Exit Survey: Joe on The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

See the rest of the exit surveys HERE.

 

1. Were you happy with the reviews that were published? How do you feel about your week as Record Club captain?

I've been happy for 242 weeks in a row so far, with no signs of sadness anywhere on the horizon, at least as far as Record Club is concerned.

We were talking in Infinite Jest Book Club the other night about one character's theory that some people "need" substances, and how if those people decide to go cold turkey, they become hollow shells of themselves, and lead empty existences, and so on. Infinite Jest wasn't trying to make the case that this character was correct, per se; it's not really that type of book. It was more presenting this as an idea to consider (also consider that the character making the argument was seventeen-years-old and high on Tenuates). And I thought about my own life, and how, yeah, there are definitely some corners of my life as I know it now that feel emptier, duller, less exciting. Parties, weddings, that random Tuesday night when you'd normally be polishing off a sixer, etc.

But then I was thinking about how there are other parts of my life that seem unaffected. Book club(s), for one. Record Club was another. Maybe sobriety has even enhanced these parts of my life, I don't know. I probably get more out of my listening experiences now that I'm not listening to Mitski on the El after four double IPAs, and I probably get more out of my reading experiences with all your excellent reviews now that I'm not feeling dried out on a Friday morning reading them.

Sorry. Please press Ctrl + W at any point if you feel like I'm dropping the S-word too many times on this blog (i.e. "now he's writing about in a goddamn RC exit survey?!"). I'm really only saying this to say that I am so thankful that you guys are here with me, digitally, every Friday morning. You really do make my life more fulfilling.

2. How was the variety of opinions? A wide range, kinda samey, or somewhere in the middle?

I'll say samey, even though there were definitely positive reviews and negative reviews and a bunch in between. They were "samey" because everyone seems to have gone through the same thought process when absorbing and analyzing the new Mitski album: "this seems like a somewhat difficult album" ---> "if I squint hard I can see something to sincerely appreciate here." Even if you couldn't name what that "thing to appreciate" was (I myself resorted to kinda bullshitting my way through it), then at the very least, the effort showed. I'm honestly proud of everyone for taking it seriously.

3. Were there any differing opinions that made you view the album in a different light?

And since everyone was working through that process individually, then of course everyone is gonna bring their own shit to that process, and so it was cool getting to know my friends a little better via the new Mitski album.

I liked how Walter kind of took it as an excuse to rant about something that's been bothering him (The Land Is Inhospitable exploded outward). Music is great for that.

I liked how Rachel used the album as a sort of lighthouse during the storm, knowing that there's truth and safety in good songwriting (The Land Is Inhospitable imploded inward). Music is great for that.

The joke about Taylor Swift from Melissa was a great one, made even better by following up with some book recommendations (great idea! connecting different art is worthy pursuit!).

I appreciated how Gary showed us a snapshot of where he is in this year-long process of his, how Mitski maybe made him realize that some music can't be qualified (appreciated too that the usual grade was purposefully eschewed, to underline his point).

I feel like Sunny always bring some interesting ideas to light that feel obvious but only after he brings it up, and I'm always like, damn, why didn't I think of that? I'm thinking about the bug connection, and the Caroline Rose connection.

As for the most negative review this week: You know that Nate was in some dire straits this week after he invoked an SNL clip. I watched like three minutes of that "Coffee Talk" thing, and it was EXCRUCIATING. Wow, haha, people from New York sure do talk funny! Good one, SNL!!! I don't agree with Nate re: Mitski, but I sure do sympathize.

4. Was there anything about this album or this artist that you wished that people would've written about more?

I'm glad Sunny pointed out the typeface on the album (and was knowledgeable enough to use the word "typeface" instead of "font"), because that shit is whack. But it made me think that there is maybe an unexplored avenue here in thinking about this album. Let's assume that Mitski purposefully chose this illegible typeface. Good assumption, right? But then the question becomes: why?

That makes me think about the idea of how much any given artist might want you to actually know about their art. This could be an act of typeface-as-defense-mechanism, how she has a message but is purposefully obscuring that message to protect herself or protect the integrity of the album. But then Mitski also seems like the type of artist who is willing to explain her art if she is asked (plenty of "song explainer" videos out there for these songs, for instance). So maybe it's more than opaque or transparent. Maybe it's about the tension between those two, about how we want to make our art personal but also have that competing need to make ourselves known, and how the measure of an artist is how they manage that balance.

Or something like that. I'm just bullshitting again.

5. How do you feel about your album choice now that the week is over? A success? Any regrets?

Good. I think reviewing old albums is a worthy endeavor, and I have no problem with the fact that 79% of the RC albums chosen in 2023 so far were released before 2023. But, again with the balance: I think it's also good to examine the brand new sometimes. Was Mitski the most exciting choice? Hell no. The excitement comes from the fact that we are right there in the trenches with all the professional music critics out there, reviewing this thing in real time. 

6. Any other takeaways from the reviews? Or from this experience in general?

Wishing bon voyage to Pam, who just started a new job, and is doing great and keeping busy, and thus had everything on her priorities list bumped down one notch recently, so we might not be seeing her in Record Club for a little bit. I'll argue that this place is worse without her. Maybe I can rope her in for the Christmas album at least.

7. What is an improvement that Record Club can make that would enhance everyone's experience, either as a captain or as a listener/writer?

Kind of a weird question to be asking me.