N&G AoTM /// Vol. 59 - May 2024 /// Laura Stevenson - Cocksure
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Nee Lewman
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Congrats!!!
Joe Mac
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gaporter
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I suppose I should make at least one more post in this thread before the month is up, as I'm really pushing it with this technically still being the "May" AOTM...
I'll say that it's actually a bit serendipitous that this thread would coincide with my graduation, because I initially discovered Laura Stevenson's music when I first attended college fresh out of high school back in 2017 (seven years ago
). I was getting into Jeff Rosenstock's music quite a bit at the time too, and it was this connection that eventually opened the floodgates and led me to down the rabbit hole to finding Laura's discography.
I was immediately struck by various things about Laura Stevenson's music; most notably, I found myself instantly enthralled by the potent combination of her powerful voice and her sharp lyricism, which could be at times snappy and witty, and at others somber and sobering. What was most impressive to me, though, was her ability to leave me easily captivated just through the use of her vocals and minimal instrumentation. Any of you who have known me for a while know that folk and genres like it don't rank especially highly on my scale; it's not that I don't appreciate the artistry that goes into more intimate and stripped-down music, but at the end of the day, I am who I am. I like beats, I like hooks, so music lacking in these things tends not to do much for me; and yet, in the hands of certain artists, these complaints of mine seem to melt away.
2017 turned out to be an appropriate time for me to become a fan of Laura's extremely emotive and expressive music, as 2018 unfortunately turned out to be one of the worst and darkest years of my life. I've alluded to it before and it's not a period I'm especially keen on I'm reliving, but when I think back on the things that really helped me power through and make it to the other side, I'm often reminded of how cathartic Stevenson's music was for me during this time, how she seemed to have a direct line into my emotions and how much her vivid, often heartbreaking lyricism resonated with me.
That's the personal connection, anyhow. As for why I picked Laura Stevenson to be the artist of my AOTM, though? Well, I thought about the album I picked last time I did this, and while that thread was a whole host of chaos in and of itself, No Now was an album I was very excited to share with the forum specifically because it was such a singularly different and daring piece of work, something I will always treasure for blowing my mind and breaking my preconceptions of what music could be. This time, though, I wanted to scale things back a bit. Unlike Clarence Clarity, Laura Stevenson isn't seeking to reinvent the wheel. As much as I've often proclaimed my love for artists that dare to push boundaries and take risk after risk with each successive album, there's also something to be said for an artist who is just straight up consistent.
At the time of me writing this, Laura has released six albums, and in my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with any of them. There's not a single bad - or even mediocre - one in the bunch. Sure, the earlier recordings can be a bit rough around the edges, but more often than not, the sheer raw power of the songwriting and talent on display is enough to overcome any shortcomings in audio quality. Cocksure is my personal favorite record of Laura's largely because it is her most sonically upbeat and lyrically direct work to date, but I admit that it isn't entirely indicative of her sound as a whole. For those of you who prefer the folky stuff, I'd recommend giving a listen to Wheel or The Big Freeze, or if you want to hear what really pulled me in all those years ago, check out the recently remastered Sit Resist, which despite some lo-fi production, contains what is in my opinion still some of her finest work.
In fact, while Cocksure may be the "AOTM", I encourage all of you to dive deeper into the Laura Stevenson discography as a whole and choose for yourself which you like best, as I'm certain many of you will find much to enjoy. Her most recent record was her self-titled album, released in 2021, which was probably her most mature work to date. I'm extremely excited for anything she puts out and I hope that, after dipping your toes into her work, some of you will be too. I apologize that I wasn't able to dedicate my time and attention to the AOTM process like I wish I could have, but I nevertheless am happy that so many of you have enjoyed the pick and it makes me so incredibly happy to see this record on more people's turntables.
I'll say that it's actually a bit serendipitous that this thread would coincide with my graduation, because I initially discovered Laura Stevenson's music when I first attended college fresh out of high school back in 2017 (seven years ago
). I was getting into Jeff Rosenstock's music quite a bit at the time too, and it was this connection that eventually opened the floodgates and led me to down the rabbit hole to finding Laura's discography.I was immediately struck by various things about Laura Stevenson's music; most notably, I found myself instantly enthralled by the potent combination of her powerful voice and her sharp lyricism, which could be at times snappy and witty, and at others somber and sobering. What was most impressive to me, though, was her ability to leave me easily captivated just through the use of her vocals and minimal instrumentation. Any of you who have known me for a while know that folk and genres like it don't rank especially highly on my scale; it's not that I don't appreciate the artistry that goes into more intimate and stripped-down music, but at the end of the day, I am who I am. I like beats, I like hooks, so music lacking in these things tends not to do much for me; and yet, in the hands of certain artists, these complaints of mine seem to melt away.
2017 turned out to be an appropriate time for me to become a fan of Laura's extremely emotive and expressive music, as 2018 unfortunately turned out to be one of the worst and darkest years of my life. I've alluded to it before and it's not a period I'm especially keen on I'm reliving, but when I think back on the things that really helped me power through and make it to the other side, I'm often reminded of how cathartic Stevenson's music was for me during this time, how she seemed to have a direct line into my emotions and how much her vivid, often heartbreaking lyricism resonated with me.
That's the personal connection, anyhow. As for why I picked Laura Stevenson to be the artist of my AOTM, though? Well, I thought about the album I picked last time I did this, and while that thread was a whole host of chaos in and of itself, No Now was an album I was very excited to share with the forum specifically because it was such a singularly different and daring piece of work, something I will always treasure for blowing my mind and breaking my preconceptions of what music could be. This time, though, I wanted to scale things back a bit. Unlike Clarence Clarity, Laura Stevenson isn't seeking to reinvent the wheel. As much as I've often proclaimed my love for artists that dare to push boundaries and take risk after risk with each successive album, there's also something to be said for an artist who is just straight up consistent.
At the time of me writing this, Laura has released six albums, and in my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with any of them. There's not a single bad - or even mediocre - one in the bunch. Sure, the earlier recordings can be a bit rough around the edges, but more often than not, the sheer raw power of the songwriting and talent on display is enough to overcome any shortcomings in audio quality. Cocksure is my personal favorite record of Laura's largely because it is her most sonically upbeat and lyrically direct work to date, but I admit that it isn't entirely indicative of her sound as a whole. For those of you who prefer the folky stuff, I'd recommend giving a listen to Wheel or The Big Freeze, or if you want to hear what really pulled me in all those years ago, check out the recently remastered Sit Resist, which despite some lo-fi production, contains what is in my opinion still some of her finest work.
In fact, while Cocksure may be the "AOTM", I encourage all of you to dive deeper into the Laura Stevenson discography as a whole and choose for yourself which you like best, as I'm certain many of you will find much to enjoy. Her most recent record was her self-titled album, released in 2021, which was probably her most mature work to date. I'm extremely excited for anything she puts out and I hope that, after dipping your toes into her work, some of you will be too. I apologize that I wasn't able to dedicate my time and attention to the AOTM process like I wish I could have, but I nevertheless am happy that so many of you have enjoyed the pick and it makes me so incredibly happy to see this record on more people's turntables.