Recent music

Jon Batiste: Spotify's This is Jon Batiste reminds me of a much less interesting Jacob Collier: both are talented and diversely spongey, both understand the science of the song, but neither has anything to say, resulting in generic AI-adjacent compositions. I envied Batiste, before I listened to his music; I want to be the only melodica-wielding jazz/pop pianist; then I watched Soul and grimaced at "you got soul and everybody knows cause it's alright." Plenty of classics sport the dumbest lyrics, but these are especially dumb, and the sounds on the track don't compensate. It isn't the only Batiste song I distinctly dislike, which I think says a lot, given my nonchalance toward the universe of generic music. Of course I'm harsher since I'm simultaneously expecting more from Batiste and, in a corner of my heart, hoping he'll fail. I don't dislike all of his music. "Moon River" was nice in that he added a beat per measure, to lock a lockier groove, and played it simply. I feel I could have played it that well, and that's okay; I don't mind how he played it. Elsewhere I was impressed by some of his instrumental soloing. And his compositions aren't generally bad; they just lack soul, as mine probably would, at this time in my life. I'd be writing just to write, because I can, and for practice.

Oscar Peterson: Night Train was too perfect. "Hymn to Freedom" was mechanical.

Miles Davis: I almost hate Birth of the Cool

Lennie Tristano: Intuition is too chaotic

Phoebe Bridgers: Bo Burnham can do better. Maybe she has a stellar personality -- her voice is great -- but the best song on Spotify's compilation is Bo's. I don't dislike any songs I heard, they just didn't stand out, and Bo stands out.

Steve Reich: I have slight interest in talking as music, or 20 minutes of clapping as music, but some of Reich's works were delightful (the trains, the Cave, Electric Counterpoint, Six Marimbas, and more), particularly when the context is right.

Tortured Poets Department: she keeps writing decent pop songs, but it's hardly inspiring anymore. I have never been an active Swift listener, yet I can identify several cliches she herself created and dated.

Cory Wong: hearing a bunch of Spotify's This Is, it just sounds like good production over mediocre songwriting. I'll have to try the album with Bluebird.

Vulfpeck: I'm disappointed, knowing a couple of highlights and now hearing that they're highlights, but it's certainly far from the last band I'd join.