Dustin's Best of 2017, #7: Phoebe Bridgers - 'Stranger in the Alps'

The first time I listened to Stranger in the Alps, I remember thinking that I enjoyed it, but that I wouldn't end up listening to it much outside of when I was going to bed. Anything with even slightly slower tempos than what I normally listen to is calming to me, so naturally I found the music on this album soothing. Then I started listening to the lyrics, and I changed my tune.

I don't really need to sing the praises of Bridgers' lyricism any more than nearly every music critic already has (there are plenty of reviews out there and it's not hard to find them), but, I will. Like all great songwriters, she has a way with words that cut deep in a very specific way that makes it almost like you're reading her diary, but that also sum up the way a complete stranger can relate and feel like the song is about them. I have no idea what actually happened to Bridgers that drove her to write "Motion Sickness" but I sure as hell feel like she could have mined through bits and pieces of my life to come up with at least the first verse and first run-through of the chorus.

In addition to writing great songs, Phoebe Bridgers also displays a sense of humor that balances out the seriousness of her songs. If I had seen enough praise for her I would've given in to curiosity anyway, but what really drew me in was that the album title comes from the infamous TV edit of The Big Lebowski (which, I'm sure you, dear reader, already knew). She's essentially the perfect millennial musician: she's unafraid to openly discuss "feeling blue all the time" but she's just as quick to continue to use the Instagram handle "_fake_nudes_" even after blowing up around the indie circuit and gaining a dedicated following. (I assume she's been using that name for awhile anyway- I didn't start following her until after the album dropped).

You can listen to Stranger in the Alps.

Recommended tracks: "Motion Sickness," "Funeral," "Demi Moore," "Scott Street," "Would You Rather"


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