SOMETHING OLD
Ellen McIlwaine - All To You
1973
Ellen McIlwaine - All To You
1973
I am shocked to have only just discovered the wondrously fresh yet 50+ year old sound of Ellen McIlwaine.
Matt McKinzie described her in a PopMatters article as having the “the tenderness of Emmylou Harris, the world-weary wisdom of Karen Dalton, and the chutzpah of Fanny all in one,” which feels astute.
McIlwaine sings with strength and rasp in this bluesy folk tune, offering it “all” to someone down on their luck, pride, and confidence. It also features gorgeous acoustic guitar harmonics, a grooving bassline, steady percussion, and even a wailing sax solo.
This song – and I suspect this to also be true of McIlwaine overall – does not fit into any one box. It’s something truly special. Its record, We The People, contains almost exclusively original & equally eclectic and brilliant songs.
SOMETHING NEW
Geese - Getting Killed
September 26th, 2025
GETTING KILLED BY A PRETTY GOOD LIFE.
It happened. The moment I’ve been waiting for from the band that has shaped my 2025. We got killed.
Getting Killed is the latest studio album from Geese. Pitchfork described it aptly as “anxious, fragmented music as liable to erupt in a paranoid shriek as a bald declaration of love.” I’ve given it a full listen four times since its midnight release (I write this 14 hours later), and instead of trying to pick a favorite to feature here, let’s go with the title track.
Geese - Getting Killed
September 26th, 2025
GETTING KILLED BY A PRETTY GOOD LIFE.
It happened. The moment I’ve been waiting for from the band that has shaped my 2025. We got killed.
Getting Killed is the latest studio album from Geese. Pitchfork described it aptly as “anxious, fragmented music as liable to erupt in a paranoid shriek as a bald declaration of love.” I’ve given it a full listen four times since its midnight release (I write this 14 hours later), and instead of trying to pick a favorite to feature here, let’s go with the title track.
Sitting as the fourth track of the record, it sits between the somewhat mellow (as mellow as Geese gets) and rhythmically focused Husbands and Islands of Men. This one, however, is not what I’d call mellow.
It begins abruptly with what I can best describe as chanting from a Ukrainian choir accompanied by drums and fragmented guitar. It immediately the rock-fueled discordance that will define the song until about 2:47, where suddenly we’re stripped down and we finally find out what “getting killed” is all about.
It seems so dark; the first single referenced burning in hell, the second single was about having a bomb in your car, and the third was about war. But it turns out.. they’re getting killed by a pretty good life, and getting destroyed by this city. I wouldn’t necessarily call it hopeful, but even throughout the imagery of death and cacophonies of wild instrumentation, I don’t think it’s quite as dark as it all first seemed to be.
It seems so dark; the first single referenced burning in hell, the second single was about having a bomb in your car, and the third was about war. But it turns out.. they’re getting killed by a pretty good life, and getting destroyed by this city. I wouldn’t necessarily call it hopeful, but even throughout the imagery of death and cacophonies of wild instrumentation, I don’t think it’s quite as dark as it all first seemed to be.
SOMETHING BORROWED
Luca Pianca & Margret Köll - Going to California (Led Zeppelin)
Luca Pianca & Margret Köll - Going to California (Led Zeppelin)
It’s sort of mind-boggling to think of Led Zeppelin’s early career. In only three years, they released four of the most critically acclaimed rock records to date. While the third marked the most distinct departure from heavy rock into gentle folk songs, Going To California from LZ IV is perhaps their most celebrated strictly folksy song; and is most certainly one of my all-time favorites.
The tender, tranquil, and almost ancient sound of John Paul Jones’ mandolin and Jimmy Page’s acoustic guitar are what often shine most for me, so it’s no surprise I was drawn to this beautiful lute and harp arrangement.
Köll plays a triple harp to accompany Pianca’s beautiful lute. It transcends time. It feels medieval, yet nostalgic to a point in my own past, while also fresh and new. It’s a rendition as equally calming and gorgeous as the original.
SOMETHING... UNKNOWING
Syreeta - I Don’t Know
1977
Syreeta - I Don’t Know
1977
Lately I’ve been feeling a lot of uncertainty. Grappling with how few decisions I’ve ever made with absolute confidence, and how many decisions I couldn’t even make and deferred to someone else. A lot is up in the air for me right now, some in my control and others not. My answer to it all is “I don’t know.” So that’s the theme. I Don’t Know.
Syreeta doesn’t know if this is love, and girl, I don’t know either. However, I do know that this is a criminally underrated song from the already underappreciated Syreeta Wright.
Married to Stevie Wonder from 1970-1972 and musical partners for longer, the 1977 One to One was her first record without the production totally overseen by him.
This is a song with funk, spunk, and soul. Syreeta has a voice I have always thought of as soft & angelic, as especially heard in Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, but she brings it all out here. Her vocals remain girlish and pristine while turning the energy level up to match the band.
Is this what not knowing feels like? Because honestly, if this is wrong... I don’t wanna be right.