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Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism: Grounded, Dancy and Personal
May 13, 2024

Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism: Grounded, Dancy and Personal

"I'm at a place in my career where I feel really confident, it took me so long to get to this place," Dua Lipa told Zane Lowe in one of her many promotional interviews leading up to her third studio album, Radical Optimism. This confidence and growt…
Grapes Upon The Vine tests my faith.
July 14, 2023

Grapes Upon The Vine tests my faith.

Two weeks after its release, Grapes Upon The Vine might be my favorite TV Girl album. [RECORD SCRATCH] You might be wondering how I got here.A month ago, I was in a great place. An infant TV Girl fan, their music soundtracked a new summer romance,…
Blips on the Release Radar
July 1, 2023

Blips on the Release Radar

Each week, Spotify creates a roughly two-hour, custom playlist for every one of its subscribers called, “Release Radar”. According to the company, “Listeners get new music from artists they follow, artists they listen to, other art…
It's not too late to love Too Late To Love You. (Damn, I'm on a roll)
June 14, 2023

It's not too late to love Too Late To Love You. (Damn, I'm on a roll)

My dad and I co-wrote an alternate version of Too Late To Love You's title track in 2021. We were in a dive bar off I-65, with robot bandmates Johnny and Junebug, playing Kentucky Route Zero. The game is mostly reading, but it's marinated in ambient…
I fall for Gorillaz' The Fall.
June 7, 2023

I fall for Gorillaz' The Fall.

Gorillaz' The Fall is a full-length album recorded in a month, on an iPad, during the band's Escape To Plastic Beach Tour. If that sounds like a good 45 minutes to you, you might also dig this post. If you're unfamiliar with the Gorillaz, I'd recomm…
Sitting with Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way.
May 23, 2023

Sitting with Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way.

Okay. I'm going out on a limb this week, I hope you'll join me.In adapting writing for this column from my blog, I've focused the Spotlight On albums that I both had already written about at length, and was excited to revisit in a new context. At …
The Mattson 2: Vaults Of Eternity: Japan
May 16, 2023

The Mattson 2: Vaults Of Eternity: Japan

Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2's Star Stuff was my first exposure to both Chaz Bundick and The Mattson 2 and I think it's gotta be their best work. That album would make for a good post, actually, if we weren't just coming off the heels …
Toro y Moi: Outer Peace
May 9, 2023

Toro y Moi: Outer Peace

Welcome back to week three of the Spotlight On Blog's Three Weeks Of Toro y Moi Albums Event. That's what it's called I just decided. Two Tuesdays ago, for its birthday, we started things off with MAHAL, the act's latest outing. Then we took it back…
Toro y Moi: Soul Trash
May 2, 2023

Toro y Moi: Soul Trash

More Toro y Moi this week. Thought I'd dish out some Soul Trash after MAHAL, while he's got the blog's attention. In retrospect, the mixtape's a strange sonic bridge between MAHAL and the very different, less good, Outer Peace (which'll maybe conclu…
Toro y Moi: MAHAL
April 25, 2023

Toro y Moi: MAHAL

Alright, after much deliberating, my mind's made up. Underneath The Pine is my favorite Toro y Moi joint, not MAHAL. Sure, getting into him right at the start of this album cycle made it more special, it's closer sonically to the Mattson 2…
Hiroshi Yoshimura: Wet Land
April 18, 2023

Hiroshi Yoshimura: Wet Land

Damn Hiroshi Yoshimura gets me chilled the hell out. Wet Land's got some real solid rainy winter vibes, and I listened to this a lot watching the nasty weather out the window at school. It's still that time of year in Seattle, and Wet Land's&nb…
John Lurie National Orchestra: The Invention Of Animals
April 11, 2023

John Lurie National Orchestra: The Invention Of Animals

The Invention Of Animals is sort of a "Best Of John Lurie" record, pulling original tracks written for Fishing With John. That show's a classic, and the genesis of the off-beat, meditative TV genre as far as I'm concerned. See also: How To…
Kendrick Lamar: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
April 4, 2023

Kendrick Lamar: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Hi Spotlight On blog! I'm Henry / LP's kid / nepo baby and I'm here on official business from the moonrabbithaven.com blog. I come bearing weekly album recommendations! Let's start things off this Tuesday with an album you've already heard...…