NYS Music 202​0

Author: Jacob L. Pitts

  • Taylor Swift Spills “Cardigan” Secrets, Releases Bonus Track “The Lakes”

    Sure to delight English teachers everywhere, Taylor Swift has released a literary analysis of her “Cardigan” music video. A Vevo Footnotes exclusive, the singer long known for her hidden Easter eggs revealed them all at once. She also shared how she prevented the song from leaking, a rare feat for a pop star of her stature.

    The video begins in a dark cottage, with Swift sitting at a piano containing a C. S. Lewis-style magical woodland inside. Two pictures are hanging on the cottage walls, both of which she explained to Vevo Footnotes. The man in the photograph on the left is her grandfather, Dean, who landed on the beaches at the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. Later on in the album, Taylor tells his story on “Epiphany.” As for the painting of a white house on the right, Swift worked on it herself in the first week of quarantine. Also, the clock’s hands point to 1 and 3, representing her famed lucky number, 13.

    Taylor Swift Cardigan

    Swift wrote and directed the video herself, playing the song solely through an earpiece so the crew wouldn’t be able to hear it during filming. Highly discreet about the entire project, she didn’t add the “folklore” logo to the central piano’s fallboard until release day via special effects.

    Taylor Swift Cardigan

    Speaking on the album as a whole, Taylor said, “I view Folklore as wistful and full of escapism. Sad, beautiful, tragic. Like a photo album full of imagery, and all the stories behind that imagery.” Of course, “Sad, Beautiful, Tragic” is also a song from her 2012 album Red.

    In addition to spilling the secrets of “Cardigan,” Taylor released a lyric video for Folklore’s bonus track, “The Lakes.” The song references Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and partially grapples with being a public figure in the social media age. The themes and lyrics mirror those explored in her 2017 Reputation album, except softer and less embittered.

    “Cardigan” is the first single off of Swift’s eighth studio album Folklore. Both the single and album debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts to critical acclaim, with praise citing their lyricism, atmosphere, and mature direction. Folklore, including “The Lakes,” is now available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

  • Bardavon Pays Tribute To Bob Dylan’s ‘Highway 61 Revisited’

    The Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie has temporarily closed its doors, but the music is still coming. Their “Albums Revisited” streaming series will resume on Sunday, August 30 at 8:00 p.m., with a tribute to Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited. Known as Dylan’s first true rock album, the tribute falls on Highway 61’s 55th anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, Bardavon’s Production Manager Stephen LaMarca has curated a setlist of artists to perform each of its nine songs. While the event will be broadcast on Bardavon Presents’ YouTube for free, they’re accepting donations for People’s Place in Kingston and Dutchess Outreach in Poughkeepsie.

    Dylan Highway 61

    The full list of performances includes:

    • “Like a Rolling Stone” – Jack DeJohnette & John Medeski
    • “Tombstone Blues” – The Weight Band
    • “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” – Jimmy Vivino, Rich Pagano & John Sebastian
    • “From a Buick 6” – Guy Davis
    • “Ballad of a Thin Man” – Steve Earle
    • “Queen Jane Approximately” – Lucinda Williams
    • “Highway 61 Revisited” – Kate Pierson w/ The Restless Age
    • “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” – Happy Traum w/ special guests
    • “Desolation Row” – Simone Felice
    • “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window” – Laura Stevenson

    The event will also feature commentary from Bardavon’s Executive Director Chris Silva, as well as others. 

    Bardavon Presents’ next “Albums Revisited” installment is at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, where they’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s American Beauty. They’ll also be streaming a Hudson Valley Philharmonic virtual concert hall at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, as well as a live DJ set at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 8.

    For more information regarding this stream and future shows, go to Bardavon’s website.

  • Cortland’s Porchfest Moves to Radio this weekend

    Cortland’s fifth annual Porchfest is hitting the radio on Sunday, August 16. Due to safety concerns about gathering crowds, the previously front porch event is making its way to Cortland’s WXHC 101.5 FM. Other avenues to listen include online at wxhc.com, the X101 app, TuneIn, and Amazon Alexa. While the show line-up has yet to be announced, its organizers promise two hours of brilliant performances from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

    Porchfest

    Produced by American Vintage Productions (AVP), the first hour of the show will consist of pre-recorded performances. The second half will have about 10 live local performers performing from Studio AV at Rose Hall. The entire show will be commercial-free, thanks to the Dan & Rose McNeil Foundation.

    “We’re delighted to be able to use our new performance space, Studio AV at Rose Hall, to support this program,” said AVP’s Chris Merkley. “The combination of livestream and broadcast performances will give the musicians access to a broad audience.”

    Porchfest, in which musicians perform on front porches to crowds on lawns and sidewalks, originated in Ithaca in 2007. It soon became a national phenomenon: other cities across the country put on their own Porchfests, and it even spread to Canada. The Cortland incarnation has grown every year since its inception in 2016, and X101 and AVP are working to continue the streak.

    Porchfest
    From last year’s Cortland Porchfest. Photo credit: Camilo Fredes, Cortland Voice.

    “When it became clear that live, in-person gatherings were out of the question, the decision was easy to team up with X101 and AVP,” said Porchfest organizer Molly Andrejko. She continued, “We’re all working hard to make sure that Porchfest Cortland can remain an exciting, inclusive and fun event that showcases the best of what our musical community offers. We can’t wait to see all of our neighbors near and far enjoying the radio show!”

    Watch the Radio Porchfest Livestream on the AVP website or Facebook.

  • Cardi B’s “WAP” Misses the Mark

    Cardi B broke the internet on Friday, August 7 with her new song and video “WAP.” Featuring Megan Thee Stallion, the song serves as a comeback for both of them.

    “WAP” has ignited controversy for many reasons, but its lyrical content is the most conspicuous of the bunch. While sexual subject matter is nothing new for either rapper, they abandon past metaphors and double entendres in favor of a literal approach. There’s nothing wrong with this in theory, but the song coasts solely on shock value. It worked, though: a Republican congressional candidate’s Twitter rant gave them free publicity, and the video is trending on YouTube:

    Although Cardi and Megan’s prior hits were full of catchy hooks and Instagram caption-ready lyrics, both are largely absent here. The straightforward verses are a missed opportunity for them to show off their wordplay, which they’ve weaved with their sexuality in the past. The Frank Ski sample gets old quickly, and Megan outshines Cardi on her own song.

    However, while Cardi often faces accusations of ghostwriting, it’s completely believable that she wrote her own verses here. One line goes, “I want you to touch that li’l dangly thing that swings in the back of my throat,” which is the trademark brazenness that only Cardi B could pull off. Also, as we’ve come to expect from the Bronx rapper, the video’s visuals are stunning. It’s rare that a music video feels like an event anymore, but her surrealist Dr. Seuss take on the Playboy Mansion is truly something to behold. Carole Baskin of Tiger King infamy decried Cardi’s use of big cats in the video, despite their addition in post-production with a green screen. This seemingly random feud most likely began when Cardi defended Baskin’s archenemy Joe Exotic earlier this year.

    Mostly featuring up-and-coming artists such as Normani, Rosalía, and Mulatto, the “WAP” video’s main attraction is Kylie Jenner. Her cameo spawned memes as well as backlash, including a petition to remove her from the video. Besides looking out of place, signees cited her cultural appropriation and alleged mocking of Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting injuries as reasons.

    Contrary to many “WAP” critics’ complaints, the problem doesn’t necessarily lie in the song’s raunchiness, Kylie Jenner inclusion, or use of exotic animals, but how one-dimensional it is. Cardi and Megan have always been outspoken about their sexuality in their music, but they supplemented it with other aspects of their personality and artistry. Compared to “I Like It”’s trap-salsa genius and “Savage”’s boasts of complexity, “WAP” feels lifeless, uninspired, and derivative of their peers.

    Cardi B’s second studio album is set for release later this year.

  • Hearing Aide – “Audience of Summer” by Miserable Chillers

    Miserable Chillers’ new album Audience of Summer has been released today, Friday, August 7. Chillers’ songs primarily deal with growth and exploration, especially as climate change irreversibly alters our natural landscape.

    Miserable Chillers is a baroque pop project created by Miguel Gallego. While Gallego previously released three EPs, Audience of Summer is his full-length debut album. Its release was preceded by three singles: “La nave del olvido,” “The Glass,” and the album opener, “Saga’s Sword.” Made up of nine short tracks, Audience of Summer is a deeply pleasant listening experience that floats right by.

    Despite Gallego’s gloomy pseudonym, many of the songs are cool and upbeat, especially early on in the album. “Saga’s Sword” in particular has a beachy quality (further accentuated by the album cover), whereas vaporwave influences reign supreme on “La nove del olvido.” This is most likely intentional: vaporwave tends to satirize consumerism, and the track is about finding wrappers, plastic bags, and other eco-unfriendly debris on the ocean floor. The album track “Card Captor” is also a standout, in which Gallego’s vocals channel Imogen Heap over mesmerizing synths.

    Although a Brooklynite, Miguel Gallego grew up in suburban New Jersey. His fascination with nature began with a “bizarrely bucolic” creek in the woods beside his house, which he later discovered was man-made. “[Audience of Summer] is a document of where I was before things changed permanently and abruptly,” Gallego said in a press release. “I feel a personal affection for myself growing as a person and as an artist as I made this.”

    Audience of Summer is now available for streaming, as well as on digital album and cassette. 50% of proceeds for the latter formats on Bandcamp are going to Bed-Stuy Strong through August 7. Bed-Stuy Strong is an organization that provides food assistance in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

    For more information, see Miserable Chiller’s Bandcamp page.

    Key tracks: Saga’s Sword, La Nave del Olvido, Card Captor

  • Lana Del Rey Ventures into Poetry with “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass”

    On Tuesday, July 28, Lake Placid native Lana Del Rey released the audiobook for her upcoming poetry collection. Titled Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass, it contains 14 of the more than 30 poems to be included in the hardcover version, out September 29.

    Violet comes at an especially busy time in Lana’s career: she released Norman Fucking Rockwell last summer, she has another album coming soon, and she recently made headlines with a controversial Instagram post slamming female artists of color.

    lana del rey

    Del Rey’s lyrics have long drawn comparisons to Sylvia Plath, so her foray into poetry is no surprise. Besides Plath, she’s cited Allen Ginsburg, Walt Whitman, and Jack Keruoac as literary inspirations. The audiobook version of the collection, also a spoken word album, includes accompanying music from Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff. Antonoff co-wrote and produced 11 of Norman Fucking Rockwell’s 14 tracks, and recently worked on The Chicks’ comeback album Gaslighter. Lana Del Rey isn’t the first alternative songstress to release a poetry book: Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine published Useless Magic in 2018.

    Originally from Lake Placid, Del Rey started her music career while attending Fordham University. She made her mainstream debut with the song “Video Games” in 2011, and followed it up with the album Born To Die in 2012. While garnering mixed reviews at first, she quickly acquired a loyal cult following and achieved better reception with subsequent records. Her upcoming album, peculiarly titled Chemtrails Over the Country Club, is scheduled for release on Saturday, September 5.

    Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is now available on Audible, as well as in CD and vinyl formats on October 2. Proceeds will benefit the Navajo Water Project, an organization that provides clean running water for Navajo families. The first poem, “LA Who Am I To Love You,” is now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music:

  • Hearing Aide: Evan Alexander Moore’s “The Perennial Millennial”

    Evan Alexander Moore dropped his debut album The Perennial Millennial is a defining snapshot of our time on May 22, 2020. A quirky social commentary on the American millennial experience in 2020, it’s a concept album through and through. In its sprawling length of 70 minutes, the NYC singer-songwriter tackles capitalism, the ruling class, and most entertainingly, “millennials are destroying x industry” clickbait.

    Despite his varied influences from Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar to Joni Mitchell, Evan Alexander Moore sounds fully original. While it’s easy to spot the aforementioned artists’ impact, he retains his own unique style. One of the album’s strengths is that the sound mixing is crackly and distorted like an old record from the 60s or 70s—a comforting contrast to its intense topical lyrics. It’s also quotable from start to finish: the opener, “Millennial,” has the line “I feel like Atlas with all this school debt on my shoulders.”

    Standout tracks on The Perennial Millennial include “Our Time,” “Grand Little Symphony,” and “The Price of Cereal.” And while not full songs, its two interludes offer some of the album’s most genius moments. On “Brian’s Interlude,” Moore remarks that “pitting generations against each other is just fucking clickbait shit.” He also pays homage to Bob Dylan on “Hey, Mr. Zimmerman!” The album admittedly feels long at times—the title track “Perennial” is over 14 minutes—but it’s certainly ambitious for a debut effort.

    After pondering what legacy millennials will leave, Evan Alexander Moore ultimately concludes that “our generation will grow out of the cement that has been paved over us.” For younger generations, The Perennial Millennial is an inspiring, reassuring, and guilt-free experience.

    Stream The Perennial Millennial here:

    For more information visit Evan Alexander Moore’s website.

  • Taylor Swift Announces Surprise New Album “Folklore”

    Taylor Swift announced her new album, Folklore, to be released at midnight on July 24. This comes as a surprise to virtually everyone: no one, including her fanbase (the Swifties) who are known for their outlandish conspiracy theories, expected the move, and nothing leaked ahead of time. Folklore is arriving less than a year after Taylor Swift’s last album Lover, breaking her schedule of releasing an album every two to three years.

    Although her last three efforts have been fully pop, Folklore appears to be taking a more acoustic direction. Whereas Lover’s color scheme was pastel pink and blue with fantastical Wonka-esque music videos, all of Folklore’s visuals are black-and-white. The album’s only featured artist is Bon Iver on the song “Exile,” and Aaron Dessner of The National co-wrote 11 out of 16 songs.

    Taylor Swift previously explored a stripped-back folk sound on “Safe and Sound,” her single with The Civil Wars for the first Hunger Games soundtrack in 2012, as well as on her album Red released later that year. Fans have begged for a Stevie Nicks or Joni Mitchell-inspired album for years, and they may have finally gotten their wish. While not a New York native, Taylor Swift moved to the city before the release of 1989 in 2014. That album’s opening song was “Welcome To New York,” and she revisited the city on Lover’s “Cornelia Street” and “Daylight.”

    While Folklore hasn’t had an accompanying lead single announcement, Taylor Swift is releasing a music video for the song “Cardigan” alongside the album. There are eight collectible CD and vinyl covers in total, reminiscent of the four different diaries she released alongside Lover last year.

    Taylor Swifts’s last six albums, including Red and 1989, all debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This time around, she’s facing competition from longtime rival Kanye West, who’s also releasing an album this week called Donda: With Child. Folklore has already sold 250,000 copies in China, and time will tell if she continues her #1 streak in the U.S.

    For more information visit Taylor Swift’s website.

  • Falling Water Wonders “When Will We Be Saved”

    Falling Water have release “When Will We Be Saved,” their first single since 2014. Led by Long Islander Mark Rechler, the rock band wrote and recorded the song from a distance while in quarantine. The lyrics are about navigating chaos, specifically through the current pandemic, and dealing with feelings of anxiety and loneliness.

    Clocking in at nearly four and a half minutes, “When Will We Be Saved” is an anthemic power ballad. Despite its conception in quarantine, it sounds engineered for lighter-waving at a physical concert. Its backup singers, busy instrumentation, and dramatic lyrics also evoke a number from a rock opera. While the song has a lot going on, its standout is the piano, which has a solo at the halfway point.  The song’s lyrics begin rather pessimistic, but the band ultimately comes to terms with the new circumstances. “Now the angel of death, well she’s having a feast / changes are forced by this ominous beast” becomes “I’m gonna kick back and let it all go” in the outro.

    “‘When Will We Be Saved’ is a true quarantine song,” said singer-songwriter and pianist Mark Rechler in a press release. “My whole life is trying to keep up with my to-do list, get stuff done, complete tasks. I have often said out loud, ‘If we could only get a time out for a month to catch up on all these projects, everything would be fine.’ Well, like a bad Twilight Zone, that gift was granted. During the first two months of quarantine, I found myself riddled with anxiety, exhaustion, and much fear […] ‘When Will We Be Saved’ is more about isolation and finding your best self in that quiet, lonely world.”

    50% of the song’s profits will go to the PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund. PLUS1 works with nonprofits such as Sweet Relief, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, World Central Kitchen, Partners In Health, and Trans Lifeline to support vulnerable communities. So far, the band has achieved over $8,500 of their $10,000 goal. Other artists who have partnered with PLUS1 include Arcade Fire, The National, St. Vincent, and CHVRCHES.

    Falling Water plans to release their next full-length album in 2020. Stream “When Will We Be Saved” here:

  • Hudson River Park’s Virtual Summer of Fun is Underway

    NYC’s Hudson River Park is bringing the fun into our homes. Ideal for the bored quarantiner, their Virtual Summer of Fun program offers weekly concerts, fitness classes, STEM lectures, and children’s events. Streaming for free on Facebook Live, there’s something of interest for every age and music taste.

    Hudson River Park
    Hudson River Park

    Hudson River Park’s concert series, Sunset on the Hudson, streams every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. It launched on July 9 with The Big Takeover, a seven-piece reggae band from the Hudson Valley, and is continuing weekly until September 3. On August 27, twin DJs Coco & Breezy are taking the stage. Also known for designing luxury eyewear, their pieces have been worn by the likes of Prince and Lady Gaga. All Sunset on the Hudson performers are local, and the full list reflects a variety of genres and backgrounds.

    “While the world has changed, Hudson River Park remains committed to bringing the joy and excitement of summer to old and new friends from New York City and beyond” said Madelyn Wils, CEO and President of Hudson River Park Trust. “Summer of Fun programs offer more than just education and enjoyment – they provide our community with a way to connect with the Park, their favorite local talent, and each other.”

    Besides the main concert series, the Summer of Fun is also hosting Sunset Salsa on Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. Led by Talia Castro-Pozo, who appeared on The Today Show, each event begins with instruction and leads into an hour featuring world class dancers and DJs. And for the jazz-inclined, Annette A. Aguilar is performing with her band StringBeans on Thursday, September 10. Aguilar has previously played percussion for Stevie Wonder and The Grateful Dead.

    The Park’s Hudson RiverKids program runs until the end of August. At 4:00 p.m. every Mondays, a new weekly guest leads a singalong, magic show, or story hour.

    Check out this stream and more through our series NY Stream and Support, where you’ll discover artists around the Empire State streaming nightly, and ways to support musicians and charitable groups close to home!