Maggie Rogers appreciation thread

[RichardMongler]

It isn't every day I listen to Pop music as most the lyrical themes are utterly anathema to me and my gym's playlist consistently rotates absolute dreck on loop, but on rare occasions, one talented artist hits the right notes and stands out from the rest. Enter Maryland-born singer Maggie Rogers. She has a new single out and will be releasing a new album in the coming months:

Her music ranges everywhere from Indie Folk to Pop Rock with a few bits of Alt-Country in between. These tunes are particular favorites of mine by album. "Love You for a Long Time" is a particularly cozy tune that's perfect for a long car ride on an open road during a crisp sunny spring or summer day:

"Give a Little" and "Light On" off her 2019 major label debut Heard It in a Past Life

Her last album Surrender is when you can see more commercial sensibilities creep in thanks to the iPod Indie influences, but these tunes are ace irrespective of those songwriting and production qualities. After all, it's "Want Want" which drew my attention:

Any thoughts / reactions, folks?

 

[Womble of Wimbledon]

Literally what sets her apart from every alt-country chick with a slight twang and an acoustic guitar?

 

[Fastest Hand In The East]

Literally what sets her apart from every alt-country chick with a slight twang and an acoustic guitar?

Alt-country boys:

Spoiler

This time is different
It's not like the times before
I crossed my heart, that I won't kill no more
Jesus watch over me, keep my anger at home
You better bless these wicked hands, because they got a mind of they're own
Don't go downtown
Devil whispers in my ear, "It's time for your curtain call"
So, I dress myself on up with alcohol
Step aside, step aside let the whistler through
There really ain't no help at all for folks like me and you
Don't go downtown, don't go downtown
Get your god d-mn hands out, don't you look at me
No one's dying here alone
Well, I came to get it on
Let's get it on
This time is different
Not like the time before
I crossed my heart, that I won't kill no more

Alt-country girls: same as country

 

[Night Crawler]

I would rather put a metal bucket over my head and bang on it with a stick.

female musicians are often terrible. Just like female comedians.

 

[Mayhem]

Fallingwater is by far her best song, in my opinion:

It’s of those songs that makes you stop what you’re doing and ask, “Who’s that?”

I don’t like most contemporary pop music, but I think some of the best is coming out of the alt-folk and alt-country genres. They know how to write a good melody, and the singers know how to actually sing. Kacey Musgraves is similar in tone, but much more country.

 

[RichardMongler]

Fallingwater is by far her best song, in my opinion:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bR1d8l92Q8Q
It’s of those songs that makes you stop what you’re doing and ask, “Who’s that?”

I don’t like most contemporary pop music, but I think some of the best is coming out of the alt-folk and alt-country genres. They know how to write a good melody, and the singers know how to actually sing. Kacey Musgraves is similar in tone, but much more country.

Nice tune. I must've slept on that because that's another ace song. Heard It in a Past Life is an inconsistent album with a few great singles plagued by too much filler. Surrender is a much more consistent album that's surprisingly eclectic. The songs there have depth and show a range of tone and themes from energetic and upbeat tunes like "Shatter", "Overdrive" or "Want Want" to downtempo and relaxed like "Be Cool". She even leaves room for nostalgia, melancholy and sentimentality on "Begging for Rain" and "Horses".

Literally what sets her apart from every alt-country chick with a slight twang and an acoustic guitar?

Who would you compare her to?

 

[Womble of Wimbledon]

Who would you compare her to?

Reminds me very much of Gillian Welch who was doing this in the late 90s

 

[RichardMongler]

Reminds me very much of Gillian Welch who was doing this in the late 90s

Heh, she was a headliner along with Loretta Lynn (RIP) for the Americana Fest in Nashville sometime in late September 2015. Once Loretta finished her set, I bounced and didn't bother staying for Gillian Welch. Never cared for her music.

 

[RichardMongler]

So the album Don't Forget Me had come out last year to much fanfare from several outlets (including Pitchfork, NME, Spin, Rolling Stone) and opening for Coldplay on tour. Normally, I would glare banefully at anyone touring with them but I suppose those two have overlapping audiences.

Unfortunately for me, the album felt incomplete. The title track and single is the highlight, but accounting for the song's earlier release and placement as the album's final track, knowing what to expect softens the blow. Still, it's a very heartfelt tune with Maggie's signature aching for permanence underscore by her intense yet tempered desperation. "The Kill" and "Drunk" are also worth hearing:

As mentioned earlier, the album has these listless filler tracks that might resonate more with others but do nothing for me. And then, there's "So Sick of Dreaming" which is the lowlight. It features this painfully smug, self-congratulatory bridge towards the middle of it that pisses on an otherwise decent song. It's memorable for all the wrong reasons:

This single dropped about 10 months back:

 

[RichardMongler]

Reminds me very much of Gillian Welch who was doing this in the late 90s

Alt-country boys:

Spoiler

This time is different
It's not like the times before
I crossed my heart, that I won't kill no more
Jesus watch over me, keep my anger at home
You better bless these wicked hands, because they got a mind of they're own
Don't go downtown
Devil whispers in my ear, "It's time for your curtain call"
So, I dress myself on up with alcohol
Step aside, step aside let the whistler through
There really ain't no help at all for folks like me and you
Don't go downtown, don't go downtown
Get your god d-mn hands out, don't you look at me
No one's dying here alone
Well, I came to get it on
Let's get it on
This time is different
Not like the time before
I crossed my heart, that I won't kill no more

Alt-country girls: same as country

Fallingwater is by far her best song, in my opinion:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bR1d8l92Q8Q
It’s of those songs that makes you stop what you’re doing and ask, “Who’s that?”

I don’t like most contemporary pop music, but I think some of the best is coming out of the alt-folk and alt-country genres. They know how to write a good melody, and the singers know how to actually sing. Kacey Musgraves is similar in tone, but much more country.

I've been listening to Maggie's pre-Pharrell work for what feels like two months. Her first two albums she recorded between her late teens and 20-years-old have a certain innocence and purity to them that was lost by the time "Alaska" came out. Songs like "Little Joys", "Satellite" or "Wolves" convey deep-seated sentiments without oversharing or indulging in maudlin tropes, and a tune like "James" stands out as a pleasant homage to a doomed adolescent romance that nonetheless ended amicably with the lyrics wishing her former boyfriend benediction. I know I've pestered @Ventrue @Gog & Magog @Stilgar of Troon and @Pee Cola about this. Others might come away with a different feeling on these tunes than I have. Highlights from her Bandcamp page not available on YouTube: "Deep in the Earth", "Creatures"

Other stuff worth mentioning is her unreleased Indie/Shoegaze EP that made it to Notes from the Archive. This is quite different than anything from her post-Capitol Records days. She probably won't be breaking any new ground for seasoned listeners of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive or Soda Stereo, but the tunes are pleasant all the same: