While making their new album Plastic Flag while traveling around Europe in 2017, Cal Fish spent a lot of time listening to the 2004 Arthur Russell compilation Calling Out of Context, and a similar experimental spirit is alive in their record. Cal gathered loops from cassettes found on the streets and fused them with beats.
Melbourne quintet Spiritual Mafia boast members gathered from some of that city’s best underground outfits (Ausmuteants, EXEK). Alfresco is their debut album but it was a fractured journey with their members all based around the far reaches of Australia. Spiritual Mafia’s music constantly arrives at a confluence.
Growing up surrounded by Creole musicians, she might have been primed to follow in their footsteps. Renée Reed has broadened her palette, taking inspiration from a wide range of folk and popular musicians. Her self-titled debut album is a surprising, subtle joy to listen to, showcasing both her roots and a path forward.
There’s feckless Royals on the prowl again in the international scene, and for those of us terrified of the press, here comes Dry Cleaning to redeem us with a tram-rhythmed, chugging, pulsing, effortless groove-that-just-don’t-won’t-stop. Above all there’s Florence Shaw, whose cool, low Sprechstimme makes it all work.
Floatie operated in a constant state of unfinalized growth for the better part of their existence, becoming a sharper band, a better-every-time-you-see-them band. Voyage Out is the culmination of these pursuits, an excellent and cohesive collection of skittering “frog rock” enveloped by the quartet’s clever arrangements of balmy bass and twin guitars.
Brigid Dawson & The Mothers Network offer sanctuary from the trials of the greater storm; an analogous warmth, forthright honesty, & familiar newness, which lull one into a sense of comfort & calm amidst our swirling chaoses. Ballet Of Apes is that ice cold beverage on a scorching summer high noon; a retro-tomorrow frequency.
The band’s previous releases displayed a marked, modern J-pop influence, and that’s definitely present here as well. Overall, however, Ethernity highlights For Tracy Hyde’s heavier and more indie-minded instincts. The boost in volume not only underscores the anthemic nature of these songs—it offsets the saccharine hooks.
The bulk of music released under the Balloon Club banner has been softer and atmospheric, while Ghost Pop’s releases are largely first draft run-throughs of songs. Water Songs—the newest EP from Balloon Club, and Liu’s first on upstart Portland label Bud Tapes—makes an effort to wed those two divergent identities.
Love-Lore is a beautifully compact and unapologetic collection of an overwhelming variety of music. It merges high-brow with low through five tracks of incredibly measured and composed psychedelic freakouts with strings of quoted musical lines that cross artistic, commercial, and cultural boundaries.
Nightshift broadcasts to the world from Glasgow and this beautifully angular prism of an album comes to us via Trouble in Mind Records out of Chicago. This album has been a true musical companion for getting through this pandemic winter, an album that was created during the lockdowns where members recorded separately from afar.
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.
