April 2025 Music Roundup

11 May, 2025

📼 April 2025 Music Roundup

I had unfortunately neglected my last two monthly listening journals as I was busy catching up with assignments and midterms. So… here are my April notes for the music I listened to, thanks to some notes I had written down in my Obsidian vault.

• Forever, Howlong by Black Country, New Road
  • This is the only album I purchased on Bandcamp this year!
  • Newest release from the OK "Windmill" scene after the departure of Isaac Wood, where this time, the band decided to rotate their female instrumentalists as the lead singers in this batch of songs.
  • Personally, I would say this is AOTY material! The songs are still as well-done as their previous releases, even if they are more "mellow" somewhat. And although not as dark in terms of its lyrics, I think the strength of this band is fairly equal when it comes to the lyrics and instrumentation. You can't really have one without the other. At least, I can't imagine it happening.
  • I also shared the song Nancy with YH, and she mentioned that it sounded like a mash of Mitski, Adrienne Lenker, and Florence & The Machine. Pretty fair assessment there, though I would say we can throw in Joanna Newsom and it's spot on.
  • Favourite tracks: Nancy, Two Horses, Besties
• Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple
  • Saw a comment somewhere that some of the lyricism in the BCNR record reminded the OP of Fiona Apple, so I decided to revisit the most-played album I like from her!
  • Fiona Apple is one of the most unique vocalists I've heard - not in a Joanna Newsom pitch sort of way, but in an assertive way. Her songs feel very conversational to me, and I think I could believe whatever narratives she spins in her songs.
  • Interestingly, this record was also recorded with mostly household items for its percussion needs! I love it when artists get creative this way.
  • Favourite tracks: Shameika, Ladies Ladies Ladies
    • Fun fact: Fiona ended up finding Shameika from the song! One of the most heartwarming stories in music 🙂
• Sable, Fable by Bon Iver
  • I've been a fan of Bon Iver's music since COVID, but would definitely say he is a mood listen! When I want something folky with some sad vibes, his first record does the job really well. When I want something sonically "full," I love i,i. When I want some truly beautiful tracks, the self-titled album is right there.
  • When the last EP came out, I definitely liked it. But I won't lie—it fell down the depths of saved albums in my Spotify library. However, this one (other than the BCNR record) would probably be one of my Top 10s of this year's releases so far.
  • The thematic flow of this album is beautifully done. The first disc of the project is a sort of prologue/cover of the album, where it carries a familiar angle of regret around the songs, while it transitions to the second disc, where things seem to be more hopeful for Justin Vernon.
  • What's most impressive for me is the production of the music. It's just so layered, but so satisfying too! Things never felt crowded for me, despite the vocal layering that he has been doing in the past few albums.
  • Favourite tracks: Things Behind Things Behind Things, Day One, I'll Be There, If Only I Could Wait
    • Note: I believe this one is a really nice album experience, especially with a pair of good headphones and a warm drink in hand!

For the rest of April, I mainly listened to albums I already knew well. Some of them are:

• The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift
  • It's a little long (2 hrs+), but I think there's still some really great pop tracks here.
• Evermore by Taylor Swift
  • I still believe Swift's Evermore / Folklore era is her BEST era.
• Sling by Clairo
  • Super chill vibes, and I like all her album's production. Super clean.

Also, moving forward, my listening journals would not include album covers! As time goes on, I think they take too much time to set up, and in cases where I listen to a bunch of them, it would take more time than actually writing the article lol

However, I'll still link the Odesli urls so if anything does interest you, you're still able to click that and find a streaming service that hosts it.

[41/100] for #100DaysToOffload

#100DaysToOffload #music