
Allie Crow Buckley – Cowboy In London
Genre: Indie Pop, Dream Pop
The people suffering from a true records collector disease view places differently. No, not their home street. That one looks just about the same any day. Instead, they rely on the mythology surrounding their favorite music to help discern the most important places in this whole wide world.
Berlin is, of course, the place where David Bowie made his best work and where techno reared its ugly head. San Francisco is the place where the hippies took acid. New York is where punk rock got started. And Tokyo is the place where the music of the future used to come from.
What about London? Well, that’s the geographic nexus of the Universe for a record collector. It’s the be-all and end-all. Every dirty street corner and the unwashed train station is a song.
Allie Crow Buckley’s Cowboy In London is a gently psych-pop song that plays up to the myth of England’s capital. Buckley approaches the sacred place like a long-lost servant being beckoned home. It’s a beautiful dream, alright. In this one, there are no muggings, the bus arrives on time, and the drizzle doesn’t take up the whole day.
Eleni Drake – Rookie
Similar artists: Adrianne Lenker, Faye Webster, Julien Baker, Lana Del Rey
Genre: Bedroom, Lo-fi Pop, Indie Folk, Lo-fi Rock
The reason why soothsayers are so special is precisely the reason why terrific musical performers are so revered. In theory, anyone could take up either of these two jobs. Everyone can talk and sing, after all.
In reality, it takes some unnatural kinds of gifts and a whole lot of confidence to get into any of these businesses. Once you manage to transport people to another reality, they’ll probably just expect you to do it all the time.
It’s a lot like being a professional athlete who possesses an incredible physical trait. Sure, you may have won the lottery when it came to that. But good luck maintaining yourself running in tip-top shape.
Eleni Drake’s Rookie presents a special performer, one that has the gift to transport listeners to a different world using her voice. The ability doesn’t just lie in the vocals but in the groove, the intonation, and the confidence. It’s a bad thing that she’s so good at it. Her fans will expect her to do this now and forever.