Härvest, Poison Ruïn’s second album overall (depending how you look at it) and first record together with their new label, retains the band’s flair for the medieval, distilled in the toil and struggle of the era’s poor and working class, a sentiment that hasn’t changed all that much in modern times.
We Know the Sky, the sophomore full length album from Yours Are the Only Ears (aka Susannah Cutler), provides the listener with heartfelt melodies and intensity, manifesting itself through nature and vivid imagery. Cutler's songs are full of spirit and tender ruminations on the travails of love and the ever changing world around us.
Musically, The Window is the Dream, is a tightly woven textile, with minute intricacies. Vibraphone, bass, guitars, and synthesizers all cooperate or battle with Jana Horn’s voice to illuminate her images via purposeful poetry. The phrasing and delivery of the lyrics is laconic; her poetry is delivered as such. It is magical, uncompromising.
While Meyhem Lauren will forever represent Queens, Champagne For Breakfast, comes as a historical West Coast moment, the first collaboration between Madlib and DJ Muggs. A meeting of undeniable giants, the legendary producers work in unison together to design the wavy elegance and the minimalist psych-laced blueprint.
Whitney’s Playland describe their music as exploring the “usual things in life: love and loss,” adding that these explorations occasionally have a satirical tinge to them. While the descriptor is accurate, the way in which they approach these reflections on Sunset Sea Breeze is more clever than their Bandcamp copy gives them credit for.
Too Much To Ask, which packed with the trademarked “talk-singing” of the band, as well as incredibly danceable beats and fun instrumental breakdowns, turned out to have a few b-sides that didn’t make the cut of the final album. Don’t Ask (b-sides) is just the extra dose of Cheekface fun that any indie rock, power-pop punk fan will enjoy.
Recorded live in five days amidst beer and BBQ (according to the liner notes), the songs and characters populating Poole’s latest are full, well-thought and well-executed. His voice sounds better than ever, and though much of the psych tinge of his previous work is gone, he finds himself grounded in a fresh spin on classic Americana.
Dancer, the jittery and groove filled eponymous EP for the Scotland based post-punk band, artfully shifts tempos as the band bounce around each other with energy. The band are unafraid to throw in winking humor with in-jokes and references, musically and lyrically, bringing more depth to their songs than is apparent on the surface.
UMO has an undeniable trademark, a yin and yang of experimental and accessible that rejects clout and idolatry while being primed for remixes and festivals. It may seem as though this trademark has been minimally changed. Upon first listen, V is an album that amalgamates the group’s previous inquiries into an hour of ascension.
Over a decade into their partnership, Kelley Deal (Breeders) and Mike Montgomery (Ampline) feel continuously in sync. The two have extensive history as friends, colleagues and musical partners. Pulling from their individual artistry, R. Ring represents a satisfying detour that allows for at will experimentation and forward-thinking jams.
After five long years, the trio return with Neither The One Nor The Other, But A Mockery of Both, a new EP, surprise released without fanfare via 12XU. The title, a reference to the fact that the record was re-recorded several times over the past few years, is a gift of their debased sense of humor, a sign that the years haven’t left them embittered.
Furling is a work of pure artistry; A no gimmicks, straight-up gorgeous folk record that’s perfect for keeping you company on a long, contemplative drive. Meg Baird has always been a great artist, but this feels like a big leap forward for her sound. Her addicting style of psychedelic folk will have you constantly coming back for more.
