Comfortable Relaxation
Maggie Rogers - Don't Forget Me (Newer Music Tuesday)
I had an automatic smile when I saw that Maggie Rogers put out a new song last Friday. I remember listening to “Alaska” a lot when it first came out, but then I lost touch, not checking up on Rogers and her music for a few years after. She’s only grown since then, and she shines on her new track “Don’t Forget Me”.
“Don’t Forget Me” is a song that accepts reality with a hint of devastation. Pleading lyrics are juxtaposed by a relaxing and gentle instrumental underneath, one that simply serves to echo just how earth-shattering the words are. Funnily enough, I could see the same lyrics thriving in a harder, more “stick-it-to-’em” type song, but Rogers and her beautifully haunted yet light vocals make it clear that this is the right place for them.
The piano blends so well that it reminds me of all the lo-fi songs that accompany the studies of many people of the world, lulling you into a comfortable relaxation that you can still be productive in. Same goes for the acoustic guitar, which strums constantly, just loud enough to add a depth to the backing of the tune. The drums are like punctuation in a bold italic, sticking out to make the song better but also acting as the perfect complement to the rest of the instruments. Then we have the vocals, and oh MAN are they VOCALS! This is different from where she began, with a voice that fit more into the breathy pop that was popular at the time. While she was great in that era, the vocals that are on display in “Don’t Forget Me” are the type I think she does best. She has this beautiful belt with a hint of a weathered sound, lending an extra hand to the emotion she portrays. If the rest of the songs on her upcoming album (also called Don’t Forget Me!!) are like the title track, than give me a captain’s hat, because I am gonna be steering the Maggie Rogers fan boat!
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