First Listen: New Releases and Missed Music for 29 November 2024

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Artist: The Innocence Mission
Album: Midwinter Swimmers
Quick Thoughts: The Innocence Mission is in decade five of making gorgeous, lush records with no sign of stopping. Their new album feels a little more sparse than what we've been used to, but far from anything off-kilter, and the vocals are as lovely as ever. I don't have a ton to say outside of this being one of the best listens of the week.
Songs of Note: "Midwinter Swimmers," "Cloud to Cloud," "A Hundred Flowers," "Sisters and Brothers," "Orange of the Westering Sun"

Artist: Juanita Stein
Album: The Weightless Hour
Quick Thoughts: The Weightless Hour is functionally what I desparately want Lana Del Ray to be. It's got that sort of smoky bar quality as if it's coming from an entirely different era, and I just love the mood that Juanita Stein brings to the table on this one. A great listen.
Songs of Note: "Old World," "Carry Me," "Motionless," "Ceremony"

Artist: total tommy
Album: bruises
Quick Thoughts: total tommy is the melodic alt-rock act of the week, with some catchy confessionals that are noisy and earwormy at the same time. "Plus One" has been in my rotation for a while now, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the rest of the album holds up just as well. Make time for this.
Songs of Note: "Losing Out," "Ghost," "microdose," "SPIDER," "Plus One"

Artist: DoFlame
Album: Bent
Quick Thoughts: Ken thinks this is nu-metal coded, and while I get it, this just feels like a solid, unique punk record. This will not work for everybody, but man, "Hit Where It Hurts" is a great tune and you'll know pretty quickly if you agree. A fun one.
Songs of Note: "Bent," "Hit Where It Hurts," "Fastlanes"

Artist: Oso Oso
Album: life till bones
Quick Thoughts: Wanted to highlight Oso Oso, a band we missed who do a pleasant, appealing style of indie rock that I've loved for years. "dog without its bark" is a wonderful song in particular.
Songs of Note: "dog without its bark," "that's what time does," "application," "skippy"

Of note:

* Fake Fruit - Mucho Mistrust
* The Body - The Crying Out of Things
* Rosalie Cunningham - To Shoot Another Day
* Sofie Royer - Young-Girl Forever
* Saya Gray - QWERTY II
* SIND - Erstmal fur immer
* Grace Cummings - Ramona
* DJ Unknown - Leaving Earth
* Mustard - Faith of a Mustard Seed
* Fred Thomas - Window in the Rhythm
* O. Wake - Unfamiliar State
* Giant Baby - Egg
* Reckoners - Reckoners
* Skyzoo - Keep Me Company
* Trudy and The Romance - Blue Thunder
* The Milk Carton Kids - Christmas in a Minor Key
* We Don't Ride Llamas - AMERICAN I(CON)

EPs:

* People Being People - The Grand Entrance of Mr. Little Joker
* Xavier Stone - Rainfall
* August, Yours Truly - Suture EP
* Boyhood - Shells
* Stella Bridie - Speaking Terms
* Pete International Airport - The Lamplighters
* Marr Not Meeger - The Boy in the Tree
* Ayka - Home Recordings
* Alex the Astronaut - Rage and All Its Friends
* VIAL - Grow the Fuck Up

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Regina Spektor - Songs (Reissue/first streaming release of her early self-released record.)
* OneSeventy Favourites 1
* Resonate Choral Arts - Homemade Jams '24

Also out:

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
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