Album: Halfsies
Quick Thoughts: I tripped up on Lizzie No in 2019's Vanity, which I really enjoyed across the board. Halfsies feels both stripped down and more forward, if that's a thing, as it's an album that puts forward a lot of really great songs while seemingly simplifying the presentation. I fell for "Lagunita" in particular hard, but the whole album is full of great folk-rock highlights like it. Do not skip this one.
Songs of Note: "Lagunita," "The Heartbreak Store," "Getaway Car"
Album: Reservoir
Quick Thoughts: Brown Horse gave me big Jason Isbell/Drive-by Truckers vibes, which bodes well for this alt-countryish act that plays around in the darker moods throughout Reservoir. It's an album that wears what it is on its sleeve, and when a song absolutely nails it (like "Stealing Horses" and "Shoot Back") it's among the best of the week. Give this a listen.
Songs of Note: "Stealing Horses," "Shoot Back," "Bloodstain," "Sunfisher"
Album: Little Rope
Quick Thoughts: I find it hard to separate Sleater-Kinney from the things that orbit the band these days. Between Carrie Brownstein's acting stints and the departure of their drummer following the electronic-ish turn, they've felt like a band trying to find their footing. Little Rope, in my mind, comes the closest to the time frame that bookends the act's hiatus. Sharp songwriting and singing create some memorable tunes and if you can turn off the "the drums aren't Janet Weiss," you'll find a lot to love here.
Songs of Note: "Hunt You Down," "Say It Like You Mean It," "Six Mistakes"
Album: Precious Dream
Quick Thoughts: Wanted to highlight this one in particular for taking the power pop/pop-punk mantle this week. A really solid listen that doesn't waste any time getting stuck in your head.
Songs of Note: "Look at My Phone," "Sarabandit," "Erase My Mind"
Album: Exit Strategy
Quick Thoughts: I tripped up on this leftover from 2023 and it's probably one of the better releases of the year that flew completely under the radar. Sometimes it's jangle pop, sometimes it's straight alt-rock, but everything about it feels authentic and impressive, especially for a band's debut. This is a band I'll be looking into more, but if you're still tying up loose ends from last year, give this a listen.
Songs of Note: "Bills and Pills," "Mayday Mayday," "Enough is Never Enough," "Car Song," "Feels So Real," "Lost in the Moment"
Of note:
* Brittney Spencer - My Stupid Life (Polished country-folk with a radio-friendly flair.)
EPs:
* Sheer Mag - Moonstruck/a>
Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:
* Black Grape - Orange Head (Happy Mondays side project is back. When this works, it works.)
* Green Day - Saviors (Who had Green Day as the alt-rock elder statesmen on their bingo card?)
* Chemtrails - The Joy of Sects (Solid alt-rock; "Join Our Death Cult" is the first great song of 2024.)
* Emo Bunni - EMO FANTASIZE/a>
* Jozef Van Wissem - The Night Dwells in the Day/a>
* Jupie - Brick Hill/a>
* Cowboy Sadness - Selected Jambient Works, Vol. 1/a>
* The Fauns - How Lost/a>
* glass beach - plastic death/a>
* PACKS - Melt the Honey/a>
* LUCY - 100 PROD I.V./a>
* Ana Tijoux - Vida/a>
* Neck Deep - Neck Deep/a>
* Eliza McLamb - Going Through It/a>
* SENTRIES - Snow as a Metaphor for Death/a>
* DJ Smokey and Shadow Wizard Money Gang - BASED NEGATIVE SQUAD/a>
* Trevor Something - Archetypes/a>
* Arrested Development - Bullets in the Chamber/a>
* People I Love - People I Love/a>
* Conchur White - Swirling Violets/a>
* Holy Fingers - III/a>
* Cold in Berlin - The Body is the Wound/a>
* The Asteroid No.4 - Tremble/a>
* Mary Margurite - A Million Ways to Say the Same Thing/a>
* Dolly - Interloper/a>
* A Mess - NO MAN/a>
* Lake HAze - Ionosphere/a>
* Brad Marino - Ramones and Stones EP/a>
* Juan Power - Another's Wings/a>
* La Femme - La Femme ressort/a>
* MONOWHALES - Who's There to Hear Me Out?/a>
* Desperate Hauswives - Welcome to the Lane/a>
* July Talk - Solstice EP/a>
* SHARKFISH - Do What You Want. Forever./a>
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