Matchstick

The only thing keeping this song from a dead drop zero is that it kinda makes me feel wistful sometimes. This song was basically my introduction to existential dread when I was like 13 and even when I listen to it now I feel a little bit choked up about the bittersweet progression of life. Then, of course, Lukas starts the self-congratulatory bullshit (LUKAAAASSS GRAAAAHM) and I remember that this is actually just a generic piece of sterile mid-2010's sorta-pop-soul balladry. Lukas ... read more

Ok. This isn't really the worst pop song ever, either in my opinion or in any "objective" sense. However, I hate it. I hate it so much. Why? Probably overplay. I remember hearing it in countless advertisements, on the radio everywhere I go, in the grocery store. When I was on my high school swim team, I would hear it on repeat every evening during practice then again the next morning while we were lifting. It's honestly kind of genius how Marshmallow was able to create a song that ... read more

The late 60's to early 70's is a period in jazz history that is generally associated with wild experimentation. Miles was doing his doing his weird jazz-funk-rock stuff and spawning dozens of imitators, the former associates and acolytes of John Coltrane were tapping further into their spirituality, and the genre as a whole seemed to have committed to pushing past the boundaries that had previously defined jazz as a whole. It was in the midst of this sea change that Ahmad Jamal released his ... read more

I know this is the normiest music opinion ever, but I think this is the greatest jazz album ever recorded. It just ticks every box for what makes a jazz album great in my eyes. The lineup of musicians here is absolutely stacked, featuring many of the greatest jazz musicians of the last 70 years. The solos across this whole album are incredible. Each song manages to balance a feeling of soulfulness with the loose soloing that makes post-bop what it is. All of this is built on a bedrock of great ... read more