photo credit: Phillip Jones (@jillphones585)
You may remember twelve years ago back in January of 2020, we interviewed Low Ceilings’ Ben Mueller before their new album, Learn to Sew dropped. It’s been one of our favorite podcast episodes, not just because of how kind Mueller is, but because of how much fun Low Ceilings’ music is. OK maybe the word “fun” is strange here, given that a lot of Learn to Sew and Least Favored Painting comes from a melancholy place — Mueller’s songwriting and perspective takes those darker vibes and transmutes them into toe-tapping indie-folk that you can sing along with. You know how some television shows will have Christmas Specials to bridge the gap between seasons? Today, Low Ceilings debuts two new songs, “The Worst Times” and “Internet Forever”, that act like a Quarantine Special.
“I wish I could internet my way to feeling good,” should basically the masthead for this blog. Both “The Worst Times” and “Internet Forever” are so specific to how I feel today (and I bet you do too), that I suspect Low Ceilings has found my LiveJournal. “The Worst Times” is centered around the refrain “It’s the worst times / that define / the / all right,” and it captures a lot of existential anxiety for 2020. It’s impossible to not feel that way: that who we are is built around how we’ve responded to the worst situations in our lives, whether that be small (musician jealousy at an open mic) to the profound (a death in the family). While that might sound like a huge bummer, Low Ceilings is able to turn this depressing intrusive thought into a fantastically catchy song that will make you feel… good? What is this feeling you call “good”? You can catch both “The Worst Times” and “Internet Forever” on music streaming services now (but hit up their bandcamp!).
And hey because I couldn’t fit it anywhere else, I just want to say that the Learn to Sew release show with Evan Diem, Namesake, Sam Sandoval, and Low Ceilings was one of my favorite gigs of 2020.
