Chef Jams No. 13

Hey team, it's Chef.

I'm currently in Albany, NY, gearing up to see John Mayer open up his Sob Rock tour later tonight. It definitely isn't my favorite Mayer record, but I can appreciate the standout tracks and am very much looking forward to seeing the king shred IRL for the first time. 

It's not new, but I always love it when artists name albums after genres they're hoping to define (Outkast's groundbreaking Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik), emulate (Sob Rock and its appreciation for the expansive, synth-driven music from the 80s), or reinvent (Charli XCX's industry-pushing Pop 2). 

One of my favorite examples of this is Karen O's solo debut Crush Songs from 2014. It's a short, sweet record filled with songs about fleeting feelings for others. It sounds unfinished, almost off-the-cuff, inviting listeners to step into memories of her most intimate but unfulfilled relationships. She built a world around what it feels like to have a crush –– soft, delicate, and sometimes unnerving.