The biggest thing in our lives right now has nothing to do with music: we’re moving! Elke and I have been living in Ridgewood, Queens, since 2017 and have never stayed in the same place for more than seven years. So it is time for something new.

Moving is a quick affair in NYC unless you are ready to pay double the rent. That means you need to decide to move often before you know your new place. With the rental market currently being difficult, we have yet to determine where we will live in May. That is okay: we have chosen to maximize freedom in our lives, and we want to take advantage of that.

And this is exciting! In a way, it is back to 2001, when we arrived at a tiny studio on the Lower East Side with only four suitcases. Back then, we had no clue and were pretty much living on a prayer. Now we are in a better place: we know the city and have more resources. But similar to our first move to the city, we will have less space and need to reduce the stuff we’ll move significantly.

One aspect of the move concerns music: we hope to be better connected with the Subway system again. While on paper, many good venues are in Ridgewood or nearby Bushwick, in practice, we needed either a long walk or a car to reach them (except Windjammer, which is around the corner). Many of the venues around here are easy to reach with the L or J trains, but those are far from where we live. Hopefully, in the future, it will be easier for us to go to shows again.

Speaking of which, we saw the incredible Cherry Glazerr at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday. I got into Clementine Creevy’s project with the stellar 2023 album I Don’t Want You Anymore. But the rather synth-heavy record did not prepare us for what kind of fantastic guitar player she is. Clementine also masters the art of running a show purely on the joy of playing music: minimal stage banter and effects, and still, the crowd was going wild, including a mosh pit.

A very different kind of music create Wila Frank and Emily Man of Paper Wings. While banjo and fiddle are not the most revered instruments here at glamglare, the two friends from Nashville manage to craft songs that sound traditional yet very fresh and catchy. Give their new album Listen to the World Spin a try.

All these new artists face many headwinds in their pursuit of being paid for their work. One of those obstacles the New York Times pointed out in an opinion piece by Marc Hagan: the push to promote older music by private equity firms. It is well known that investment funds pay hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to back catalog music. Queen’s music is in line to sell for a full billion. The idea is that old hits generate a constant revenue stream on Spotify & Co. and are, hence, an alternative investment to stocks, bonds, etc. It would be naive to believe that the fund managers leave this to listeners’ tastes and actively promote artists and songs in their portfolio. Think of jukebox movies that revolve around an old hit song or a cover of a classic by a current superstar.

Of course, everybody likes to listen to old favorites, but there is a lot of new music around and much opportunity to make new favorites. And it happens that we have just the right playlist for that.

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Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

Mina is a Brooklyn singer, songwriter, and producer. Her new song, “Isn’t All I Wanted For,” is a sweeping, cinematic piece that takes cues from 90s trip-hop.

Take a trip over the Verrrazzano Narrows Bridge to NYC’s least hip borough, Staten Island, and you can find Julia Gargano, aka Ferry Townes. Her first single, “Be Here,” is a reflective song, born from the need “to say things we should but don’t.”

Kicking up the heat a few notches is Reyna Tropical, the now solo project of Fabi Reyna. The dancefloor-ready “Conexión Ancestral” is about feeling a connection with the land and the people who lived there before. “I know in my body when my ancestors are there, when a decision is us,” she explains.

The Greek singer, songwriter, and producer Theodore has the perfect soundtrack for a thoughtful moment, maybe during a gorgeous sunset. The message of “Peak” is simple but effective: Don’t overthink because “sometimes it is pointless to do so, and we should focus on enjoying the little things everyday life has to offer.”

I suspect that London singer/songwriter Millie Turner is working on building a fantastic world with her new songs. Or maybe she just enjoys confusing us. After “Venus” she gives us “Starfish,” the twin sister of Venus, who fell to earth and now lives in everything strange and chaotic.” Consequently, the new track is heavy and exuberant. I can’t wait for what is coming next from her.

If you need a breather after Millie, the Nashville musician Sasha Alex Sloan takes you back to reality. “Me Again” is the title track of her new album, out on May 17, which is about digging yourself out of an emotional hole. “Kind of confused, hopeless, knowing there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but now knowing how things are gonna play out or how I’m gonna get there,” Sasha describes the record’s vibe.

Ayleen Valentine, originally from Miami but now based in LA, was inspired by Grimes’ ability to make her songs entirely alone. So, she went on to do the same with her music. For “sex symbol,” a song about “wanting to be somebody’s everything, their sex symbol, their muse, their prayer, their innocence,” she sprinkled a violin over a guitar loop for a classy, raunchy vibe.

Nine More Photos of Lisbon - Day 1

Initially, I thought to simply select nine additional photos from Lisbon and that’s that. Impossible! We’re still only at day one, the day we arrived in that magical city. Here are some impressions of the Baixa neighborhood.

(1, 2 & 3) Mosaic around Praça do Rossio and the mesmerizing place itself.
(4) Elevador de Santa Justa, a marvel of architecture that connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo.
(6) Tram near Praça do Comercio
(7) A glimpse of the impressive and super spacious Praça do Comercio.
(8) At the waterfront near Praça do Comercio with view of Lisbon’s “Golden Gate Bridge,” Ponte 25 de Abril.
(9) Back at our beautiful home away from home.