Listening Notes Vol. 1

In which I get so nostalgic for old-school internet writing that I resurrect a monthly feature from my blogging days of yore.

tl;dr — In the spirit of discovering new music beyond algorithms and getting in touch with my music writer roots, it’s a new monthly series! I’ll share a few albums I’ve been listening to lately, and would love to get your recs in the comments too. Just trying to experiment with new ways to consistently write here!

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For the first time in maybe a decade, we got over a foot of snow at my house. A week and a half has passed, but it’s still everywhere, piled up by the road, packed into the walking paths, towering and filthy in the corners of parking lots. One day I drove my dog around for an hour trying to find somewhere, anywhere that she could walk without getting stabbed in the paws with rock salt or buried to her neck. At a park near my house, I tested a patch of snow with my boot and stumbled in snow up to my knees.

Writing these days feels a lot like trudging through that kind of snow. The cold leaves aches in my body, and the news leaves aches in my heart.¹ Writing about anything else feels empty at best, tone deaf at worst.

So when I feel blocked, I pay a visit to my past self. I dig up the archives of my old 2010s blog and remember what it was like to just put things out there and write on the Internet for the fun of it, for no reason but self-expression and telling people about cool stuff I’m into.² Occasionally I see people on here call Substack a blog. Nothing’s really stopping us from bringing that energy back, right?

Yes, this is my old wordpress dot com, last updated 2015. Yes, she’s still out there.

Here’s another thing that is happening: I am exploring music again. Conventional wisdom says your taste freezes sometime in your 30s, and I could feel that happening. I didn’t have a long commute to immerse myself in CDs burned from iTunes purchases. I wasn’t working in radio or writing for music websites. I wasn’t hopping over to the record shop on my lunch break or going to lots of shows or talking to friends about music.

And that’s just personal. That doesn’t even account for how the streaming revolution upended how we make and consume music, especially for indie artists, or the way discovery algorithms lock us into a neat profile and only introduce us to more of the same thing we already like.

So I’m curious, how does one discover new music in their 40s? For the past couple years, I’ve been figuring it out. One of my favorite ways will always and forever be good ol’ word of mouth — the year end list, the random substack, the paying attention to what people I know love.

As I dug back into the old blog archives, I found a series I wrote in 2012 called “Opening Notes.” Nothing fancy, just a roundup of a few albums I listened to that month with some first impressions and how I found them. I didn’t make it past April, but I kind of enjoyed the little time capsule of 2012 Jen’s iPod library.

This is a very longwinded way of saying in 2026 it might be fun to bring that back. Just with a little tweak to the name because I’m not sure why I called an end of the month round up “Opening Notes.”

Listening Notes is a (hopefully!) monthly column where I share 3-4 albums that delighted me, surprised me, and/or held my attention last month. The only rules are 1) it’s new or new to me, and 2) I have listened to the full album, start to finish, multiple times.

Also, let’s make it a group project! What were you listening to in January? Let me know in the comments. I favor indie/alternative, folk, and some well-crafted pop, but I’ll try almost anything at least once. :)

Mon Rovîa - Bloodline

Sounds Like: A warm hug of Afro-Appalachian folk about the places that make us and the horrors and beauties of the world.

First Impressions: I’ve loosely followed Mon Rovîa since seeing him open for Gregory Alan Isakov a couple years ago. This full length record has an understated folk sound, but a deeper listen reveals a reflection on his identity as a Liberian child adopted and raised in America. There’s darkness, trauma, hope, joy, and freedom, and it deserves multiple close listens. But you can also have it on for a peaceful winter vibe if that’s what you need.

Discovery Source: Recommendation from my friend Amber. Listen to your friends!

Aaron Paris - LOTUSLAND

Sounds Like: A neo-classical score for a strange little solarpunk movie or something Ghibli adjacent

First Impressions: This was a whole work vibe last week. I don’t even know how to explain it because sometimes it feels like classical background music, then it’ll drop in some electronic flourishes or a glitchy turn of sound that delights a part of my brain. Short and unobtrusive enough you can put it on repeat while working, but spacious enough to lead down interesting new paths.

Discovery Source: A random Substack post in my Notes feed with winter music recommendations? The happiest accident. Like the feeling of hearing something weird in a record store and taking home your new favorite.

Paper Lady - Idle Fate

Sounds Like: Some alternate timeline where Taylor Swift fronted a grungy 90s dream rock band

First Impressions: I don’t know, it rocks and it’s fun and they’re from Boston and I really would love to know more about my localish music scenes. There’s that homemade indie band feeling, dreamy and melodic, with some great builds and intense moments. Past Jen would’ve loved this. (Also, the Geocities vibe of their website warms my elder millennial heart.)

Discovery Source: New Bands for Old Heads, a Substack that feels like it was made in a lab for this weird time of my life.

Radiohead - Hail to the Thief

Sounds Like: Radiohead found their guitars again and raged against the machine

First Impressions: I could write a whole essay about how I committed to liking Radiohead so I could be a Cool Music Guy™️. But I actually did come to love some of their albums and still think they’re interesting! Somehow, I missed this during my deep dive. I’ve been feeling a renewed interest in early-aughts political protest music lately,³ so now is just as good a time as any to check out an album that starts with “2+2=5.” Probably a mid-tier for me, but a fascinating transition from the cold electronics of Kid A/Amnesiac to one of my longtime faves, In Rainbows.

Discovery Source: My deep well of angst and a gap in my listening history

And a Bonus: Live Music This Month

January 29 at the Providence Performing Arts Center

I don’t have blurry concert photos for you, but wow, did I need to go hear some live music. January was a long, cold, emotional month. But sitting in this old theater, listening to simple folk music harmonize with the intricate beauty of an orchestra healed a little something in me.

1. Among other things, Minnesota has been weighing on me all month. A counterweight to the ache? Take a small action. Donate to organizations or people doing on-the-ground care in Minnesota. If you’re in the U.S., learn what your reps are doing about ICE and give them a call.

2. With of course the glimmer of a dream of getting published or something. It wasn’t always that pure.

3. NO REASON IN PARTICULAR WHY DO YOU ASK? 🫠