On the surface, there’s absolutely no reason that I should enjoy the spoken word ramblings of Ansonandtherest. The album contains no singing, it’s just musical meanderings layered under the storytelling poetry of Anson Hohne. If you described this to me, I would tell you, conceptually, it sounds abysmal. 

But it’s not. Maybe I’m just getting old and I’m open to weirder things but it’s actually soothing. The calm vocal speaking paints a tiny picture of familiar things – dealing with the rain, traveling for a lost love and lots of coffee.

If you find this pretentious and self-indulgent, I wouldn’t fault you, but I think if you listen to it meditatively, you will enjoy some part of it.

Can I admit something to you, faithful reader? I don’t have a ton of time for this site. Or, really, for keeping up with the Nashville music scene in general. I moved away to Brooklyn a few years ago but always felt beholden to the Nashville area because that’s where my roots lie and I truly believe the music emerging from the area is more diverse and interesting and captivating than just about anyone gives it credit for.

My lack of time for properly tending to this site leads to a lot of oversights. I’m not even saying that from a journalistic standpoint. I have no doubt that The Cream and all the other Nashville music blogs are covering this stuff in a timely manner. I’m saying this on a PERSONAL front. I missed out of music and I lament it.

I’ll leave all the rambling above and summarize with this – Mom and Dad are a fascinatingly weird band. The album art is a good indication of their off kilter nature but to fully appreciate it, give WHICH ?? a listen in headphones. The album is filled with joyful madness that comes through best when you’re fully immersed in it. Vocal sizzles, weird moans, time phasing, and doubled up rants should not be missed.

This is the weirdness I want to crawl out of Nashville and I hate that it took me nine months to become area. 

For my money, German Error Message is The Microphones of the Nashville area and he certainly does not disappoint with maintaining that moniker on his latest released song, “2017.” 

I hope there’s a full album behind this.

Want to enjoy good music and DO good while doing so? Steer yourself towards the latest, rather beautiful, track from Tristen entitled “In Winter Blues.” All proceeds benefit the International Rescue Commission, an organization dedicated to providing lifesaving care to people fleeing conflict and natural disaster. Seems like the most Christmas-y thing you could go.

Another release from the slow trickle of Brooke Waggoner remixes based off her Sweven album released earlier in 2016. Foreign Fields reimagines the track into a unfolding swirl of sounds. The headphone listen is pretty immersively intense, in the best way.

Lots of bad shit went down in 2016 but at least we’ve got this David Argyle Thacker Christmas Classic to carry us through the rest of the year. Always a delightfully uplifting listen.