Dec 12 - My Brightest Diamond / Ex:Re

I've just spent the last few days in Wellington, doing pretty much nothing. It's been kind of great. I decided to stop in a for a few days on my way home, because my friend Beth invited me to a Hannukah dinner that her chef friend was having. And I'm so glad I came. It meant a very stressful 72 hours back in Sydney, trying to get unpacked and whatnot, but since I got here, it's been total relaxation.

I've actually been working practically every day, but only for an hour or so. Other than that I've just been out and about, wandering the city, sitting outside reading, eating delicious food, and going to that Hannukah dinner I mentioned. Which was fantastic. I've done pretty much all the touristy stuff there is to do here already, but I did go back to a couple of museums. And part of me feels a bit guilty about not doing more, but I really think I needed this break and I'm very glad I had it. I've also managed to make it half way through the second season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which I will hopefully finish on the flight home. That and maybe a bit of work. We'll see. I have 12 hours, so it would be a good time to do it.

For now, I've only got a few more hours in Wellington and I need to pack up before Beth gets home, so I'll go ahead and give you a couple more final music recs for the year. Both of today's are favorites of mine who have made new music.

I've already written about My Brightest Diamond this year, but then she actually dropped an album out of nowhere, called A Million and One. This is a weird one for me. I was not as immediately smitten with it as past albums, and somewhere in the back of my mind I have this idea of it being corny. But then every time I actually listen to it, I'm surprised at how good it is. I think it comes from the fact that a couple of the singles she put out before the album were quite poppy and dancy, which is not what I expected from her. I expected something more... dramatic? I don't think that's the right word. But I think of her music as being very orchestral and operatic and something you would expect to see performed on stage. This did not immediately strike me as that. But the more I listen, the more I hear it in there, and it's just these sort of dancy parts that stick in your head and make you forget about it. So yeah, good album, but I still need a few more listens. The best track on the album is definitely You Wanna See My Teeth. I actually remember her playing this in Paris back in April and I couldn't wait for it to be released, and it does not disappoint at all. Fantastic song. Lots of drama. Lots of good noises.

I think the other song I'll share is Supernova. This one is pretty dancy, but also really great. Kind of gives you an idea of what I'm thinking of when I listen to the album. But overall, it's a great one.





And then we have Ex:Re (pronounced ex ray), which is the solo project of Elena Tonra from Daughter, one of my favorite bands. And she is just as melancholy and beautiful in this project as she is in Daughter. The eponymous debut also came out of nowhere, and I only found out about it because it was announced on the Daughter Instagram and Facebook like a week before coming out, when they released the first single, Romance. Which just so happens to be the best song on the album. and don't let the title fool you. It's a pretty heartbreaking song. I think it's the only one I'm going to share from the album actually. It's a great album, but needs a few more listens to find out which songs I really love. These songs are slow burns. They definitely take time to get into the details and really listen to. But it is worth taking the time.