9. Outside All the Time
by Steve Slagg
I’ve known Steve Slagg a long time, and he’s one of my favorite songwriters.
Steve released a lot of great songs this year, so it was hard to just pick one! But as the year went on, it was Outside All the Time that wormed its way into my heart; I often find myself humming it or singing it to my kids.
With meditative care, Slagg invites us to glide through atmospheric songs about death, boredom, and beauty with an inexorable surge – perhaps like the mighty Mississippi. While Slagg paints with broad, synth-oriented brushes there is a folksy sensibility here, too. Maybe it’s the vivid natural imagery Slagg employs, or perhaps the breathless intimacy in ordinary moments.