers the inauguration is next month* oh crap.

Friday, December 15, 2023

GL.23.03: Marisa Plaice

100 SONGS: Aaron Bergstrom
GL.23.01: Ilana Bergstrom
GL.23.02: Curt Trnka
GL.23.03: MARISA PLAICE
GL.23.04: Isabel Vermaak

GL.23.05: Raffa Pantaleo
GL.23.06: Erik Kristjanson

GL.23.07: Lukas Brooks

GL.23.08: Jem Stirling

GL.23.09: Max Einstein

***

2023 was the year I accepted that, at least for now, becoming a mom has changed my relationship to music.

I know that if you don’t have kids, you think that won’t happen. Well I’m that annoying parent who is here to tell you: you’re wrong.

For example, my son, Charlie, is obsessed with Nevermind. (Yes, I know it could be worse. He had a “Who Let the Dogs Out?” phase.) As a result, I have listened to Nevermind more this past year than I did in the entirety of the nineties. Plus a little Bleach, but he refuses to give In Utero a try. So here we are. Oh, and his favorite song? “Territorial Pissings.” He keeps asking us to remind him of the title. Sigh.

But as I said - it could be worse. My husband started playing a Jock Jams-esque playlist during bath time, and Charlie has really taken to Gary Glitter. If you know anything about Gary Glitter, you’ll know that this is … awkward. (Why do they keep playing his music!?).

That’s not to say he isn’t interested in some current stuff. He’s a big Taylor Swift fan (and so am I) but admittedly he’s probably the reason she was the number one artist on my Spotify Wrapped. The catch here is that he only wants to listen to two albums: Midnights and 1989. His favorite songs are “You’re On Your Own, Kid” and “This Love,” respectively (though those are my favorites, too, so perhaps I’m projecting a bit.) However, I blew his mind the other night when I told him there are T-Swift albums he’s never even heard, so perhaps we’ll make some progress in the new year.

This is not to say that I didn’t listen to new releases that I’m interested in this year. I think Jess Williamson (the other half of Plains) had one of the best albums of 2023. “Stampede” will just break your heart. Caroline Polachek also had quite the year and I imagine she’ll end up on many year end lists. My personal favorite was “Sunset.” I still don’t know how I feel about the National album that came out this year, but I love love love “New Order T-Shirt.” Shoutout as well to “Once Upon a Poolside,” which features Sufjan Stevens. Speaking of Sufjan, he put out an album, too, and had a way worse year than he deserved. I really liked “A Running Start,” and I really hope he’s doing ok. And of course, there was 2023’s MVP, boygenius. An album that actually lived up to the hype, followed by a great 4 song EP. Obviously “Not Strong Enough” was the jam on the full-length, but I also really loved “Anti-Curse.” And “Voyager” was the jam on the EP. Look, it’s boygenius’ world, and we just live in it. Additional shout outs to Bully (loved “Changed Your Mind”), Indigo De Souza (“Losing”), and Mitski, of course (I really liked the first track, “Bug Like an Angel”). I also rediscovered some old favorites this year. Mazzy Star’s first album, for example - the opening track, “Halah,” is so fantastic. I also had a random urge to listen to The Avett Brothers one day. I loved them in the mid-aughts, but don’t listen to them much these days. “My Last Song to Jenny” is still real sad.

Really though, I feel like the thing that’s changed the most from having kids (yes I’m still complaining about them) is my concert attendance. Hooooo boy, it’s really suffered. I did make it out to shows this year - boygenius, for example. Seeing them live reminded me that “Me and My Dog” is a perfect song. And ok, I’m not a total slacker - I literally flew to England to see Pulp (and saw Aaron and Ilana in Amsterdam!). They attract a slightly larger crowd in their homeland compared to America, and it was amazing. And they played “Like a Friend,” which, in my humble opinion, is their greatest song. I also saw The Walkmen, who were AMAZING, and I was delighted when they played “Four Provinces.” And lastly I saw the Death Cab/Postal Service anniversary tour, which I thought would make me feel old, but actually made me feel happy and nostalgic. I still have a huge soft spot for “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight, and “Title and Registration” will forever be one of Death Cab’s best songs.

In the end, what do all of these shows have in common? I felt like they reminded me of who I am. You can really lose yourself when you have kids. I promise I’m not complaining about them again - I love them more than anything in this world, and they are worth every sacrifice. But life changes so much when you have a kid, and it revolves around them, and all of a sudden you’re not sure what you still like, or what you have the energy to do, or how to even find the time. It is, in short, a huge adjustment. And I hate that I don’t make it out to as many concerts as I used to, or that I’m listening to a 30 year old album for the 10th time today. I almost didn’t do an end of the year list - it would be the first time in a very long time that I didn’t - because I felt like I hadn’t listened to enough new music, and I couldn’t structure the list like I had in the past. But then I figured I’d just do it differently. And different isn’t bad, it’s just … different. Whether you’re referring to becoming a parent, or your lack of concert attendance. I’m working on accepting all of that. Maybe in 2024.

Friday, December 30, 2022

GL.22.12: Marisa Plaice

100 SONGS: Aaron Bergstrom

GL.22.01: Ilana Bergstrom

GL.22.02: Isabel Vermaak

GL.22.03: Dionicio Solano

GL.22.04: Tony Schoenberg

GL.22.05: Curt Trnka

GL.22.06: Scott Lawson

GL.22.07: Remko Van Knippenberg

GL.22.08: Megan Swidler

GL.22.09: Jem Stirling

GL.22.10: Russell Abdo

GL.22.11: Erik Kristjanson

GL.22.12: MARISA PLAICE

GL.22.13: Lukas Brooks

GL.22.14: Quan Nguyen

GL.22.15: Max Einstein

***

This year's summary may be slightly more concise than usual, as I have a 3 year old begging me to watch the Paw Patrol movie with him and I’m already a week late getting this to Aaron. But it’s better than nothing! And as I told Aaron in an email, I have to thank him for keeping me on top of current music. Every year I know I’m going to get that email from him in early December, and while I may not see nearly as much live music as I did pre-kids, at least I can still feel somewhat connected to the music world because Aaron is keeping me honest! It also keeps my Spotify from devolving into a best of The Wiggles (that’s what my Apple Music account is for). So thank you, Aaron. Let’s do this!

1. Angel Olsen, Big Time

What a treat when an artist you’ve loved for a long time puts out the best album of their career. This album is beautiful. Do yourself a favor and go see her live.

2. Lizzo, Special

If you don’t like Lizzo you’re simply dead inside. I don’t know how it’s possible to dislike this album. Lizzo was one of the few concerts I made it to this year, and I danced, I sang, I cried. I also went to bed at 12:30 and cried (again) the next day because I was so tired, but it was worth it!

3. Plains, I Walked With You A Ways

What a treat this album is. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I absolutely love it. Fun to see Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) in a new project.

4. MUNA, MUNA

You’ll dance, you’ll cry. Apparently that’s a theme for my 2022.

5. Mitski, Laurel Hell

Not better than her last album, Be The Cowboy, but still fantastic. And another concert I made it to this year! If you’re not listening to Mitski what are you even doing?

6. MJ Lenderman, Boat Songs

Ok confession, the first two songs of this album made me say “ok, Built to Spill.” I’m glad I kept listening because this is a very special album - very much in the vein of BTS (so if that’s your thing check him out!), but absolutely an artist that stands on their own.

7. Kevin Morby, This Is A Photograph

What can I say, Morby does it again. The duet on my playlist is beautiful.

8. Wet Leg, Wet Leg

More dancing, less crying.

9. Dehd, Blue Skies

Listen to Dehd. All of their albums are great.

10. Will Sheff, Nothing Special

Will Sheff finally releases an official solo album, and it gave me the space to really sit back and enjoy it. Anything he released under the Okkervil River moniker caused me to compare it to previous Okkervil albums I loved, and that made it hard to enjoy them (well and some were just not good). I’m glad he finally stepped away from that, because this album deserves its own space.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

GL.21.05: Marisa Plaice

100 Songs: Aaron Bergstrom

GL.21.01: Ilana Bergstrom

GL.21.02: Curt Trnka

GL.21.03: Remko Van Knippenberg

GL.21.04: Erik Kristjanson

GL.21.05: MARISA PLAICE

GL.21.06: Lukas Brooks

GL.21.07: Desa Warner

GL.21.08: Garrett Bukunt

***

Top 10 2021 (+ Honorable Mentions)

I have a toddler, I’m pregnant, I guess it’s still a pandemic, podcasts have really encroached upon my music consumption, we move next week and Christmas is a week from Saturday but HERE I AM. I wouldn’t let a year go by without making a top albums list. Well, I probably would (and regret it sometime next April), but at least Aaron is here to keep me honest. AARON NEVER GET RID OF YOUR BLOG. Aging music lovers need you!

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

From the first track, this album stopped me in my tracks. I’ve always been a fan of Japanese Breakfast but this feels like her crowning achievement (uh, no pressure on that next album). It’s easy to consume yet complex, emotionally wrenching yet something you can dance to. It deserves the top spot because it’s just a perfect album. Really, I don’t know what else to say about it.

Snail Mail, Valentine

Snail Mail’s first album was great but WOW. Lindsey Jordan really grew up between her last album and this one (she also had her heart broken, went to rehab, had to move back in with her parents in the midst of a pandemic … Usual early 20’s stuff). So I guess she had some decent fodder for her sophomore release. Still, I wasn’t expecting such a grown up (that seems like a lame term but I can’t think of a better one) album from her. It’s just beautiful.

Manchester Orchestra, The Million Masks of God

In my humble opinion, their best album to date. I feel like there are some purists out there whose heads would spin reading that, but there you are. This album is fantastic and every track is an achievement.

Claud, Super Monster

If I was in charge of releasing albums, I would never let an artist release an album at the beginning of the year. On the one hand it was just what my heart desired in the middle of February, when everything is dreary and you’re dreaming of summer (YES AARON I KNOW I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND NOT AMSTERDAM/THE MIDWEST). On the other hand, by the time I made this list I hadn’t listened to this album in months, and, had I not revisited it, it would have ended up much farther down on the list (simply because I forgot how great it is). But seriously, if you haven’t discovered Claud, get on it! This album is catchy and unique and from the point of view of a progressive, smart Gen Zer. All that and it only makes me feel a *little* old.

Lucy Dacus, Home Video

Lucy Dacus is a national treasure. Not sure this album can surpass Historian, but I also think I’m being biased and not completely fair. This album is beautiful, “Thumbs” is devastating and she should not be the least well known member of boygenius.

Trace Mountains, House of Confusion

Dave Benton (aka Trace Mountains) had posted something on Instagram around the time of this album’s release about a 10 minute song he’d written, which intimidated me and gave me the wrong impression of this album. There are no 10 minute songs, just very consumable 3 and 4 minute songs. Had I not wasted time and gotten to know this album sooner, it may have ended up higher on the list. It’s beautiful and the perfect next step from his last album (which I also loved). It’s full of sad and clever lyrics and at the end of the day reminds me of my beloved and now defunct Weakerthans, while still being very much its own thing. I think this is the album I’ll be spending the most time with as we come to the end of the year. I just adore it.

Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor’s Version)

I never got into Taylor Swift until He Who Must Not Be Named covered 1989 in its entirety. Thus, I never really listened to her pre-1989 releases. So while I know some of the more popular tracks from Red, overall this was a new release for me. I’m not complaining.

Bachelor, Doomin’ Sun

I was so excited for this release and I LOVE the heavy 90’s vibes. It reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Belly (the comparisons could go on) - all my 90’s faves. Yet at the end of the day I couldn’t help but feel like it was lacking something. Still, it’s an inspired album that absolutely deserves a spot in the top 10 of 2021.

Bleachers, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night

I am an unapologetic Bleachers fan. Bleachers is cheesy and overproduced and I am here for every minute of it. Jack Antanoff wrote this album as an “ode to New Jersey'', and without that context it would probably feel a little out of left field. However with that context he absolutely nailed it, complete with sax solos and a song with the Boss.

Beach House, Once Twice Melody

Another album that would probably be higher on the list had it not come out so late in the year (and I don’t think it’s even been released in its entirety yet?). So I guess the morals are: Don’t release your albums too early, don’t release your albums too late, and if you’re Beach House you’ll always end up somewhere in the top 10.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Wild Pink, A Billion Little Lights

A beautiful and chronically underrated band.

Julien Baker, Little Oblivions

This album is beautifully produced and I liked Julien with a full band behind her more than I thought I would. But nothing beats the starkness of that first album. It was like a punch in the gut … And with subsequent albums, it sometimes feels like she’s just twisting the knife? (I realize I just mixed bodily injury metaphors there). Regardless, when I go back and listen to this album I have to say, it really is beautiful.

Lana Del Rey, Chemtrails Over the Country Club

Lana would probably end up higher on this list if she’d just stop releasing albums every two minutes and give me a minute to soak them in. On the other hand, imagine having that much music in you. I have a real love/hate relationship with such prolific musicians.

Olivia Rodrigo, Sour

The album I probably would have written at 17. Also the album I never would have listened to at 17 because it was “too commercial”. Being a teenager is terrible.

Lana Del Rey, Blue Banisters

See above. But “Black Bathing Suit” is fantastic.