Strange town, I guess
Today’s song rec: “Cinderblock” + “Strange Town” x Buzzy Lee
Last week, I saw Buzzy Lee — real name Sasha Spielberg, of the Jurassic Park Spielbergs — live at Public Records in Gowanus. I mostly decided to see her live because I’m a big fan of her podcast “Free Period,” co-hosted with Alana Haim, of the Days Are Gone Haims. I thought her music was a little boring, but maybe Steven or Alana would be there, so why not!
Liiiiiiiiterally, I was so blown away. Her sound was so powerful and beautiful and ethereal and nuanced, she — as a one-woman band managing her arrangements behind a synth and a spread of pedals before swaying through the stage like a magical yet painfully self-aware fairy — was able to bring out an incredible amount of elements I couldn’t have caught from just listening to her music on Spotify unless I had some incredible headphones or speakers blasting at full volume (but still listen, please!!!). The difference was insane — there must be something wrong with her album mixing that isn’t showcasing her full potential.
During the show, I realized her music reminds me of Kate Bush, and I’ve now come to one of the boldest conclusions of my life: If she were to have better recordings that really demo how dynamic her arrangements are, she would have the potential to be better than Kate Bush.
I’m going to throw two of her songs in there. “Cinderblock” is from her latest album and is definitely more dynamic and funky from the jump. “Strange Town”* is pretty slow until you get about a minute and a half in, but then there’s some great stuff there. Both songs have a similar Wild West gallop that, as I mentioned in my post about Geese, really emphasizes that we all just want to be cowboys. Give Sasha a listen! And if she’s ever in town, go see her live !!
*According to Sasha, she wrote this about a former lover who she would regularly escape with to some small West California town. If you listen to “Free Period,” I think we can surmise it was the suitcase-full-of-socks guy, lmao.
Pic by Floria Sigmondi !