Four Long Yearwyrms
ISSUE #194
It’s been four long years since I started Earwyrms. If the sum of life’s experience is a tidal wave of shit (I don’t like to be dramatic, but it happens without permission), this project gives me a set of water skis. It’s my stabilizing rudder, to mix metaphors—and what is Earwyrms if not a blender of imagery?
To celebrate, I’ve put together a playlist of all the music I missed from the past four years. Songs that didn’t make it to the year-end lists, albums I didn’t catch until far too late. An ode to the constant blooming that comes with loving music. All these songs should have been included in issues long ago.
I’ve gone through a lot of different phases on here, played with different voices, traveled through tones—from casual speak to maudlin theatrics, tossed-off dry wit to fictional aspirations. As embarrassed as I am by all of that, I still like to leave them pinned to this virtual, very public fridge. I suppose, if nothing else, it’s proof of my diligence. If this bee can’t dance the best, then watch him dance the most.
Here are a few of my favorite routines:
The Earwyrms Canon: the objectively subjective 100 best songs ever.
All Under One Roof Raving: for all your dancing needs.
Artistography: for single-artist catalogs.
Brutalism: for paeans to the heavy stuff.
Genre Fluid: for all my creative coinings.
Gimme Fiction: for my stories.
Golden Hour: for relaxing on a beautiful weekend.
Running Up That Hill — for secular worship music.
Sleep Well Beast — for a collection of anxiolytics.
So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings: for crushes that make you tear your hair out.
The Annivyrsaries: for all my history lessons
The Best Of: for my little lists.
The Last Earbender: for each of the four types of benders
This Emotion: for certain emotional tenors.
Weathering With You: for songs about how it feels outside.
Thanks for sticking around, I hope I’ll see you next week. Maybe we can share a dance!
Welcome to the year’s best music so far—and I have to say, in the music realm? It’s been a good early year. There’s plenty of great stuff that didn’t make this round, but these were the real clappers (lights on) to me in these first few months. Just remember, if you like a track, there’s a lot more where that came from on each respective album!