atomicules

Mostly walking the dogs

Album of the year: Low Girl: Is It Too Late To Freak Out?

Came very close to it being Heartworms with Glutton For Punishment, especially because I saw them live, but then I thought Lambrini Girls have five tracks in my “Picks of 2025” list and I saw them live (excellent!), but it doesn’t feel like album of the year emotionally to me. Then there is also Carla Aakre’s things i forgot to tell you, which is outstandingly beautiful. Oh, and NewDad’s Altar. But I went with Low Girl after a recent re-listening of them all. I can’t recall how this ended up on my radar, but it is just superb. I don’t really have much to say about each indiviual song, but have highlighted my favourites. In general, the layering of all the instruments and vocals is so good - I know that is the point of a band, but it’s just done so well here.

  • This House Is On Fire - Initially I overlooked this, but the more I listen the more it sticks in my head and I find myself singing it. It’s a beautiful building opening to the album and just transitions seamlessly to…
  • ♡ 2007 - Which is just stonkingly good.
  • Doing My Time - Great use of piano.
  • Ctrl - Great use of guitar.
  • ♡ Driveway - Reminds me (emotionally) of Embrace’s Gravity. Really, really breaks you down, but in a most beautiful way - you really don’t mind being desolated. Plus the brass! And piano! Oh my.
  • ♡ Overgrown - The lyrics suggest otherwise, but the chorus in this really picks me up after Driveway.
  • ♡ Handbrake - Is just utterly beautiful with an uplifting chorus (actually, here again, the lyrics are in opposition to the mood of the music).
  • No Reasons - Has a really good ending.
  • White Gown
  • Spite
  • ♡ I Love All My Friends - Just a beautiful ending to the album. I actually love the fake/extended ending on this too. I assume they finish all their sets with this and everyone in the crowd just hugs and cries?

How does this make me feel? All the feelings. Like someone reaching inside of you and making you dissolve.

I guess if I went for a top five albums it would be: 1) Low Girl, 2) Heartworms, 3) Carla Aakre, 4) NewDad, 5) Lambrini Girls. Maybe. Probably.

I used the word beautiful as many times as was appropriate.

Spotify Wrapped

Spotify Wrapped

The interesting thing here is how early the cutoff must be for Top Artists, etc. I’ve absolutely rinsed Low Girl’s Is It Too Late To Freak Out?, but it was only released on 24th October so doesn’t feature here at all.

Aside from that omission this makes sense though: Carla Aakre and Heartworms are album of the year contenders. Lambrini Girl’s should be since I have five songs from that album in my Picks of 2025 list. Rose Gray’s album had three tracks (Free, Party People and Switch) in that same list. Chy Cartier must have made it based on one track, NOT THE ONE, from her album (class track though).

The Top Songs are:

  1. Heartworms: Extraordinary Wings
  2. Carla Aakre: these hours
  3. Heartworms: Mad Catch
  4. Heartworms: Just To Ask A Dance
  5. Blondshell: T&A

My listening age came out as 16, which is either embarassing or cool, I’m not sure

Last Jazz At The Blue Lamp

Last Jazz At The Blue Lamp

When I got tickets for the Aberdeen Jazz Orchestra’s Christmas show I didn’t realise at the time it would be the last ever Jazz at the Blue Lamp.

LINK: Cantilever Music

This looks like a really great idea and I’m very tempted to give this a go next year for fufilling my new music fix.

This year I’ve made an effort to listen to the Line of Best Fit’s New Music Discovery playlist every week (other years I’ve listened more sporadically) to discover new artists. And using that in combination with other sources (e.g. Radio) has meant I’ve listened to a fair few albums. But I have two issues with this:

  1. I am finding this hard to keep up with - I have a huge backlog of albums I want to get through before the end of the year. And because it’s not enough to listen to an album once to really get a feel for it this does take some time and means I don’t have a lot of time for re-listening to the albums I have really enjoyed (Heartworms, for starters).
  2. Spotify is a pretty shit business. Unfortunately I can’t get rid of Spotify easily because I pay for a family plan so the decision doesn’t just affect me.

Maybe with Cantilever I can alleviate these? I could have a more considered listening experience - still listening to new music, but a bit less in terms of overall volume of artists with more listens given to each album? It also means I’d start getting more money in the pockets of artists instead of in the pockets of Spotify.

All I Could Think Of That Week Was Flowers

"...all I could think of that week was flowers for breath and flowers for eyes and mouths full of flowers, armpits of them, the backs of the knees, laps, groins overflowing with flowers..."

— How to be Both by Ali Smith

One quote from each half. That’s me finally finished my haul of books I got as presents this year.

The Word Mystery Originally Meant A Closing

"The word mystery originally meant a closing, of the mouth or the eyes. It meant an agreement or an understanding that something would not be disclosed."

— How to be Both by Ali Smith

Probably not the best quote as far as beautiful prose goes in this book, but it is apt for the novel itself. I’ve got the “George first” edition and I loved that first half of the book: I think I read that in one day on the last day of our holiday whilst travelling back home. It’s taken me well over a month to finish the second half - sure some of that is because I’m no longer on holiday, but I also found the Francescho half much harder going.

I would love to know what actually happens to the rest of George’s story… alas it is a mystery.

Like The Print Of A Hand Left Years Ago On A Wall

"He wasn't even a fragment of the past, he was only a stain, like the print of a hand left years ago on a wall."

— The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

Last one!

The Dog Had Fallen Through A Hole In The Net Of Events

"The dog had fallen through a hole in the net of events. We leave so many of them, lacerations of negligence, when we put together cause and effect."

— The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

September Sounds

But actually the last three months and more. God. Why did I decide to do this in quarters this year?

  • Billy Nomates: Metaphors. The Test is the best. All quite upbeat though. All kind of similar (not a bad thing). Feels very 6music festival.
  • Little Simz: Lotus. I think I like Free best, the rest isn’t bad just doesn’t massively grab me.
  • Clipping: Dead Channel Sky. Maybe younger me would have been more into this. It’s all a bit much (Change the Channel) and then just noise.
  • Ray Vaughn: The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu. Not for me. Flat Shasta is the best.
  • Sault: 10. Any Cleo Sol is good, but it’s no Wildfires, RL best?
  • Pulp: More. I guessed Spike Island would be the standout and I was correct. It is a banger though.
  • YHWH Nailgun: 45 Pounds. Spotify says “Fans also like Model/Actriz and Aya”. Exactly Spotify. Exactly. (It’s noise, but not as you know it)
  • Nectar Woode: It’s like I never left. An EP, but a solid one. Only Happen, Ama Said and Home Again are just great. Regrets, regrets, regrets over missing her at Glastonbury.
  • Blusher: Racer. The Racer single is an absolute banger so was looking forward to this E.P. Racer is still the best, but Don’t Look At Me Like That is good too.
  • Matt Maltese: Hers. Not as good as Good Morning It’s Now Tomorrow for me.
  • Sofia Kourtesis: Volver. Unidos is my favourite, but Canela Pura and Sisters are good too.
  • Folk Bitch Trio: Now Would Be A Good Time. The opener, God’s A Different Sword is nice. And then The Actor. After that maybe a bit too chill for me.
  • Panic Shack: Panic Shack. The last song, Thelma & Louise is the best
  • Jade Bird: Who Wants to Talk About Love? Oh, Glastonbury regrets. Dreams and Save Your Tears.
  • Clipse: Let God Sort Em Out. Not for me. I think I just prefer women MCs. Although SL is class (see further down).
  • Joey Valence & Brae: HYPERYOUTH. What’s not to enjoy? My favourite is actually SEE U DANCE (with Rebecca Black). It’s a tune.
  • Tyler: DON’T TAP THE GLASS. Ring Ring Ring probably the best, the rest I’m not fussed for.
  • Wolf Alice: The Clearing. See here.
  • Ethel Cain: Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You. The two singles, Fuck Me Eyes (which is funny on the radio as it just gets called “Eyes” and made me think it was a different song I’d not yet heard) and Nettles are the best.
  • Audrey Hobert: Who’s the Clown? The preceding single, Wet Hair, is the standout for me, but I appreciate “Don’t go back to his ass” for the chorus.
  • Jessica Winter: My First Album. I’m still undecided about L.O.V.E. Feels Good (For Tonight) has a big sound, almost Kylie vibes? It nicely builds you up for Aftersun which is very clubby (not that I know what that is anymore). It’s a very mixed album genre-wise: The closing track, To Know Her feels like it could be from a Disney soundtrack whereas Got Something Good is almost punk towards the end and a completely different vibe. Anyway, Feels Good (For Tonight) and Aftersun are my favourites.
  • Billie Marten: Dog Eared. Probably Feeling, the opener, is best - it’s really nice. And then perhaps the closer, Swing. Otherwise, doesn’t grab me.
  • Earl Sweatshirt: Live Laugh Love. Not really for me. Same opinion as Clipse and Ray Vaughn. Appreciate the 24 minute runtime though.
  • Racing Mount Pleasant: Racing Mount Pleasant. I’ve read great things about this. Have listened to it twice, but despite not hating it, I don’t love it.
  • Barry Can’t Swim: Loner. I like it, but it’s very easy to stick it on and have it become background music. Kimpton and Machine Noise For A Quiet Daydream (which is almost Shaman Boss Drum spoken word like) are the ones that stand out to me.
  • thredd: It’s Lovely, Come On In. Party is easily the best (so good, give it a listen) and quite different from anything else on the EP. We Don’t Speak Anymore is pretty good though.
  • Nourished by Time: The Passionate Ones. Fantastic name. Guess I’m just not cool enough to appreciate this though. Tried it though.
  • Sea Lemon: Diving For A Prize. Beautiful. Bit shoe gazey. I like the opener, and the track after that, in fact there is nothing not to like on here, but also there is nothing that really stands out, unfortunately.
  • Sharon van Etten: Sharon van Etten & The Attachment Theory. Afterlife and Trouble (the singles?) are good, but not making my picks of the year list.
  • CMAT: Euro-Country. I liked I Don’t Really Care for You and Stay For Something from a few years back, but nothing really grabs me on this album. Maybe Running/Planning is the nearest.
  • Nova Twins: Parasites and Butterflies. I like the start of Soprano. N.O.V.A is good too. But nothing as good as Antagonist or Taxi for me.
  • Max Cooper: On Being. Listened to this just for some Glastonbury memories since some of this was one of the last things I heard on Sunday night. Very much suits the Tree Stage. It’s not really an album you are ever going to pick standout tracks from though. Mostly very chilled, very ambient - this is the kind of album you could put on to fall asleep to, which would then jolt you awake half way through, before serenading you off to sleep again.
  • SL: Block Tales. I was really looking forward to this based on the single Robbery. Robbery is still the clear standout for me. The rest is ok, but doesn’t grab me the same way as the vocal / bass combination on Robbery. It’s so good.
  • Haim: I quit. I liked it more than I thought I would, but although it’s an enjoyable listen nothing sticks with me afterwards.
  • NewDad: Altar. I think this is better than the first album. The opener, Other Side starts off gentle and then gets heavier - it’s a great intro to the album. Heavyweight has a great chorus. Pretty is catchy, really catchy with beautiful vocals. RooBosh is a bit heavier and intense. There is nothing bad on this album, but the only one I care less about is Sinking Kind of Feeling. Amazingly, despite everything being so good, Entertainer somehow still stands out - just - since Everything I Wanted that follows it is fantastic too. And then it just exits in style: The flow of Mr Cold Embrace, Vertigo (superb!!!!) and Something’s Broken is just beautiful. Wolf Alice should take note.
  • Saint Etienne: International. OMG: Confidence Man cross over! Take me to the Pilot is also really good - takes me back to the Stentorian Dub mix of Pale Movie. The only really low point for me is The Go Between (it’s a bit Take That), but overall I think they’ve managed to go out with a couple of bangers. Farewell Saint Etienne - you have been a big part of my life!
  • TTSSFU: Blown. An EP, but worth mentioning for the Forever single which is a massive tune.
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Perimenopop. It’s alright. I probably prefer the last song, Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone over the singles Relentless Love and Freedom Of The Night. Probably. I would dance to any of this in a field.
  • Ava McCoy: Dragonfly. This is from May, but I only recently realised it existed. I loved (still do) the Dragonfly single and that remains the standout for me.
  • Night Tapes: portals//polarities. I probably like swordsman and pacifico best. It’s all listenable, gentle electronic with ethereal vocals, but it’s also easy for it to become background listening.
  • Geese: Getting Killed. Over-hyped. I do quite like Taxes, but otherwise I just don’t get it. Doesn’t make me feel sad, happy, stressed, anything really.
  • Coach Party: Caramel. Do Yourself A Favour is my favourite. Girls! is cool though. Fake It too. And Medicate Yourself. Probably better than the last album.
  • Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving. I still don’t know if I like anything on here as much as Dive, but Lady Lady is funky, So Easy (To Fall In Love) is rather beautiful and I really like the last track, I’ve Seen It. Need to give it more listens.

There are more September entries I just haven’t had enough time for yet:

  • Sprints: All that is over. (I’m hoping it’s going to be great).
  • Wednesday: Bleeds
  • Joy Crookes: Juniper
  • Frost Children: Sister
  • James K: Friend
  • Korey Radical: Don’t look down

I might come and update this post or this might end up in December’s post.

But how did they make you feel? Ugh… Yeah, that was the whole point of this. It wasn’t meant to just be a list. I used “the best” too many times, that’s for sure.

Then The Void Of The Weekend Opened

"Then the void of the weekend opened and I felt as if I were standing, precariously balanced on the rim of a well."

— The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

I meant to publish this on the weekend, but it wasn’t a void so I forgot and I’m doing it today instead.

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