Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Ken's Best of 2018 - #1: Lucy Dacus - Historian

I somehow missed Lucy Dacus's 2016 album No Burden, but from the very first time I heard her song "Night Shift" last December, I was completely hooked. From there I was left impatiently waiting for Historian to come out. Once it did, I became obsessed with it. It's an obsession that has stuck, as this is my favorite album of 2018. A song like "Night Shift" starts out quietly and delicately as Dacus slowly gains strength and power as it builds to a more confident and rebuilt climax. The kids these days get criticized a lot for being obsessed with their phones and being unable to live in the moment and unplug. When I saw Lucy Dacus at The Sinclair back in April, I barely saw a phone taken out (except by us old guys) and the younger members of the crowd were the most engaged. It was a devotion I haven't seen since going to see Tori Amos in the 90's. Lucy Dacus does this amazing blend of mainstream singer/songwriter and 90's alt rock that doesn't sound dated. Historian is the type of album anyone could like if they truly gave it some time. It's mainstream enough for that but has enough interesting song structure to even give us music snobs plenty to love.

Songs of note: "Night Shift," "Next of Kin," Pillar of Truth."

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