First Listen: New Releases for 3 November 2023

Artist: Laura Veirs
Album: Phone Orphans
Quick Thoughts: Laura Veirs has been a favorite of mine since Carbon Glacier, and I've always enjoyed her back catalog, from the more roots and folk-style early stuff to the more disjointed folk music that felt a decade before it was cool. Phone Orphans isn't exactly a return to the old, but it is a return to a quieter, more deliberate sound than what we're used to, and it is gorgeous. Each song feels fragile and immediate in all the best ways, and it's a favorite of the week. Make some time for this.
Songs of Note: "If You Could Hold Someone," "The Archers," "Beautiful Dreams," "Swan Dive"

Artist: Little Lizard
Album: Big Lizard
Quick Thoughts: I didn't know what to make of Little Lizard when I saw the cover, didn't know what to make of the band in the first song, and I still don't know what to make of it now. This is a compliment, because it is a real thinker of a record. It's mostly instrumental, a sort of indie-jazz pastiche of sorts that always kept me guessing, and is an album I literally can't stop thinking about. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's absolutely mine.
Songs of Note: "Lakers," "Six," "SF," "Ripper"

Artist: We Melt Chocolate
Album: Holy Gaze
Quick Thoughts: We Melt Chocolate is likely melting it via some better-than-most shoegaze riffs, because this album just rocks. It's a great, fuzzy listen in a fall that feels full of them, and sets itself apart due to the strong, sharp songwriting that works as a foundation for the guitars drenching track after track. Give this a listen.
Songs of Note: "Holy Ramen," "No Meaning Man," "Sunrise," "Shades"

Artist: Crystal Canyon
Album: Stars and Distant Light
Quick Thoughts: Speaking of shoegaze, Crystal Canyon is an act out of Portland, ME, that sounds great and isn't giving an indie vibe at all. This album, apparently their third, shows some real solid musicality across a tracklisting full of cosmic songs, and I fell hard for their brand of fuzzed-out rock. More like stargaze, am I right?
Songs of Note: "Dreamray," "Belt of Orion," "Pulsars and Magnetars," "Catatonia," "Cobra Aurora"

Artist: Lol Tolhurst, Budgie, and Jacknife Lee
Album: Los Angeles
Quick Thoughts: Has the idea of a supergroup died? I don't know, but a group led by members of The Cure, Siouxie and the Banshees, and a top producer is a supergroup in my mind. This is a very percussion-forward effort, reminscent more of UNKLE than anything the individual acts worked with, but the guest spots from James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse turn this into more of a party than I expected. This is a fascinating listen on many levels, and worth a spot in your rotation.
Songs of Note: "Ghosted at Home," "Los Angeles," "Everything and Nothing," "Travel Channel," "Country of the Blind," "We Got to Move"

Artist: Tkay Maidza
Album: Sweet Justice
Quick Thoughts: Tkay Maidza is amazing, and even though she has a million monthly listeners on Spotify I feel like she's still rap's best kept secret. After a series of EPs that largely stayed within the lines, Sweet Justice> feels more like a statement than a song collection, with equal parts FKA Twigs and current female rap stars like Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat. This is a great, great record and one I'm glad I hear this week.
Songs of Note: "WUACV," "WASP," "Ring-a-Ling," "Gone to the West"

Artist: Caitlin Harnett & the Pony Boys
Album: All Night Long
Quick Thoughts: This was one we missed earlier this year, and I regret it. This is your classic alt-country smoky bar music, with some great honest songs and a vibe that's all its own. I loved "Can't Have It All" in particular, which kind of blew my socks off in its unexpected raw beauty. Find some time for it.
Songs of Note: "Sidelines," "Can't Have It All," "Even Cowgirls Cry"

Of note:

* Semisonic - Little Bit of Sun (A surprisingly solid entry by the "Closing Time" crew.)
* Flying Raccoon Suit - Moonflower (Your quarterly reminder that ska lives, and is as fun as ever.)
* Brad Marino - Grin and Bear It
* Drop Nineteens - Hard Light
* IAN SWEET - SUCKER
* ØXN - CYRM
* bar italia - The Twits
* November 2nd - November 2nd
* Jockstrap - I<3UQTINVU
* Inara George - What Keeps You Up At Night
* Marnie Stern - The Comeback Kid
* MyKey - Auto Destroy
* The Family Township - 20th Century Wasters
* In the Pines - Painting By Numbers
* TIFFY - So Serious
* Teenage Tom Petties - Hotbox Daydreams
* Empty Country - Empty County II
* Ida Mae - Thunder Above You
* Light Beams - Wild Life
* Matmos - Return to Archive
* Hotline TNT - Cartwheel
* Charlene Darling - La Porte
* Hilary Woods - Acts of Light
* Better Corners - Continuous Miracles, Vol. 2
* Honour - Àlàáfía
* Badge Epoque Ensemble - Air, Light & Harmony
* Jason Trachtenburg - I Really Love You, Tonight
* ill peach - THIS IS NOT AN EXIT
* King Creosote - I DES
* Sign Libra - Hidden Beauty
* August, Yours Truly - The Year of Pornography
* Labasheeda - Blueprints
* Salamanda - In Parallel
* Bored Lord - Name It
* Actress - LXXXVIII
* She The Throne - NUNTIS
* girlfriend. - To Be Quiet
* All Get Out - All Get Out
* Liza Anne - Utopian

EPs:

* Katy J Pearson - Katy J Pearson and Friends Presents Songs From the Wicker Man
* CHRIST DILLENGER, DJ Smokey, and Seepy - I'm In the Club With a Nuke
* Mikaela Davis and Southern Star - Our Creepy Eep Hour
* Mall Grab - Mouse
* She The Throne - ORION EP
* Machinedrum - 4#TRAX
* Arcy Drive - Beach Plum
* Gwen Levey and The Breakdown
* Girl and Girl - Fight Night EP
* The Halluci Nation - Path of the Heel
* Class President - Good Thinking.
* Brian Eno - Atmospheric Lightness
* 2nd Generation Wu - Aware Wolf
* Slanted Truths - Something Severed
* UNIVERSITY - Title Track
* THALA - twotwentytwo
* Atka - The Eye Against the Ashen Sky
* Akintoye - Bombs Like Barack
* Silkroad Ensemble - Phoenix Rising

* Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* FADER and Friends: Volume 1 (Bandcamp-only charity comp benefiting three international LGBTQ+ orgs.)

Also out:

* Rid of Me - Access to the Lonely
* Mermaidens - Mermaidens
* Mary Ocher - Approaching Singularity: Music for the End of Time

Laura Veirs - "Rocks of Time"

Photo by Shelby Brakken

Last time we heard from Laura Veirs (2022's Found Light) the artist was experimenting with a more rock based sound. Her latest single sees Veirs returning to her folk roots. "Rocks of Time" is Veirs solo with a guitar, and it's a completely captivating song. It's an almost painfully intimate song, complete with the sounds of Veirs moving her fingers along the guitar strings. It's the kind of song that feels like it's being sung directly to you, and not a studio recorded single from an upcoming album. But that's just the power of Laura Veirs.

Laura Veirs says of her upcoming album:

"It feels good, on my 50th birthday and after 30 years of writing songs, to bring these 'Phone Orphans' into the light. These songs have been hiding out on my phone, some of them for over eight years. They are about my family, my lovers and me. I recorded them alone in my living room into my voice memo app. I like their relaxed feel. These songs were mastered but we made no edits to the recordings. I hope you enjoy this intimate glimpse into my artistic process. All songs by me except “Up is a Nice Place to Be” by Rosalie Sorrels and 'The Archers' with lyrics adapted from a poem by Federico García Lorca."

You can watch the lyric video for "Rocks of Time" below. Phone Orphans is due out November 3 on Raven Marching Band, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Laura Veirs, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

09/30 - Minneapolis, MN - Tackle HQ ^

11/05 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall ^

11/06 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern ^

11/22 - Bath, UK - Komedia ^

11/23 - Liverpool, UK - Leaf Cafe ^ 

11/24 - Dublin, IE - Liberty Hall ^ 

11/25 - London, UK - Dingwalls ^

11/26 - Twyford, Winchester, UK - St Mary’s Church ^

11/27 - Milton Keynes, UK - The Stables ^

12/09 - Brooklyn, NY - The Owl ^

^ w/ Karl Blau

First Listen: New Releases and More Missed Music for 8 July 2022

Artist: Laura Veirs
Album: Found Light
Quick Thoughts: It's been a little while since the last album from Laura Veirs, and this latest effort provides more of the great indie songwriting Laura Veirs is so good at. This album retains some of the jagged edges we've come to expect while retaining the unique melodic structures that I fell for way back in the Carbon Glacier era. If you're a fan, you don't want to miss this. If you are new, this is as good a place as any to start out.
Songs of Note: "Time Will Show You," "Winter Windows"

Artist: The Deslondes
Album: Ways & Means
Quick Thoughts: Yes, we love The Deslondes here, and yes, this album is a great demonstration of why. This is great roots record with solid songwriting and it is both a serious effort and doesn't take itself too too seriously. The delivery of the whole package sets this apart, and I just found more and more to love during its runtime. Don't ignore this one.
Songs of Note: "Good to Go," "South Dakota Wild One," "Howl at the Moon," "Wild Eden"

Artist: Spiral Stairs
Album: Medley Attack
Quick Thoughts: The new album from the Pavement side project is the sort of accessible indie rock that we don't hear as often anymore. Pavement is a nostalgia act in a lot of ways for people around our age, and this record is different enough (as most of Scott Kannberg's work shows) without losing its indie credibility. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and you might, too.
Songs of Note: "Too Late," "Time = Cuz"

Artist: Viagra Boys
Album: Cave World
Quick Thoughts: We tripped up on Viagra Boys with their previous album and the truly hilarious "Sports." This new album definitely doesn't let up, and perhaps turns the snark up to 11 on a lot of songs, but it's a pretty addictive listen. The slurred delivery, the crunchy guitars, the whole package is really a fun listen that's much better than the name of the band might indicate. Put this into your rotation.
Songs of Note: "Baby Criminal," "Punk Rock Loser," "The Cognitive Trade-Off Hypothesis," "Ain't No Thief," "Return to Monke"

Artist: Momma
Album: Household Name
Quick Thoughts: I missed this one last week and regret it, because, for all my love of that 1990s alt-rock sound, I keep tripping up on new acts that are perfecting it, like Momma. Household Name is a masterclass in this type of effort, and some of the songs in particular are among the best of the year. Do not hesitate, just give this a listen.
Songs of Note: "Lucky," "Brave"

Artist: Katie Bejsiuk
Album: The Woman on the Moon
Quick Thoughts: A shout-out for this album, a proper solo debut from Free Cake for Every Creature's chief singer and songwriter. If you were a fan of that act before, with its quiet lo-fi approach, you'll find plenty to love with this album as well. Just a gorgeous, and oftentimes heartbreaking, listen that shouldn't be missed.
Songs of Note: "Feels Right," "Tourmaline," "Olive, NY," "Nightloop"

Of note:

* Anna Butterss - Activities (I struggle with jazzy/jazz-adjacent music, but liked this quite a bit.)
* renforshort - dear amelia (Excellent pop album.)
* Cave States - Liminal
* Apollo Brown - This Must Be the Place
* Wu-Lu - LOGGERHEAD
* Mush - Down Tools
* Caterina Barbieri - Spirit Exit
* Ead Wood - People, Stories, World Etc
* Katy J Pearson - Sound of the Morning
* NoSo - Stay Proud of Me
* Metric - Formentera
* Sniffany and The Nits - The Unscratchable Itch

EPs:

* PACKS - WOAH
* Paul Jacobs - 185 on the Corner
* Wet - Pink Room
* Rapport - Floating Through the Wonderwave
* Fiver - Soundtrack to a More Radiant Sphere: The Joe Wallace Mixtape
* Royksopp - Profound Mysteries Remixes
* Ricky Desktop and Bobby Sasquatch - The Sax Beats EP, Volume 2

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Kid Cudi - The Boy Who Flew to the Moon (Vol. 1) (A greatest hits package.)

* "Pearl Jam - Gigaton (Tour Edition)
Also out:

* Delicate Steve - After Hours
* Titus Bank - Hopeless and Romantic
* Sally Decker and Briana Marela - Small Tremble in Slow Motion
* Bad Breeding - Human Capital

Laura Veirs - "Eucalyptus"

Photo by SHelby Brakken

Laura Veirs has been edging away from her typical folk/alt-country sound to something into a more rock or punk sound, but her latest single defies all of those genres. "Eucalyptus" drops most instrumentation in favor of electronic sounding beats with occasional guitar and what sounds like synths. Veirs's vocals are the main focus, with the beats far in the back of her singing. It's an oddly hypnotic sound that shows Veirs branching way out of her typical comfort zone. It may be an odd choice for a single, but it's going to have you even more intrigued in her upcoming album.

Laura Veirs says about her new song:

“This is a song about the community love I felt when I went through my divorce. It’s also about new love and rediscovering myself as a solo person post-divorce. I reminisce here about ‘finding the old girl I was’ back when I visited my brother in California when he was in college, where they have lovely eucalyptus trees. Some eucalyptus trees will drop their branches suddenly on you, though, so those are the varieties you don’t want to plant in your backyard.” 

You can listen to "Eucalyptus" below. Found Light is due out July 8 on Raven Marching Band Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Laura Veirs, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates can be found below the song.

6/09 - Norwich, UK @ Norwich Arts Centre

6/10 - Nottingham, UK @ Bodega

6/11 - Cambridge, UK @ Storey’s Field Centre

6/12 - Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds

6/14 - Gosforth, UK @ Civic Theatre 

6/15 - Edinburgh, UK @ Artiscience Library

6/16 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo

6/18 - Leeds, UK @ Belgrave Music Hall

6/19 - Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute

6/21 - Cardiff, UK @ Pentyrch

6/22 - Bristol, UK @ Thekla

6/23 - Exeter, UK @ Exeter Phoenix

6/25 - Glastonbury, UK - Glastonbury Festival

6/27 - Southsea, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms

6/28 - Guildford, UK @ Boileroom

6/29 - Brighton, UK @ Komedia

6/30 - London, UK @ Union Chapel

7/16 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Music / Szold Hall

7/17 - Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark

7/18 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake

7/20 - Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square

7/21 - Newport, RI @ Newport Vineyards

7/22 - Boston, MA @ Haymarket

7/23 - Exeter, NH @ The Word Barn

7/24 - Northampton, MA @ Parlor Room

7/26 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live

7/27 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage (seated)

7/28 - New York, NY @ Public Records

Laura Veirs - "Seaside Haiku"

Photo by Shelby Brakken

The latest from Laura Veirs continues her move away from a traditional singer-songwriter or folk structure and more towards her punk roots. "Seaside Haiku" is definitely not a punk song, but it's even less of a folk song. Veirs has constructed a dark alt-rocker on this one, complete with fuzzed out guitars. The guitar on this one is reminding me a lot of Throwing Muses mixed with Courtney Barnett. It's oddly hypnotic and is somehow uplifting despite its darkness. This one just feels cathartic.

"Seaside Haiku" comes from a series of haikus Laura Veirs wrote on a solo winter vacation in Seaside, OR. She says of the new song:

“This song captures the feeling I had of my emerging independence as a solo woman in the world during that wintry time. It’s been a learning curve for me to figure out how not to give too much of myself in relationships at the expense of my own needs. This is a song to remind myself of that, and also to remind all women who are socialized to give so much to others. It’s a call to hold onto our strength and power and to share it reciprocally instead of blithely giving it away.”

You can watch the video for "Seaside Haiku" below. Found Light is due out July 8 on Raven Marching Band Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Laura Veirs, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

6/09 - Norwich, UK @ Norwich Arts Centre

6/10 - Nottingham, UK @ Bodega

6/11 - Cambridge, UK @ Storey’s Field Centre

6/12 - Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds

6/14 - Gosforth, UK @ Civic Theatre 

6/15 - Edinburgh, UK @ Artiscience Library

6/16 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo

6/18 - Leeds, UK @ Belgrave Music Hall

6/19 - Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute

6/21 - Cardiff, UK @ Pentyrch

6/22 - Bristol, UK @ Thekla

6/23 - Exeter, UK @ Exeter Phoenix

6/25 - Glastonbury, UK - Glastonbury Festival

6/27 - Southsea, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms

6/28 - Guildford, UK @ Boileroom

6/29 - Brighton, UK @ Komedia

6/30 - London, UK @ Union Chapel

7/16 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Music / Szold Hall

7/17 - Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark

7/18 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake

7/20 - Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square

7/21 - Newport, RI @ Newport Vineyards

7/22 - Boston, MA @ Haymarket

7/23 - Exeter, NH @ The Word Barn

7/24 - Northampton, MA @ Parlor Room

7/26 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live

7/27 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage (seated)

7/28 - New York, NY @ Public Records

Laura Veirs - "Winter Windows"

Photo by Shelby Brakken

Portland, OR's Laura Veirs is known for being a folk/alt-country singer-songwriter. On her latest single, Veirs expands her sound quite a bit. Sure, "Winter Windows" still fits into the ever expanding world of folk and alt-country, but it sees Veirs stretching out into post-punk territory. It's a pretty high energy and frantic sounding song that uses feedback for the sake of feedback surprisingly liberally. "Winter Windows" is the kind of song where the vocals seem out of step with the music at times, but by design. There is definitely a sense of aggression I don't typically associate with Veirs, but there is also a lot of joy as well.

In a press release, Laura Veirs says her new song is "... very much about the strength of mothers and the power that women in cooperation have to shape their own lives and the lives of children. It’s about us taking the reins of life and sharing our internal light and power. I believe these rays of strength echo outward and foster love that is passed through the generations. It was fun to stretch my vocals on the high chorus near the end. This song gets at my punk roots but feels confident and current to my life right now.”

You can watch the video for "Winter Windows" below. Found Light is due out July 8 on Raven Marching Band Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Laura Veirs, check out the artist's website.

First Listen, Part One: New Releases for April 13

Nothing unlucky about 20 new releases to cover this week.

Album of the Week:

Artist: Many Rooms
Album: There Is a Presence Here
Quick Description: Dreamy folk-adjacent music.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something a little more meditative this week.
Overall Thoughts: Ethereal, deliberative tones, heavy on the reverb and vocal trickery. Feels like if Bon Iver and Band of Horses had a daughter, and that is not a bad thing at all. This will absolutely not be for everyone, but this is an album that demanded my attention by the third song, and I see myself going back to this a lot in the coming months.
Recommendation: Really made me sit up and take notice this week. A must listen.

Artist: Night Flowers
Album: Wild Notion
Quick Description: Retro-styled alt-pop.
Why You Should Listen: You've been looking for a continuation of sorts from the trend we saw last year.
Overall Thoughts: I loved this! A little alt-poppy, sometimes has that hazy quality to it, but in terms of some super-melodic stuff that’s happening here, this album rarely misses. If last year was the mid-1990s alt revival, this is trying to revive the time that followed, and it just might work.
Recommendation: Really solid listen.

Artist: Josh Rouse
Album: Love in the Modern Age
Quick Description: Rouse goes retro, sort of.
Why You Should Listen: Josh Rouse is consistently excellent.
Overall Thoughts: I’ve been a fan of Rouse for close to 15 years now, and it is tempting to call this album another change in style for him, but the album title does reflect the attitude that it approaches even if the album feels decidedly Rousian in its execution. It’s definitely a good listen from an artist that rarely stumbles.
Recommendation: Give this a shot this week

Artist: Brazilian Girls
Album: Let's Make Love
Quick Description: An interesting, complicated record from a long-standing act.
Why You Should Listen: Brazilian Girls always keeps it fresh.
Overall Thoughts: This act is very, very different than what they were when I first got into them a decade-plus ago. What is interesting is that they are severely aping Talking Heads quite a bit on this effort, which was unexpected. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s a fun listen.
Recommendation: Worth a look.

Artist: Laura Veirs
Album: The Lookout
Quick Description: First solo record in years from the indie folkie.
Why You Should Listen: Laura Veirs has made some truly iconic songs over the years.
Overall Thoughts: It’s been a while since we got a proper Veirs solo album. Her songs on the case/lang/veirs project were the highlights, but the new solo album feels a little more contemplative and a little less adventurous. This isn’t a bad thing, but when the things that draw me to Veirs are more along the lines of “Rapture” and “The Cloud Room,” hearing a more traditional effort can be jarring. It’s still a welcome return, in any regard...
Recommendation: ...but just might not be what you were hoping for.

Artist: Sofi Tukker
Album: Treehouse
Quick Description: Modern pop.
Why You Should Listen: It's the only thing like it this week, and has a lot of pluses.
Overall Thoughts: This is a pretty modern dance/pop record, and I’ll admit – it’s a little hit-and-miss, but man, when it hits? Songs like “Best Friend” are a kicker and really make the lower parts of the record more tolerable. In a shorter week, this is likely worth the time if you’re interested in a more pop record. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, but the good far outweighs the bad.
Recommendation: Might be your thing.

Artist: A Hawk and a Hacksaw
Album: Forest Bathing
Quick Description: Elephant Six meets the Eastern Bloc.
Why You Should Listen: This is great, gorgeous instrumental stuff.
Overall Thoughts: The Eastern Europeanish branch of the Elephant Six collaborative, this is some really gorgeous and interesting stuff. I don’t pretend to know the first thing about this type of music, but I really enjoyed the experience and I’m glad to see we’re getting a proper album from this duo for the first time in a while.
Recommendation: Absolutely should find some time this week even if it's not your genre.

Artist: The Damned
Album: Evil Spirits
Quick Description: Hard rock for people who might not like hard rock.
Why You Should Listen: Steel Panther is too much for you.
Overall Thoughts: I really would have dug this a decade ago. As it stands, though, I didn’t care much for this effort, which is sort of like a more serious sounding Darkness or something. There’s too much good music out this week for this, so try something else.
Recommendation: In a busy week, skip this.

Artist: L. A. Salami
Album: The City of Bootmakers
Quick Description: Sometimes singer-songwritery, sometimes poppy, sometimes rocking.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something a little more unique this week.
Overall Thoughts: At times this reminds me of early Langhorne Slim, at others a fairly standard pop-leaning rock singer-songwriter effort. L.A.S has an interesting voice and makes a really solid effort here that I definitely liked. Give this a shot, you might find a lot here to love.
Recommendation: A good listen.

Artist: Juliana Hatfield
Album: Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John
Quick Description: Juliana Hatfield sings Olivia Newton-John.
Why You Should Listen: Juliana Hatfield sings Olivia Newton-John.
Overall Thoughts: This does exactly what it says on the package. It's fine. "Physical" is the obvious highlight. The more you love Olivia Newton-John, the more you'll love this.
Recommendation: Yeah.

EPs of note:

* Rachael Cantu - Love Rush
* The Longshot - The Longshot EP (Billie Joe Armstrong project)

First Listen, Part One: New Releases for June 17

Maybe the highest quality new release pool we've had in some time. Very consistent throughout and far too many albums that could qualify as the best of the week, so a two-parter done without a true album of the week to be fair to everyone. Let's get on with it:

Artist: Sarah Jarosz
Album: Undercurrent
Quick Description: Fourth album by the bluegrass favorite.
Why You Should Listen: Sarah Jarosz has always been a high-quality listen, but this new album is major step forward.
Overall Thoughts: Jarosz is only 23/24, and this is her first album done while she isn't a student. Thus, there's a maturity here that, on one hand, wasn't there before, but, on the other, sounds like we're dismissing her earlier work in saying so. Still, taking this album on its own, it's a quieter, more intricate affair, and it's just gorgeous throughout. She has a sound that's unlike most bluegrassy performers, closer to Chris Thile in song construction than your traditional roots affair, and that's what continues to make her interesting. I hope this is the breakthrough she deserves.
Recommendation: One of many must-listens this week.

Artist: Margaret Glaspy
Album: Emotions and Math
Quick Description: Genre-straddling debut from a buzzworthy artist.
Why You Should Listen: You like to shuffle between different genres easily and appreciate a well-done attempt.
Overall Thoughts: The two lead songs I heard off this, the title track and "You and I," absolutely set my expectations absurdly high for this. In that I wasn't more excited for anything else of late meant that this had a hill to climb, and, to its credit, it almost got there. The best moments are the more hooky, grungy songs, but even the quieter and more ambitious songs stick around. I'm really looking forward to more time with this one.
Recommendation: Expect to hear a lot more from her, and get in on the ground floor. Definitely worth your time.

Artist: case/lang/veirs
Album: case/lang/veirs
Quick Description: A supergroup of sorts featuring Neko Case, KD Lang, and Laura Veirs
Why You Should Listen: You're a fan of any of these artists at all.
Overall Thoughts: I'll preface this by saying that the concept is better than the result. I love Laura Veirs, I'm a fan of Neko Case, and I can't say I know much KD Lang beyond "Constant Craving," so my enjoyment of this album was shaded by the fact that you can pretty much hear the influences from song to song at times. There are clear "Veirs" songs, clear "Case" songs, and I assume that means the others are "Lang" songs, and my tastes seem to align with that. While this is an interesting project, the result is a more uneven affair that has some great moments but is less a cohesive whole, and I honestly might have preferred an EP of what they felt was truly the best of the lot as opposed 14 songs.
Recommendation: Be wary of this one.

Artist: Paws
Album: No Grace
Quick Description: Latest album by the punk-esque group.
Why You Should Listen: Closer to Cokefloat than Youth Culture Forever, one of the noisier offerings of the week.
Overall Thoughts: Cokefloat was a surprise for me, something I really dug and passed around to a few people, but the fun seems to be lacking a bit with Paws as of late, and the result in their more previous album was an experimental affair. This is a little more back to basics, little more straightforward, but still doesn't reach the heights of my favorite stuff from them as of late. I'm not saying this is a bad album at all, but I wanted to like this a lot more than I did on a whole.
Recommendation: Another one to consider, but be careful.

Artist: Elizabeth Cook
Album: Exodus of Venus
Quick Description: First album in six years (and first new music in four) from the outlaw country favorite.
Why You Should Listen: Welder was one of the best of the year when it came out, and this is a solid offering.
Overall Thoughts: Those looking for the sort of polished country of Welder or Balls will probably be disappointed, as this is a bit of a sonic shift on a whole for Cook, who definitely went through some stuff in the making of this album. The result is definitely a more serious affair and something that isn't all that "fun," but it's still a really great listen and I'm definitely glad to have Cook around again. This is one I'm looking forward to revisiting.
Recommendation: Absolutely worth your time.

Artist: The Misfits
Album: Friday the 13th
Quick Description: Horror punks reunite for a horror movie tribute of sorts.
Why You Should Listen: The Misfits are legendary.
Overall Thoughts: I can't say I know The Misfits all that well. They're a band I've known of forever, but they're a seminal act in a genre I'm not crazy about. So this is a fun listen, but might be moreso for people who love the band or have been waiting on bated breath for this. I don't know if this means more in the future, but for now...
Recommendation: It's short, but might not work for you.

Artist: Laura Mvula
Album: The Dreaming Room
Quick Description: New album by the soul-esque singer/songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: Laura Mvula brings a more trained ear to her music than most in the genre.
Overall Thoughts: Laura Mvula caught my ear with her debut, Sing to the Moon, and this is a pretty significant leap forward for the singer. It's a genuinely great, interesting music in a genre I'm not too familiar with, but the result is something pretty special. I wanted to highlight it only because we don't cover enough music like this here and this is an absolute highlight.
Recommendation: Worth your time at least once, you might end up loving it.

Also out this week:

* Swans - The Glowing Man