The Enduring Magic of The Spirit Room
Michelle Branch’s 2001 album The Spirit Room is an all-timer for me from the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Alongside albums such as Matchbox Twenty’s Yourself or Someone Like You, Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me, and The Interstate Managers by Fountains of Wayne, it defined my musical likes outside of hip-hop. The reason The…
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Lost in the World, Grounded in Reality – Ela Minus & Nick León’s qué les pasó a mis amigos?
Although I felt lukewarm about DIA, I ultimately enjoyed the melancholic symphony Ela Minus created on her 2025 album. The same goes for her new collaborative EP with Nick León. Like DIA, qué les pasó a mis amigos? carries emotional gravitas. Her thematic writing parallels the production, with the cadence and tone of her vocals…
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Otis – the Defining Moment of Watch the Throne
I want to say “it felt like yesterday when…,” but that wouldn’t be true; time does fly fast, and if it weren’t for X.com, I would have forgotten the first time I heard “Otis,” by Jay-Z and Kanye West. I was driving my dad’s car and taking my grandma to collect a payment. While I…
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Delilah Responds – Hey There Delilah In 2026
Over the weekend, we got more nostalgia in the form of a follow-up to “Hey There Delilah” by The Plain White T’s. This follow-up features Canadian singer-songwriter LØLØ, who last week reposted a response cover she recorded six years ago. Though different from the final version, the concept is similar. It’s dreamy, hopeful, and focused…
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Musician’s I’m Diggin’ – WHATMORE
Around March, I was doing some music diving on YouTube while on my stationary bike. It started with me playing random beats and freestyling as I worked out, but it led me down a rabbit hole where, among other hip-hop videos, I personally discovered New York’s WHATMORE. It’s been about a decade since the rise…
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Everywhere & Back Again – Michelle Branch Takes Us Back to The 2000s
Since I’ve become more critical of music, few things get me hyped like a new TRL episode in 2005. In recent vintage, it has been nostalgic concerts by artists revisiting iconic works that I’d put in a higher echelon than some of these artists’ new music. I remember being exhilarated with anticipation when I purchased…
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The Invite: Writing My Way Back
I used to write. In my mind, I felt like I still did. To be frank, I became complacent. I started slowing down in 2025; I wasn’t writing as many reviews. I have no excuses. I bought a PlayStation 5 around Black Friday of 2024, and as someone who felt they had missed out on…
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Mumford & Sons – Rushmere: Review
It has been a rocky time since Mumford & Sons released 2018’s Delta, particularly due to the departure of right-wing-pilled bandmate Winston Marshall. This alignment didn’t fit the band’s identity, leading to an understandable split. Marcus Mumford launched his solo debut, which was raw and emotionally resonant, despite the final product being somewhat tepid. However,…
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Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women): Review
Japanese Breakfast has been on a journey of momentous highs since coming off touring for Jubilee, her last album that encompassed emotional dexterity with the contrasts and parallels derived from jubilant sentiments. Though the band wasn’t celebrating something grandiose, the Michelle Zauner-fronted group made it appear as such with tracks that brought the weight from…
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The Weekly Coos 