He/him :: Writer / Proofreader :: linktr.ee/karljsnyder :: Former Editor @thewildhoneypie + @frontrunnermag
Articles by Karl Snyder
The Top Albums of 2023
The year 2023 was, most of all, the year I prepared to become a parent and then became a parent to a sweet and curious little person named Lucy Jo. It was a year of sudden transition; deep exhaustion; even deeper joy; and, eventually, a year of embracing the gift of routine. According to the extensive lists I keep year-round on my phone, I have listened to 225 albums that were released in 2023*, which is about 14% fewer than last year.
The Top Albums of 2022
The year 2022 was my first full year back in Minnesota; it was a year of settling in, rebuilding old connections, and beginning to build new ones. According to the extensive lists I keep year-round on my phone, I have listened to 261 albums that were released in 2022. Like last year, when my total album count was very similar, I again felt like this number was a sweet spot that allowed me to reconnect with albums from past years that I hadn't listened to in a while.
The Top Albums of 2021
The Music That Defined a Year of Transitions In 2021, I moved across the country, bought a house, and got a new job.
Final Quarter Review 2021
1. Hand Habits — Fun House 2. Snail Mail — Valentine 3. Young Thug — Punk 4. The War on Drugs — I Don’t Live Here Anymore 5. Wiki — Half God 6. Lunar Vacation — Inside Every Fig Is a Dead Wasp 7. Lazerbeak — Cameron 8. Trace Mountains — House of Confusion 9. Magdalena Bay — Mercurial World 10. Hovvdy — True Love 11. Porches — All Day Gentle Hold 12. Helado Negro — Far In 13. James Blake — Friends That Break Your Heart 14. Tasha — Tell Me What You Miss the Most 15.Hana Vu — Public Storage 16.
Third Quarter Review 2021
1. Bad Bad Hats — Walkman 2. Snoh Aalegra — Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies 3. Lakeyah — My Time 4. Lil Nas X — Montero 5. Chvrches — Screen Violence 6. Big Red Machine — How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? 7. Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert 8. Laura Stevenson — Laura Stevenson 9. Turnstile — Glow On 10. Mariah the Scientist — Ry Ry World 11. José González — Local Valley 12. Andy Shauf — Wilds 13. Orla Gartland — Woman on the Internet 14.
First Quarter Review 2021
These 25 albums and 7 EPs are my favorites from the first three months of the year. For the first time in this series, I’ve actually embedded tracks—one of my favorites from each collection. This not only makes it easier for you to listen to a snippet right away and see what you like, but it also provides a quick link to listen to more.
The Top Albums of 2020
106 Albums That Got Me Through This Uniquely Challenging Year In 2020, I listened to over 300 newly released albums, and actually I lost track —hmm, I must have been tired this year—and the final count was almost certainly closer to 400. That means that I listened to even more new music than last year, which is to say: far too much, again. So again, like last year, I will now recommit to spending more time on old favorites. (Maybe I can cut it down to 250 new albums?
Third Quarter Review 2020
My Top 25 Albums released in July, August, and September It’s 2021 now, and during the last five months of 2020 I have been diving with my full heart and mind (and schedule) into deeper involvement at The Wild Honey Pie. But a year wouldn’t feel complete without finishing up my own personal music lists for 2020. So, while I am sad that I don’t have time to attempt to do these albums justice through new written reflections, I’m not letting perfectionism stop me.
Final Quarter Review 2020
My Top 25 Albums released in October, November, and December In the music world, the last few months of every year are traditionally reserved for diving back into the past nine months. It can be incredibly rewarding to return to all your favorite albums from January through September, and remembering what they’ve meant to you and mean to you is important for processing and internalizing your journey.
Wilder Maker's Gabriel Birnbaum On Zion, New York, and What's Next
October 25, 2018 Like many Brooklynites, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum juggles a lot of projects at once.
Second Quarter Review 2020
My Top 25 Albums released in April, May, and June 1. Phoebe Bridgers — Punisher Punisher is an album about searching for things—in the sky, in your past and your future, in your own behavioral patterns—and not finding them. So one of its most obvious benefits is that it gives the listener a lot more space than usual for feelings like exasperation and ennui.
First Quarter Review 2020
My Top 25 Albums released in January, February, and March 1. Waxahatchee — Saint Cloud Katie Crutchfield’s idiosyncratic voice shines more beautifully than ever over dustier, more confidently and proudly Southern songwriting. Every song is a precious gem. 2. Grimes — Miss Anthropocene I’ve found Miss Anthropocene to be a real grower, probably because it took me a while to accept that it’s truly a sonic shift from Grimes’ past work. It’s darker and more sinister, more pulsating and spacious.
Hop Along's Frances Quinlan: Songwriter, Painter, Traveler
Frances Quinlan is best known as the lead singer and songwriter for Hop Along, one of Philly’s most successful indie rock bands of the 2010s. But before she graced the stage with her band, she started out performing solo under the name “Hop Along, Queen Ansleis.” As she’s toured through the years, she has also often spent time in the van painting or drawing in her journal. Now, in January 2020, she has gone back to her solo roots with Likewise, released under her given name.
The Top Albums of the 2010's
A retrospective list of my favorite collections from the last decade The 2010’s lined up almost exactly with the first decade of my adulthood, and my understanding is that this portion of life ends up being a very impressionable time. So the list that lies below is intensely personal and spiritually significant to me. It is pretty overwhelming to realize that it contains much — most? — of what will turn out to be my favorite music of my whole life.
Madison McFerrin on “You + I” and The Vital Importance of Keeping It Real
It could be the way she coolly navigates her immense vocal range, or her deep expertise with loop pedals; it could also be her stage banter, during which she’s just as likely to charm you with a humble, earnest comment about human connection, as she is with a bitingly clever deadpan quip. It’s easy to make sense of the fact that Madison McFerrin seems so comfortable on stage–she comes from a family full of performers.
Meet Uh Oh: The Nebraska Band Battling Loneliness
Omaha, Nebraska-based band Uh Oh initially caught my attention with the hugely energetic way they approach every one of their songs. Call it power pop, call it peppy garage rock–whatever you call it, the number one strength of Uh Oh’s music is in the palpable passion that comes through in every chord and drumbeat.
The Top Albums of 2019
81 Albums That Moved Me and Defined My Year In 2019, I listened to a whopping 303 newly released albums, which is, without a doubt, the most I’ve ever listened to in a year. (I counted a “listen” as meaning at least 75% of the tracks in full, and in the vast majority of cases it was truly 100% of the tracks in full.) In the process of creating this list, I determined that I liked 144 of those 303 albums, which means I listened to about 159 that I thought were meh or awful.
Lessons From The Road with Nilüfer Yanya
Nilüfer Yanya released her genre-bending debut LP Miss Universe in late March 2019, and the month prior she set out for a whole year’s worth of touring, too. What stands out most about the London-based songwriter’s album is the feeling of total sonic freedom. From immense moments of punk shredding and intimate moments of solo guitar, it feels as though there is no limit to what Yanya considers artistically when she is writing a song.
“We Were Reaching In The Dark”
What Florence Made with Us at Governor’s Ball 2019 ***** Maybe growing up is unlearning all the judgments that limit possibilities for transcendent moments of communion. ***** I have always loved Florence + The Machine: I have felt drawn to her, to her music, like a magnet.
Teens Of Denial, by Car Seat Headrest
You have no right to be depressed You haven’t tried hard enough to like it There are two kinds of great lyrics.
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