Babehoven’s Maya Bon has always said that songwriting helps her “process the struggles of daily existence, of familial trauma, of the processes of letting go.” That description feels especially apt for Yellow has a pretty good reputation, which finds Bon utterly lost in her life as one day bleeds into the next while trying to ground herself.
The set was recorded on November 13, 1990 during a short run at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA. They lean into the new material, and with good reason: they sound like they’re having an incredible amount of fun. They love this music. Love bleeds all over this recording. They’re remembering what worked in the past, looking to the future.
Mister Goblin’s new album Four People in an Elevator and One of them is the Devil has that classic indie rock sound with the added bonus of having very meaningful and fun lyrics. Clocking in at a cool 29 minutes in length, it makes for an easy listening experience but when you really dive into this record, there is a lot to unpack.
As the sole member of the indie-rock outfit Hand Habits, Meg Duffy released the thrifty EP Dirt: just two songs, or three if the digital exclusive remix of their previous song “What’s the Use” is included. It never feels lightweight though, packing much vibrancy and notes of interest into just ten minutes; brevity is Duffy’s friend here.
Much of what Mush does on their second LP is political. A political British post-punk album is hardly a new concept but what makes it work is Hyndman’s vocals: where the growling idyllic gospel of IDLES can come off preachy, Hyndman’s delivery is so chaotic and ridiculous that the ludicrousness of the current political climate is laid bare.
Currently riding atop a great wave of rapid, gilt-edged output, we are gifted Tha God Fahim and Your Old Droog’s newest collaborative LP, Tha YOD Fahim; an organic, roots-futuristic expression of the modern day epoch. Ever-sharpening blades, we hear the pair's lyricism reach radiant heights with profound wordage and natural cadence.
On their debut, Fake Fruit show they are seasoned and firm footed in their musical attack, playing fully to their strengths while also exhibiting a mischievous streak. The sequencing on the record is masterful and never lets the record fall flat, allowing for the various tempos and moods to shine brightly.
When Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea arrived in 2000, it did so as the nexus of any number of narratives that had been building to that point. For all of the believers, it was Harvey’s first really “mature” album, the apex of her ability as a songwriter, wherein all the shadow and sex of her music finally erupted into defiant Y2K apocalypticism.
The Green Child began as a long-distance collaboration between band members Raven Mahon (ex-Grass Widow) and Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring). Shimmering Basset finds the duo now united in Rye, Australia. The results of their newfound proximity are some of their strongest and most distinctive work yet.
Songs From Another Life, the latest album from Spanish/Swedish supergroup The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness, is one of the first Bandcamp-core albums in recent memory to properly embody power pop’s platonic ideals. The album exists in an alternate reality where ‘60s worship and alt-rock sensibilities never cross-pollinated.
Recorded on May 1st, 2019 as a radio session for Aire Libre 105.3 FM in Mexico City, all but one of the tracks are from their fifth album, 2019’s De Facto. 01052019 is unceasingly intense. A description that already fit the duo well, it does even more in this performance, with the band joined by Fernando Nuti, Andrea Davì and José Orozco.
The era of climate change is upon us, and this is what makes The Weather Station’s new record Ignorance so important. Tamara Lindeman has created a record unique to our time of impending climate disaster. She shares her experience with personal grief, loss, love, and joy through the lens of her climate anxieties.
One of the most wild and beautifully exploratory albums released in 2020 came from Population II, a psych-rock trio based out of Montreal. À la Ô Terre, comes to you from powerhouse psych label Castle Face Records, and is the soundtrack for a journey in and out of the chaotic edges as galaxies collide.
![PJ Harvey - "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea" [Reissue] | Album Review](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56066cf9e4b0ffbc0fe62db1/1615349347985-5UO9KHBEPF35WZY43NAR/320x0w.jpg)
