Nicole Brown – Medium

Published in The Riff

·Pinned

Cordae’s From A Bird’s Eye View Is Almost A Masterpiece

At 24, he’s got plenty of time and talent to bridge the gap — Sometimes an artist survives the fray because they study and show themselves approved. This was my first thought after listening to From A Bird’s Eye View, Cordae’s second studio album, released last month. Not to say he isn’t naturally talented. Standing alongside some of music’s most incredible artists (H.E.R., Gunna…

Music

3 min read

Cordae’s From A Bird’s Eye View Is Almost A Masterpiece

Published in The Riff

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Finally, An Album For Friendship Heartbreak

100 New Albums in 2022 Challenge, 1/100 — “can’t stick to that / can’t fade us to black / so I’m coming back/ cause it hurts / like the end of the world” — Coming Back (feat. SZA) Hello album cover I opened Spotify that first day of January with plans to listen to precisely what I can’t remember. My intentions…

The Riff

3 min read

Finally, An Album For Friendship Heartbreak

Published in Writers’ Blokke

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Ten Things

A list of things holding me down and keeping me sane — (I never saw myself writing a listicle, but when Terry Barr invites you to join a challenge…) 10 Things I Can’t Live Without, in an order that means absolutely nothing. Crashing (TV Show)— Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote a perfect one-season tv show that does not rhyme with tea rag. All the characters are deeply flawed, perfectly cast, and working through every human high note…

10 Essentialthings

4 min read

Published in The Riff

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[It]Feels Like [Too Much] Summer

On growing older and getting hotter INTRO My great-grandmother, my beautiful Naomi, would say heat created the southern drawl. That the defenseless and unprotected vocal cords got overheated and began to melt, like butter, causing crisp sounds to become stretched and loose. Words languished up the throat, then tumbled out…

Riff Summer Challenge

5 min read

Published in Modern Music Analysis

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Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars||Album Review

On yearning, devastation, and one perfect Leonard Cohen cover. — I was at my local bookstore, The Nook, working on an article about George Michael. My table was positioned beside the checkout counter and hidden from the entrance by a floating shelf of Bestsellers. The clerk, a friendly chap named Taylor, was working that morning. We chit-chatted a little before…

Music

4 min read

Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars||Album Review

Published in The Riff

·Nov 29, 2021

The Riff’s December Album of the Month

Meeting on Sunday, December 5th, @ 4pm EST — Why did I not remember how hectic November always is, and thus the worst month for me to volunteer to be the person responsible for choosing this month’s album? It’s been a helluva few weeks, and this is the ball I let drop. I’m sorry, guys. You should have been…

Music

4 min read

Published in The Daily Cuppa

·Oct 7, 2021

Has anyone else noticed an uptick in “single claps” for stories?

Has anyone else noticed an uptick in “single claps” for stories? At first, I thought the single claps were being left by members of the Medium Old Guard. You know, those members who were on the platform back when one clap was all you could give an article. Rather due…

Is It Just Me

1 min read

Has anyone else noticed an uptick in “single claps” for stories?

Huge red letters that spell “ONE” sitting on top of a freight car. — Photo by Lucas van Oort on Unsplash

At first, I thought the single claps were being left by members of the Medium Old Guard. You know, those members who were on the platform back when one clap was all you could give an article. Rather due…

Published in The Riff

·Aug 3, 2021

Come Hang Out — We’re Discussing Ace of Base’s Debut Album, The Sign

Join us Sunday, August 8th @ 7pm EDT Hello my fellow Riffers! This is your reminder that our Album of the Month meeting is this Sunday, August 8th, @ 7pm EDT. …

Music

2 min read

Come Hang Out — We’re Discussing Ace of Base’s Debut Album, The Sign

Published in The Daily Cuppa

·Jul 16, 2021

Life happens slowly and then all at once.

Life happens slowly and then all at once. I remember thinking with my kid brain about Fraggle Rock and loving school and the cute boy with the sad eyes I had a crush on and sat beside in first grade. And I remember my adolescent brain, how boring school was…

The Daily Cuppa

1 min read

Life happens slowly and then all at once.

I remember thinking with my kid brain about Fraggle Rock and loving school and the cute boy with the sad eyes I had a crush on and sat beside in first grade. And I remember my adolescent brain, how boring school was…

Published in The Riff

·Jul 14, 2021

The Riff’s August Album of the Month

Meeting on Sunday, August 8th @ 7pm EDT You guys, last Sunday (7/11/21) was Riff’s July Album of the Month Club meeting, and as you probably expected, it was awful. Hosted by Terry Barr (more on him later), the meeting derailed with Jessica Lee McMillan’s real-time intelligence and thoughtfulness (ew)…

Music

3 min read