My most immediate favorite of the year is probably Lily of the Valley by 22º Halo. It’s a masterpiece. It’s so good. They’re from Philadelphia, and I got into them a handful of years back with their album Garden Bed — which is also fantastic. I didn’t know they were releasing any new music until they put out the single for this one earlier this year, “Bird Sanctuary.” It’s the first track on the album.
As someone who makes guitar music, I love hearing guitar music that is well-made and thoughtful, and that’s every song on this album — just so full of precise intentionality. Just hearing that first track, I was so stoked to hear any more new stuff, and as soon as the whole album dropped I was hooked. I don’t listen to a lot of music that has this sort of very intimate, vulnerable vibe — not that I have anything against it, it’s just not what I seek out when I listen for new music — but this is an exceptional case in that it’s done so purely. It’s not exactly my story to tell the meaning behind the album; people can read up on that themselves, and listen to Will [Kennedy]’s actual words. But you can just feel this very intimate, earnest sweetness that permeates every line and lyric and melody. It just feels very close to home.
And on top of that, I just love any time I hear a chord progression that has a kind of meandering quality — it doesn’t exactly fit 4/4, or fit nicely into a pop sensibility. I love hearing stuff like this album where the songwriter can take you on a melodic, thematic journey through different chord progressions, and sort of break the mold and really take you by surprise with where the song is going. That’s something this band does a lot, and this album is a perfect example of that.
There are some guitar lines that drive me crazy on it. As a guitar player, I hear some shit and I’m just like, Man. The first two tracks, I love what the guitar is doing there. Same with “Swallows Wings” and “CVS on a Walk” — those are back-to-back, tracks six and seven. “CVS on a Walk” has this bendy guitar thing that happens that when I heard it, I just got a big smile on my face. The production quality of everything is very upfront, very close, so it’s like you’re zoomed in on a very sweet little kernel of melody.
Sometimes I’ll hear something so sick and just get angry, like, God, why didn’t I think of that. But this album — I could have that reaction with this album, but it’s so sweet and so earnest that I’m just happy. It’s like, Yes, thank god someone made this. Thank god someone is playing guitar like this, and making music that is so interesting yet so sweet and wholesome. I don’t have enough good stuff to say about it.
My runner up is Free Energy by Dummy. Another one that I would have a lot of similar things to say about as far as intentionality, well-thought-out, true due diligence that’s given to the songcraft and the mix. I just really respect how that album was made, and the songs are fire.
As told to Annie Fell.
Wishy’s Triple Seven is out now on Winspear.
