3 Albums to Listen to On a Plane
or at least the ones I listened to
I am currently on a plane to New York City. I have been thoroughly enjoying writing about music for you all. Now, I am off to explore more exciting music in a new city.
To start this trip,
Here are three albums I am listening to on the journey…
Your Day Will Come - Chanel Beads
I’ve been meaning to write about this album for a while now. It appears on many of my lists of favorite albums— so I guess it can be listened to on more than one occasion. But on this plane, I find myself latching on to the slow tempos and conversational lyrics. Your Day Will Come was released this past April and is Chanel Bead's first full-length album. The collaborative group is based in Brooklyn and is led by Shan Lavers. Most of the songs on this album are built by guitar, drums, vocals, and violin. Lavers has two core collaborators, Maya McGrory (vocals) and Zachary Paul (violin).
Chanel Beads has created music that may be simple but each song has a unique crisp sound, something that feels unexplainable and ethereal. The music combines electronic music as well as folk, shoegaze, and alternative rock sounds. The title track on the album is a mystical ambient song guided by a violin. Lavers and Mcgory sing simultaneously throughout the album. In “Idea June” Mcgory stretches her voice taking up the space of the melody so smoothly, as if she is just another instrument. Laver's voice is masked by effects. On the track “Unifying Shot” Laver’s attitude-struck voice shines through the mix, telling a story of addiction, love, and loss.
Your Day Will Come is a combination of the pretty and the ugly. It changes the approach to songwriting as it lingers on what people sometimes call cloud rap or drain gang. But, it also takes on forms of indie music which feels familiar. Chanel Bead's mystic and dreamy tone could be compared to a fantasy. The album takes you to another place, like a forest or an empty beach. As I flew across the US to embark on a new journey, I needed an escape from the traveling, anxiety, and lack of sleep. That's why this album was perfect on a flight at 12am. I also wanted to prepare for when I see Chanel Beads at Bryant Park on this trip. I can’t wait to hear it and see the fantasy play out in real-time.
Whip-smart - Liz Phair
Liz Phair feels real to me right now. Her brutal honesty and punk rock attitude have changed my idea of music forever. As the passengers around me begin to fall asleep, I am listening to her album Whip-Smart. A few weeks ago driving to LA, a friend and I listened to Whitechocolatespaceegg and we had the classic debate of which album is better. I still don’t know the answer but after that day, I have been listening to both albums nonstop. Once again on my Liz kick. I chose Whip-Smart for this particular plane ride because it feels comforting and exciting while I adventure to New York, a city where Liz Phair began her career.
Liz Phair has a punk heart and a sassy voice which creates a comforting and badass feeling in my ears. Her lyrics are inspiring and make me want to write in similar honest words. “Supernova”, a track that has hit many different top charts, was one of my inspirations for the title of The Nova Journal. As a kid, I used to dance around the room calling myself supernova-- “an exploding star” my dad would say. I believed I was significantly brighter than your average star. When she sings, “Cause you're a human supernova, a solar superman” I am once again back to my glittering young self. I didn’t find this song till after I grew out of my alter ego dancing star phase but, this journal is an homage to that time—those feelings, and Liz Phair’s inspirational honesty.
Plant Franklin - Deadharrie
Now it's almost 2 am and I’m drowsing off but I am listening to Deadharrie’s 2021 album Plant Franklin. In August a friend made me a playlist— after already telling me so much about Deadharrie and me not listening. She put the third track of the album, “Overdrive” on the playlist, and that's when I started exploring Plant Franklin. From then on I’ve loved all of his music. It’s the kind of album where I wish I could listen to these songs for the first time again. “Bless My Heart” is a songwriter's masterpiece. Its melody flows and follows. The vocals mimic the guitar and the guitar does the same. It’s hard to tell who’s in charge here. He sings “Gimme love/I want some/Make it right/Give me love/All the time” and my heart melts. Such a desiring phrase and an open moment that creates a sweet song. The structure is straightforward and the guitar does not change much, as the vocals more prominently switch from verse to chorus. These are patterns in his music and make him a special kind of writer who mimics his melodies and solidifies his vocals.
Throughout this album, he writes with guitar as the main focus. He is a highly skilled guitar player and it shows. The first track is an instrumental song called “Russeting.” A 55-second song with only guitar but the melody certainly sticks with you. The chords vibrate with a country twang and a bass-driven tone. From then on his voice begins to play a significant role in the album. Pushing towards a whispering magic, his voice is similar to Alex G or even Lomelda. As I made my way through this album for the first time a few months ago, I found his voice very androgynous. His voice on the song “Rotten” has a specific flutter of vocal character that is undefined by any gender. Taking place in a slightly higher register than some of the other songs on the album, he can bring his own style to the song in order to create a distinctive tone. His songwriting abilities are boundless and this project was one of his firsts. He just released a new single called “Home Sweet Home.” It is gentle and beautiful. His music continuously branches out but still leaves me with familiar feelings. On this plane, I am reminded of the moment I heard Plant Franklin for the first time.
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P.S. If you have any suggestions for how to connect and branch out into the music scene of NYC please let me know.