Art I’m enjoying: Philip Labes’ Discography
Philip Labes “Four Seasons” on vinyl.
This is only my second “Art I’m enjoying” post, but I promise that one of these is going to be about someone who isn’t a white dude with a high voice in his late-20s/early-30s.
That said — Philip Labes.
I think I first ran into Philip Labes through is song “Jeff Found a Genie” and from there I’ve kept following him and have found myself enjoying his out put.
I know Labes has been making music for over 10 years, and I know he has a following, but he’s one of those artists that I do really wish was more known. He’s got a steady rate of song releases and a catalogue I find compelling.
I’m someone to tends to gravitate to select songs over full albums. (This is a personal flaw of mine. I understand. I’m working on it. I’m growing every day.) So the fact that I like a good portion of his albums front to back is a good sign in my book.
Not necessarily my favorite song from Labes, but maybe the one I’ve been going back to the most as a 29-year-old living a 10 hour drive away from my family is “i wanna go home.”
(Admittedly, I am relistening to the song as I write this and it is a strong contender for my favorite song of his. Probably one of my favorite songs from this year.)
It’s a song that isn’t specific to any of my own recollections but captures the feeling of having a crystalline memory of a perfectly innocuous, typical evening from years past. A memory that, despite having no significance beyond being the standard, is emblazed on the inside of the mind.
Take this bit: “I’m in the hallway, watching it happen, feeling a strange dissociative feeling/Watching myself as I watch them and reach out to touch./ I love them so much.”
That, when paired with the start of the chorus, “I—I want to go home. I want to live life in familiar patterns I already know.” perfectly describes the feeling of looking back and selectively romanticizing a previous situation and routine (whether rightfully or not).
I know I’ve already shared two of his songs, but if I did have to pick one song to recommend as my favorite at this point, it would be “A TV Show Called Earth.”
This particular song captures a kind of introspective nostalgia that manages to be both nihilistic and optimistic in different tones depending on how you interpret it. (So, naturally, I like it a lot.)
Some of lines from other songs of his that I really like:
Love belongs to the lover, pride belongs to the fall, we belong to each other, this song belongs to us all. - “This Song is an NFT”
Dear God, I swear I’m not as desperate as I seem./ So if you get a second, write me back. - “dear god”
I’m not sure that Tinder is what Darwin had in mind. - “Reasons to Never Date Again”
I have moved a whole mountain./I have drowned in my tears./ I have crossed through the valley./ I have fated my fears./ Please don’t darken my doorway./ Please don’t sputter and pray./ I am week as a willow./ Please don’t ask me to stay. - “weak as a willow”
If you know me, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed since ‘03. - “Hot & Dumb”
Labes has his music pretty widely available, so you should be able to find him on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Amazon Music. (That last one may be ironic considering his first song, but I get it. An artist needs to at least try not to starve.) He’s also on various social media sites if that’s your cup of tea.
He’s got a catalogue I like pretty much all of, so if any of the stuff I shared above intrigues you, I don’t think there’s a bad place to start. Though, if I did have to recommend a starting point, it would be his four seasons albums: “Spring,” “Summer,” “Fall,” and “Winter.” Especially since all the songs I’ve referenced and shared here show up in those albums.
“Spring” is probably my favorite album, followed by “Winter,” then “Summer” and “Fall.” (To be clear, Fall is my favorite season in real life, so I’m heartbroken that it’s my favorite of the four.) I think listening to all of them in order is a worthwhile pursuit, but also, “Winter” is a bit more of a downer than the other two, so I think you could just listen to the first two or three and have a good time!
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The Wilderlands is available now for pre-order on Kindle here, on Nook here, on Kobo here, and on Apple here. More formats, digital and physical, will be available for purchase and pre-order soon. The Wilderlands is scheduled to release on Oct. 29, 2024.