i’m going to listen to this in a little bit but first some ranking after listening through the discography this week saint cloud > cerulean salt > out in the storm > american weekend > ivy tripp ivy tripp - i’ve definitely been underrating this one. it’s a little scattershot and very much a transitional record, but i appreciate it for what it is. it’s the bridge between what i’d consider “old” wax and “new” wax and struggles a bit because of that. it’s also charming, has some great melodies, and the diversity keeps it interesting. american weekend - scrappy, messy, heartfelt. you can hear how lost she was. the rawness and authenticity are it’s greatest strength but also make it feel like reading pages from someone’s diary. it’s a glimmer of the songwriter she’d become and feels like a vital first step in her journey. out in the storm - i love that she has an album that just rocks. this is where i started with her music, and recite remorse is an all-timer. if i have anything bad to say about it, it’s that it feels slightly plain at times, but i also love that she just went for straight-up no bullshit rock songs (and some ballads, i guess) and delivered. i hope she returns to a slightly louder and heavier sound at some point down the line. cerulean salt - her first masterpiece imo. it’s a perfect blend of the rawness of american weekend with the stronger songwriting chops of everything afterwards. it’s a little grungy and dirty, which gives it so much power despite it still being a really stripped back record. it’s concise enough to be endlessly replayable while having enough to sink your teeth into time and time again. saint cloud - instant classic, total winner, an all-timer from the first time i heard it. okay, maybe not, but it was immediately something special. this sound works SO well for her, and it feels like she truly arrived as a songwriting power in a way she hadn’t fully before. there is never a bad time to listen to this record, and it’s one i can imagine in my life for decades. it’s the kind of album i can’t wait to pass down to my future kids. nearly flawless, impeccable, unimpeachable, etc etc can’t wait to hear tigers blood
this album rules. Empty Bottle tonight in Chicago is gonna be sweeeet. @bradpetrik, i'll be wearing a Brewers hat. i owe you a drink!! would be really sick if MJ showed up for this..
album expectedly rips. i was lukewarm on the singles for a bit but have sufficiently warmed up. immediate thoughts are at least on par with st. cloud. also tiger's blood was always one of my favorite sno cone flavors something i've only started thinking about recently, does she have indigenous ancestry and if not, is it weird that this is her moniker? idk maybe a non-thing
Tigers Blood may be over Right Back to It for me as fav track. Either way it’s an incredible way to pull off making the title track the closer. Chef’s kiss.
How about let’s not make it a thing. I believe the name is from an actual place where she grew up, a creek or something. My thought is if you take issue with that, then you should probably take issue with the millions of other places in America with indigenous etymology
Only had the chance to listen once but I can’t pick a favorite song. A wonderful evolution from one of the best around.
I’m really jealous of your signed insert. For some reason all I got was a small signed postcard-sized picture.
I actually had no idea I was getting that, I just picked the variant that looked kind of blood like in the mock up. Didn’t come out that way at all but it’s still sick haha
Gotta say it was a rough decade for Tiger’s Blood after being demoted from an S tier sno cone flavor to a shitty Charlie Sheen meme, but the glow up to being an incredible Waxahatchee record is a redemption arc for the ages
incredible album that does exactly what i was hoping for and then some. so warm and lived-in. it feels like i’ve known these songs for years even though i’m just getting to know them. if saint cloud made me start considering katie in my list of all-time favorite songwriters, this one cemented her place.
I recommend listening to this album with a big ass bottle of red wine and the tournament on on mute. Doing this now and it kicks all the ass.
I’m gonna sit with this album for awhile and just continue to take it in. I can already feel the layers and nuances shining through like I had hoped. ‘St Cloud’ was such a deeply resonating album for me(many others I’m sure) that right now I’m focused on savoring these first handful of listens, I can already tell it’s going to stack up nicely to its predecessor.
if there’s one thing about me, it’s that i love a good opening track. katie already has a few stunners (hollow bedroom and oxbow being my favorites thus far), and 3 sisters might rule them all. it has not left my head all day.