Joe Jackson - "Steppin' Out"

This is exactly what my New Year's Eve was like.

Ugly Duckling - "Fresh Mode"

In 2020, I'm on Fresh Mode.

Beck - "Uneventful Days"

One of these days, I really need to write a long essay on Beck's career. I feel like we still haven't entirely come to terms with what he represents in the culture, if anything. He wins a Grammy for Album of the Year. He remains a major touring draw. He was once considered a major artist. And yet ... he seems utterly disregarded. He is everywhere but nobody notices or cares. I find this incredibly strange.

In the meantime, "Uneventful Days" has been stuck in my head for weeks with no sign of dissipating anytime soon.

Shelby Lynne - "Dreamsome"

"Dreamsome" is one of those songs I assumed I had featured on Friday Video at some point. But, nope, I never have. So it goes up today. It sure is pretty.

Lana Del Rey - "Norman Fucking Rockwell"

2019 was the year I finally got Lana Del Rey. I suspect I'm not the only one: Norman Fucking Rockwell! looks poised to do better than any of her previous albums did on end-of-the-year lists. Very much positioning herself as a modern-day lovelorn Laurel Canyon denizen, Del Rey has the same sort of tart, confessional, melancholy tone that Joni Mitchell perfected about 50 years ago. (If nothing else, I hope this record encourages people to seek out Mitchell's most underrated great album, For the Roses.) She's her own person -- self-indulgent but candid about her insecurities -- and what used to annoy me about her zoned-out affectation now feels perfectly honed. Either she's matured as an artist or I've finally wised up about what made her special. Maybe it's a bit of both.

Solange - "Almeda"

I'm thinking about my best-of-the-year album list. And I'm thinking not enough people paid attention to When I Get Home. Shame.