For this week’s episode of The New Sincerest, I was particularly inspired by the cold front that passed over Ames, IA last week: white snow, icy streets, exhaust from vehicles and steam from home furnaces billowing out across neighborhoods, the branches of trees crystalline in the late sunrise and the early sunset, scarves and blankets and a warm drink to nurse in hands while pondering the new year while gazing out the window at winter’s condition.
Over the weekend, I found myself turning to my well-loved genre of dream pop, with its tambourines and sleigh bells, its girl group vocal harmonies and hypnotic guitars, to try and soundtrack my cold walks around the block, and also found myself wondering at the intersections between modern dream pop and the songwriting sensibilities of the 1970s. From Beach House to Joni Mitchell, from Camera Obscura to The Roches, this episode wanders through the season with an inward looking perspective, and some wonderment at what the rest of this winter could be hiding under its frigid veneer.
Beyond this week’s episode, keep an eye out for a very exciting new addition to The New Sincerest: a column on cinema directed by contributor Matthew Hadley!
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