Home Calendar Subscribe Sign In Subscribe Sign In STORIES MOST RECENT STORIES news Washington County COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker news Health dept. urges Oklahomans to safely celebrate holidays entertainment 'An Officer and a Gentleman' postponed local Bedlam: Several area grid fans breakdown OU vs. OSU showdown local Quiz: A Thanksgiving Day extra treat local Playoffs: Huskies take aim on quarterfinal test news Tribe health officials urge CDC guidance at holiday gatherings local NFL: BHS grad A.J. Parker listed by Detroit with ankle injury local TupaTalk: Defense could be key in Bedlam local Gymnastics: Bartlesville club has golden day at 55th edition of home meet Looking back at some favorite artists Noah Estes | E-E- Columnist For those who do not know me, I am currently a junior in college studying to teach English to high school students. My days are filled up with reading and understanding various pedagogical ideologies in hopes to be the best teacher possible. But every day I get some form of solace in employment through the public schools. Critically analyzing texts and maintaining professionalism dissipates to joking around with my elementary students that I spend my days with, either in after-school care or substitute teaching. These column are typically a point of professionalism, involving rereading and contemplation of language, but just as I get to lower my stern facade at moments during the day, I hope to do the same in this article because, simply put, we all deserve a moment to let loose. I appreciate the privilege that I have in writing my articles and attending classes, but in this article, I hope to write much more flippantly than usual, for my own sanity, and to encourage the reader to do the same, once in a while. Noah Estes EXAMINER-ENTERPRISE FILE PHOTO 2021 being a dead year for music, so far, has left me looking backwards at a lot of my favorites. Paul McCartney has been gracing my ears more and more in the past few weeks, but specifically his later stuff. Now, understand that his early stuff, both solo and with The Beatles, were the sounds that helped spur my music discovery. “Abbey Road” is still my personal favorite from the band, and I hold memories of it and the hours the album spent soundtracking my time mowing the lawn. Despite the quality of his early stuff, McCartney’s later work has been drawing me in. Some of it is just fascinating to look back on. His two most recent releases, which I have previously reviewed in this column, are odd. Even though I have seen many critics talking about these albums as a return to form, neither feels that way. “McCartney III” is one of the worst albums that he has ever been a part of, filled with bloated and uninspired songwriting. “Egypt Station,” while great, does not sound like a 1970s Wings album. Even more interesting, though, are some of the albums prior to those two. “New,” “Memory Almost Full” and “Flaming Pie” are all some of the legend’s best albums. Each has its highlights, such as the childlike wider found in “New” or the actual example of a return to form that was “Flaming Pie.” In such a vast discography and years of songwriting, rarely does an artist produce some of their best work 35-50 years after their heyday, yet McCartney actually does this. He has many albums that are simply “fine” but those three are some that stand out to be entirely unique and wonderful. Another artist that I continue to return to is Phoebe Bridgers. I am honestly unsure if I have really mentioned my love for her, but Bridgers is, without a doubt, one of the best artists, not only of her generation, but of all time. I am apprehensive of ever trying to cover her work in an article, despite my intense love of her music, as I think I could never do it justice. I have had similar thoughts on covering Bleachers, though I have been willing to do so in the past. That being said, the only time I did was after-hours of thinking about a singular song and dissecting every single second of it. Really, both Bridgers and Bleachers are artists that I am far too afraid to cover, in fear of doing them a grave disservice. This is a ridiculous article. There was no aim or goal. But I think it is important for us to all pause and just think about our passions and relax. This may seem like a lame excuse to write an unstructured article, and maybe it was; you’ll never know. But let’s pretend that there was a deeper and legitimate reason for doing this because there definitely was. Stay safe and happy, everyone. 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