Aldous is the master of making sneaky, initially unassuming albums that I come back to over and over. She has such good restraint when it comes to production. All her records have this modest and refined quality: everything clear and up front with all the focus on performances. I've always been envious of that kind of approach. (see also: Jassbusters by Connan Mockasin)
devastating, beautiful, barren, oddly catchy, strange music. she sort of gives a soft liquid PJ harvey look + feel
my companion on transitory days
warm chris is my favorite but party is the album of today
I found this through one of the members other projects, Dead Sullivan, who is definitely worth checking out as well. I love this record, slowcore and indie pop collide super well on this one like as if hovvdy and early tegan & sara were vibing. Madeline’s voice feels familiar throughout like you’ve heard the songs before while still feeling original. Good autumn record.
still on heavy rotation 3 years later. the album is about climate anxiety but done in such an intimate way!! its poppier than her other stuff, but the songs are still very interestingly structured and there are beautiful jazz flourishes throughout. Robber is a highlight. perfect morning album.
Obsessed with this Chinese sci-fi novel right now. It's putting to words a lot of the unavoidable existential dread that we're all trying to ignore. I'm not usually a big fan of super hard sci-fi because I'm for the most part scientifically illiterate, but this book does such a good job of making physics poetic and kind of horrifying.
This book destroyed me. It's a reinterpretation of the myth of Circe, one of the OG witches in Greek mythology who was exiled to an island for eternity. She's a minor character in the Odyssey, but is given the lead role in this. Unbelievably poignant writing about life and death. Sobbed at the ending - it's a beautiful book.
Shout out to my friend Kirby who is undoubtedly one of the most talented musicians I know. Creatively, he's had an amazing pandemic that started off with this really sparse and luxurious instrumental record. It's like ambient solo piano with expert synth and flute arrangements. The songs are so meditative and neutrally emotional in that magical way good ambient music is. 10/10 from me.