Hey Whatcha Been Listening To?

Hello my friends. It is time again to talk about music. Now that I've done a handful of round trips in the car from Sacramento to Ashland, and had the luxury of digging in with chillfiltr® radio for hours on end, it truly reminded me of how therapeutic it is to have new music to listen to. And for me, it's even more exciting to have new artists that I can follow, and be interested in, and feel that tiny bit of shared ownership over their success that you get as a fan. I love that shit. So I figured I would just put together a list of who has continued to be on my radar over the last few years. Let's get into it.

talker

This girl has to be the hardest working up-and-comer in the business. She's been plugging away for years and honestly her latest album really feels like the culmination of something really important. She's at a new level now, and and in my opinion, her songs are fantastic. Listen to I'm Telling the Truth - smart, snappy Indie pop with hints of 80s retro.

Land of Talk

This one was a legend when I discovered them about 6 years ago. Those who know about them, know, not sure if they are going up or down in the eternal popularity seesaw, but the music just feels completely timeless and infinite. I honestly don't know how they do it. I don't even know how to describe the persona, except that I can hear it immediately on every new track. It's something about that marriage between production chemistry, and the raw songwriting. The closest I can think of is what would happen if Frank Zappa and Stevie Knicks had a non-binary child who was a tortured poet in working-class Montreal.

Trixie Whitley

Some of you may remember that Trixie's father Chris Whitley is still at the very top of my list of musical inspirations.  Her little baby voice is featured on some of my favorite songs, for example, and I've been waiting patiently for her to come into her own. Her latest EP release is really nothing short of a watershed moment for her. I don't even wanna spoil it for you, so I won't talk about it too much. I just think anyone who loves Indie rock with an edge and a strong songwriting point of view is gonna eat this up. She kinda sounds a little bit like her dad, but really, only because the voice tonality is similar, and there's maybe some shared space in the songwriting sensibility, but more than anything she's just painting with a new brush. It's powerful, it's wild, it's just good listening. The EP is called "The Dragon of Everything." It's a bit hard to find in the US, I think I picked it up on Amazon music.

Peter Fenn

Big fan. huge. I know nothing about him. He just gets me.

Waxahatchee

I've talked about this amazing songwriter,  I think on the newsletter because I'm not finding a link now. But I remember saying that she really has a lock on navigating a long-term relationship. I don't know if I've ever connected with a songwriter in this way, as literal therapy for the relationship that I am currently in. You could call her Taylor Swift for grown-ups.

Faye Webster

Faye Webster snuck in here. Somehow, I think it might've been a recommendation from bandcamp. her songs just keep popping up and I keep enjoying them. Honestly, don't know much about her, I know she's from Atlanta. She just writes cool edgy rock songs.

The Luxury of Being Human

I've known this artist since one of her first releases, and I've had my eye on her for years. A few of her songs are really at the top of my personal greatest hits list, and I sort of think of her as the second coming of Kate Bush. Don't tell her I said that, it might go to her head.

Margaret Glaspy

My memory is so bad about these things, but I do have a sort of partial memory about how I discovered Margaret Glaspy. I was on an MP3 store site I think in Europe somewhere researching a different artist, who I wanna say was Peter Fenn, and she just popped up as a suggestion (her single "Emotions and Math"). I've been a fan ever since. She's a fucking monster. With all due respect, her songs are weapons.

finom

Pretty sure I got this recommendation from NPR music. I don't listen to NPR much anymore, unfortunately I just feel like I'm in a different place now, but I do listen to the music shows occasionally. Finom is a rock band from Chicago and they feature two female singers. Great harmonies with a slow burn and a rootsy heart.

Hand Habits

This band is very unpredictable. Experimental electronic fetish pop.

Jake Whiskin

This songwriter is very young, but for my generation he's maybe the second coming of Damien Rice. Keep an eye on him.

Samia

Samia might be one of my proudest predictions, I wrote about her many years ago, and she has become exactly what I thought she might be, which was "the blueprint for an entire generation of whip-smart reluctant ingenues." Get it, girl.

The Dip

Refreshing soul with an analog flavor, for fans of Lake Street Dive who want maybe just a little more grit.

Lomelda

Hummable angst-pop from the desert plains of northern Texas.

Widowspeak

Not sure why these guys remind me of Yo la Tengo - smooth, simmering groove rock for lost afternoons.

Joel Ansett

Something about the way this guy can write just drills right into my soul. I guess you'd probably call this Bedroom Pop but it feels sharp, in a certain way. It's the lyrics here that are impressive: both simple and linguistically dense, Joel is a master of understatement (which is probably why I like him so much).

boygenius

There's not much left to be said about these ladies, they are all at the top of their game, and powerful songwriters in their own right. Together, they truly form a supergroup. Their songs are interesting because they feel so steeped in a sort of classic folk sensibility - yet informed by each contributor's powerful rock presence.

Joseph

I found these ladies, sisters if I remember correctly, just browsing around the Nettwerk Records website. Their music straddles that fuzzy line between alt pop and alt rock, with sparkling melodies, and a rootsy flavor that might remind you of Fleetwood Mac.

SG Goodman

SG Goodman was blessed with one of those voices that you can pick up and recognize immediately. A little bit raspy, a little bit lonely, a little bit rugged, she's got the hills of Kentucky in her bones.

Saintseneca

I love this dude's sensibility so much. He reminds me of SG Goodman, in a certain way, just because his voice is also instantly recognizable, definitely gives you Country vibes, but is also utterly unique. Put those two on tour, stat.

Humbird

The only reason I know about Humbird is because when I was working with producer Shane Leonard on my single "Weightless Heart", he had a copy of their album on his desk in the mixing room. I guess he had just finished that project with them. It's fantastic music.

Maggie Rogers * (Mainly "Don't Forget Me")

She's not just a super hot, rich and successful pop songwriter. This album is complex and delectable.

Jeffrey Martin

Jeffrey is on that short list of musical acts that can put a spell on you with any song at any time. A timeless and intimate performer who routinely brings tears to my eyes.

Leif Vollebekk

Out of nowhere, I started hearing songs from this musical polymath and I am mildly obsessed. I think it's also that he has an interesting hand on electric guitar. it's funny because I only have the one album so far, and it's a live recording, and I am really excited for a studio release from him. There is a slightly dark, haunting quality to his melodies, which makes a lot of sense alongside his poignant and slightly bittersweet lyrics.

Notes

My rule is simple. If I can answer yes to both of these questions about them, any given artist can be put on this list.

• Have I been listening to them for at least a few years?
• Would I buy their new album without listening to it?

That's it.

So the list below is also yes, but because the band has broken up, no new albums are forthcoming.

OLD SCHOOL / DEFUNCT

Dry The River

The Bravery

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

The Open Sea

CHILLFILTR® Radio

We are quietly plugging away at this, this is the third year that we are broadcasting music 24/7 on our Internet radio channel. We had a bit of a strange downbump in the first week of September, that probably speaks to our US demographic starting school. Does that mean most of our listeners are parents? Because the numbers went right back up the next week. Our daily average is comfortably between 50 and 90 listeners, and I am very proud of that. Our fans are all over the world, but typically about half are in the US.

Sometimes we just have to acknowledge the crazy and get on with our lives. Music can help with that. Good luck to everyone.