Last week there was an online listening party for the new Steven Page album, Excelsior. I believe it’s out today.
That was a new experience for me — getting to hear the music before it comes out. But, with that, you give up something else: the liner notes. I feel the best part of new music is listening to the songs while reading along.
So, I can’t give you the liner notes, but I can pull out the lines that I liked. Some songs were very musical and soaring, some catchy, but these had lines that struck me.
Feel (Death and loss and funerals) – “They can’t help but lie when somebody dies”
Human Doll (AI) – “It can emulate a realistic kiss”
How Much is Enough (Breaking up) – “Talk yourself into leaving a little self for yourself”
The Golden Age of Doubling Down (society today) – “We’re in crazy town led by circus clowns / Let’s go underground for an ultrasound”
Zoom (fucking pandemic) – “No immunity, just community”
That last line got me. Zoom made me cry with its general theme of “when is this horseshit going to be over already.”