It goes without saying that this year was unlike any other. However, my yearly top 10 album tradition must live on!
After a 14-year hiatus, The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks) release their new album through a unique collab with producer Jack Antonoff and arrive together at a new era of protest country-pop. “Gaslighter” is super fun and dynamic and I was thrilled they covered Charlotte Lawrence’s heartbreakingly relateble “Everybody Loves You.” So glad this iconic trio is releasing music again!
Best Tracks: Gaslighter, Texas Man, Everybody Loves You, March March
While 1989 felt like a rubicon of sorts dripping with the counter-intuitive desire of resisting reaching the height of one’s potential, she managed to deliver two more successful projects in reputation and Lover (both in terms of quality and commercial success), and while reputation didn’t do as well as she hoped and is never the popular choice of a “which TS album is the best?” poll, a weaker Swift album is still incredibly well done with this album bringing “Delicate” (a personal all-time favorite and #4 on Rob Sheffield’s ranking of all 153 Taylor Swift songs on Rolling Stone).
*in order of appearance
November 2019-February 2020
Technically starting in 2019 but concluding in 2020, Ronan Farrow’s companion podcast to his Pulitzer Prize-winning crime novel Catch and Kill elevates and makes audibly tangible the stories he uncovered about Harvey Weinstein and the dangerous scrutiny he went through because of it.
January 5th
Although it’s become ubiquitous and at times abused, I still find it a helpful tool of gaining awareness of the places we come from and the tendencies in our perspectives and projections. And I’ve always said the reason why I love and study this personality analysis the most is because I think it is the one to most honestly, and even a bit brutally, expose our sin.
I was reminded yesterday (listening to this Midtown Fellowship Podcast episode on The Gospel & Justice) how much our self-righteousness permeates everything — even the seemingly selfless aspects of our lives. …
10 years since she had to cancel singing “Falling Slowly” from Once with me at a school coffeehouse to go to the hospital for what we thought was a persisting sports injury. 10 years since I stood in my kitchen, almost premonitionally avoiding eye contact with my mother before she said she had to tell me something. 10 years since she said “it’s cancer,” since I said “what? oh my God, oh my God.” …
*Even though this is being published now, this was my first edition to my TV Shows & The Enneagram series (that’s why it includes the most Ennea background). The site I originally posted these on crashed so I’ve slowly gotten them back on Medium. Check out others on my profile (One Tree Hill, The Office, and Parks & Rec) and check out coordinating podcast episodes on my show Monologue here!
The Enneagram is subtle and complex. It’s common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, but the more you dive into each, the more one…
But among my many hats, one of them is an employed member of the music industry in a very important, timely niche: streaming promotions.
This year is the first time I’ve seen all 9 best picture noms! It was a great year — much better than the past two IMO.
***DISCLAIMER: This list does not include (because I haven’t yet seen) Pain & Glory, The Two Popes, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Harriet, The Lighthouse, or Richard Jewel.
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects
Last Sunday’s awards show actually made me like her more. From delivering a very beautiful and sparse performance of the only song from WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? I like: “when the party’s over,” to actually saying “please don’t be me…please” after the night’s energy began hinting at a sweep for the youngest artist nominated in these categories.
I have my opinions on whether she deserved these awards, but they’re not worth stating here. What I do want to drop out there in the ether is this:
Monica Moser is an Austin-based singer/songwriter, podcaster, & freelance journalist working in digital marketing in the music industry. TW/IG: @monicamoser