Artist: Megan From Work
Album:
Girl Suit
Quick Thoughts: So this was a pleasant surprise. Megan From Work is a Manchester, NH-based indie rock act that is equal parts that dog. and Charly Bliss, and it's the sort of power pop I absolutely love. This is a band to watch, for sure, because this could catch fire the right way and they could become your next big indie thing if they keep it up. A mandatory listen, and easily the best of the week.
Songs of Note: "Saturn Return," "Loving Me," "The PIMS"
Artist: All Feels
Album:
This Place is a Message
Quick Thoughts: Speaking of pleasant surprises, Northampton, MA's All Feels are new to me even if they are old to the scene. There's not one single way to pigeonhole their sound - it's got indie flavor with some psych/pop/alt notes - but the point is honestly that the songs are just so great. "Keanu" is a favorite this week, but I just kept jumping back to Spotify because song after song hit
just right. Don't miss out on these guys, and if you see this, play a show in Central Mass at a reasonable hour for us old heads, please. :D
Songs of Note: "Rate of Decay," "Middling," "Keanu," "Honestly"
Artist: The Smile
Album:
Cutouts
Quick Thoughts: The Thom York/Johnny Greenwood side project offers up their third album, and second of 2024, and it's awesome. While it's easy to dismiss this as the castoffs from earlier this year, there's just so much great stuff here that it feels like that era of Radiohead where even the EPs and b-sides could have been album tracks. It's a great reminder of how awesome everyone involved with this project is, and a great listen this week.
Songs of Note: "Zero Sum," "Colours Fly," "Eyes & Mouth," "No Words," "The Slip"
Artist: Matt Pond PA and Alexa Rose
Album:
Call and Response
Quick Thoughts: More an EP than an album, but when two artists get together like this it's hard not to fall in love with it. "Side Eye Rolls" has been in constant rotation for me this year, and the cover of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is absolutely gorgeous. These two are great alone, but this is kind of magical when they're working together.
Songs of Note: "Side Eye Rolls," "Bitter Sweet Symphony"
Artist: FINNEAS
Album:
For Cryin' Out Loud!
Quick Thoughts: Better known as Billie Eilish's producer brother, it's insane that he's this good. What we have here is an album that just has some truly perfect pop songwriting, and knowing that it's his third album and that he also helps his sister write songs and those are great... no musician makes me wonder what I'm doing with my life quite the way Finneas does. Just listen to this one, it's great.
Songs of Note: "What's It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart?" "Cleats," "Little Window," "Sweet Cherries," "For Cryin' Out Loud!" "Family Feud"
Artist: Wild Pink
Album:
Dulling the Horns
Quick Thoughts: There are some bands that feel like a "best kept secret," and I feel like Wild Pink is one of those bands. There are so many stellar songs on
Dulling the Horns that it's hard to pick a favorite, but "St. Catherine St." in particular is a layered piece of songwriting that just works, and "Catholic Dracula" doesn't go where you think it will. A great, great listen.
Songs of Note: "The Fences of Stonehenge," "Eating the Egg Whole," "St. Catherine St.," "Catholic Dracula," "Rung Cold"
Artist: George Steel
Album:
Desire on the Range
Quick Thoughts: This is a deeply strange, yet utterly compelling album. It's sort of like if Orville Peck was a big fan of The Darkness and also Electric Six? It's got a weird cabaret-style flair to it to go along with some truly absurd yet forever catchy tunes. It made my wife vocally ask what I was listening to, so that's a winner in my book. Won't be for everyone, but might aggressively be for you as it was for me.
Songs of Note: "Pleasure is the Place," "Irene," "Times Square Nuclear Zone"
Of note:
* Trophy Wife - Get Ugly (Great feminist punk.)
* Allie Goertz - Peeled Back (Singer-songwritery covers of Nine Inch Nails songs. Criminally great.)
* Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024..." (there's some controversy on this one)
* Hayes Carll and The Band of Heathens - Hayes and The Heathens
* Kasey Chambers - Backbone
* LVCRFT - Under the Covers
* Caribou - Honey
* Chad Crouch - Oak Island Road Soundwalk
* Half Waif - See You At the Maypole
* Vitesse X - This Infinite
* Public Service Broadcasting - The Last Flight
* ARXX - Good Boy
* 65daysofstatic - Silent Running
* DJ Moves - Bass, Breaks, and VHS Tapes
* Yasmin Williams - Acadia
* GRMLN - In Memory of Young Me
* Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jazz is Dead 021
* The Bug - Machines I - V
* Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
* La Force - XO Skeleton +
* A Place to Bury Strangers - Synthesizer
* Alessandro Cortini - NATI INFINITI
* Brett Hansen - Confluence
* Magana - DREAMS
EPs:
* Modern Chemistry - Loudest in the Room
* Joan Shelley - Mood Ring
* Carsie Blanton - The Red Album, Volume 1
* Hush - Headfooter
* ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ (Four Tet) -
̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂ ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡()ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ꐑ(ఠీੂ೧ູȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅv̴̢͚͚͎͎̞͒͊̎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́̿)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ࿃ूੂ✧⃛✧⃛)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚͜ ̷̨̢̥̅͝ͅ(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂
* Ada Lea - notes
* Frost Children and Haru Nemuri - Soul Kiss
* Maya Hawke - Clipped Wings
Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:
* Bad Monkey (Original Soundtrack) (Basically a Tom Petty tribute compilation, and a solid one at that.)
* Better Than Jail (Benefit album for criminal justice reform; features Margo Price, Jason Isbell, etc.)
* The Incomplete Orchestra - Bad Attraction Bee-Sides, Vol. 1
* Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2
* Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition)
* Joker: Folie a Deux (Music from the Motion Picture)
Also out:
* RXM Reality - No. 1 in the World
