March 11, 2024 By Andy Ayer
“Transport, Motorways and tramlines
Starting and then stopping
Taking off and landing
The emptiest of feelings
Disappointed people
Clinging onto bottles
And when it comes it’s so so disappointing”
– “Let Down’ by Radiohead written by Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Jonny Greenwood, Phil Selway & Thom Yorke
For the past 3 weeks I have been listening to “Let Down” by Radiohead on heavy repeat. In the opening of the song, Thom Yorke is talking about the disappointment he feels when music and art are not fulfilling our emotional needs at the moment. Everything just becomes an endless cycle of starting and stopping until it becomes mechanical. This place of emptiness he talks about is what I call “the Trough”.
The trough is the bottom of a wave. The place I land after a period of creativity. Each time I ask myself one question, “Should I paddle into shore or head back out to catch another swell of artfulness?”. To figure the answer to this question, I begin the quest for the next thing to inspire me. I start reading multiple books, watching videos, talking to other artists about their own processes for inspiration but most of all I consume massive amounts music from multiple genres.
This weeks playlist is called “In the Trough”. It is representative of me answering that question. You will hear some jazz, some new wave, classic rock, punk, alternative, pop and country. I also included four artists that have reignited the spark for me. They are also follows:
Hurray for the Riff Raff “Alibi” from the album “The Past is Still Alive” released Feb 23rd 2024. This is a band led by Alynda Segarra based out of New Orleans. This is their sixth album and they recently sold out the Sinclair in Cambridge. Their sound is very reminiscent of another singer/songwriter that I am quite fond of called Waxahatchee. It has an Americana feel to it.
Faye Webster “Thinking about You” from the album “Undressed at the Symphony” released March 1st 2024. Faye is a singer/songwriter from Atlanta Georgia. This is her 5th studio album. Her sound is very similar to Phoebe Bridgers. Who is an artist that I could go on and on about.
Kasey Musgraves “Too Good to be True” from her album “Deeper Well” that releases next Friday March 13th. For me it has a Linda Ronstadt retro 70’s vibe and very similar sound to her 2021 album “Star-Crossed” . I am counting the days until its release so I can listen to the album in its entirety. For now check out this video from her performance of the song on SNL recently.
Lizzy McAlpine “Older” from the forthcoming album “Older” which will be released on April 5th, 2024. This album is the followup to her sophomore album “Five Seconds Flat” and from the sound of this prerelease track is seems similar to Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season”.
I hope you give the playlist a listen and enjoy it.
One more thing. During my brief pause, I have been thinking of ways to make this column more of conversation. I created an email address for you to send your comments or suggestions in regards to music you are enjoying and would like to share. The email is as follows: andylisteningcafe@gmail.com
Also feel free to leave any comments on this column. I will be back next week – Andy
Playlist: In the Trough
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/in-the-trough/pl.u-KVx1Ls545AR
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/54gNnG30KaH7VmQvSdbHeM?si=c6c5b9c42f0e4c62
Andy currently runs a Facebook group with his “fellow concert groupie” Tim called “What Are You Listening to?”
You can also follow Andy on the following music platforms:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/profile/aayer
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/dqii6f71pmw2knk2kx71usnsc?si=69b879d2dcb346d1