I’m late with this one, I know. I got called into work over the weekend, as a surprise. I just have absolutely no routine right now and I feel a little like I’m going crazy. However, as I write this I am in the process of making some nice French bread for the first time in ages. And recently I dabbled with some synthesizer stuff for the first time in quite a while. Let me tell you: I have neglected both of these things for far too long. It feels pretty dang good to get back to some old hobbies.
Baseball Corner
Well, the Baseball season is over. With sort of a dull thud from the American League, if we’re being honest. And unfortunately for me, the Blue Jays were no exception. They’ve finished 79-83 and missed the postseason. So, what happened?
I am not interested in any answer to that question that doesn’t foreground injury. I know the offense was weak, but, well, Kirk, Springer, and Vladdy all dealt with injuries at some point this year. And the offense had its hot streaks and its strong contributors. No, to me the problem this year was obvious. It was pitcher injuries. The Blue Jays did not have a full starting rotation at basically any point this year. It doesn’t matter what your offense is doing if you don’t have reliable pitching, and the Blue Jays didn’t, for reasons largely beyond their control. They came into the season with 8 viable starters ready to go, and then had a Homer At the Bat style series of misfortunes that literally never let up, going from Trey Yesavage getting hurt during spring training to Trey Yesavage getting hurt in August.
But there’s stuff to be excited about if you’re a Jays fan. This rotation could still be great, if they have even marginally better health luck next year. I really like the addition of Jose Soriano. And what a year Dylan Cease had! On the other side of the ball, the jays have got a couple of extremely promising rookies in Kazuma Okamoto and Brett Bateman. Bateman especially has been a revelation. I cannot wait to see more of him next year.
So now, going into a Jaysless postseason, I guess I’m bandwagoning the Brewers (it would’ve been the Dbacks, but alas). I would love to see them actually do it this year, but, well, they do have the Dodgers to go through before even getting to the World Series. On the AL side I’m going to join my buddy Mark in rooting for the White Sox. They have the power of Catholic God on their side, after all.
What Have I Been Listening to?
Carly Rae Jepson’s "Day and Night" is pretty much everything I want pop music to be. It’s got catchy melodies, varied instrumentation, a nice variety of tempos and moods, and plenty of wonderful genre blending and pastiche. I’ve listened to it a few times, and every time I go back I find a few new songs to really appreciate. It has, as of now, supplanted Ariana Grande’s "Petal" as my pop album of the year.
"Day and Night’s" defining characteristic is its structure. This is a double album that is basically two separate albums. The "Day" half leans towards live instrumentation, blending disco and r&b with Jepsen’s usual vibrant, melody-forward pop. In contrast, the "Night" half goes all in on synthesizers for more of an EDM sound. You can appreciate the two halves together -- the transition from "Just a Little Walk on the Moon" to "Never Let a Good Thing Die" is striking and flows wonderfully -- but they also both stand on their own. It’s a pretty generous, substantial project, and unlike many double albums it never feels like its wasting your time. Both halves are well paced and full of great songs, and as I mentioned above I’m finding new deep cuts to appreciate on each listen.
My favourite thing about this album is really what has set Jepsen’s music apart from other mainstream pop ever since "Run Away With Me" gave us that saxophone: these songs are not afraid to get a little freaky with the instrumentation. I love those strings in "Blue Skies," that Daedalus-ass piano and synth riff in "Near or Far," and the turbulent piano line that drives the verse section of "Versailles," to name a few things. More broadly than just specific instrumental flourishes, though, this album gets downright interesting with its arrangements. The opener "After All" is the perfect example of this. When that chorus hits and everything falls away beneath Jepsen’s voice I almost get goosebumps. That’s the kind of big dynamic swing I love. A lot of pop in the digital age likes to build these transparent instrumental tracks that centre the singer and nothing else, so I really appreciate artists like Jepsen who give nerds like me a bunch of stuff to latch onto.
"Day and Night" is an excellent pop album, and you should check it out. At the very least go listen to "After All," because holy moly, what a song.
Rating: ☆☆