Month: December 2021

Top Albums of 2021

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Honestly, I’m pretty over lists at this point. They’re arbitrary and don’t really reflect anything but someone’s tastes, except here where they reflect the tastes of three individuals…because that’s how we roll. So, take this list with a grain of salt. These are the records we thought were the best, which mostly just means these are the ones we listened to on repeat throughout the year! Feel free to leave a comment on what you think we missed, or why we’re dumb; we love good comment trolls.

Also, because this list is really about crediting the art that made us happy, we wanted it to make you happy too, so we included purchasing links where we could. Read more

Ryan Pollie Shares Don’t Lie Single

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Friday, you’ll be able to get your hands on Ryan Pollie‘s new LP, Stars, dropping courtesy of Forged Artifacts/Mapache; but, before you get there, why not tease you with one final single to lead you with a trail of joy. There’s this beautiful fragility to the tune, carried with a sense of uncertainty in the lyrical content. Every time I press play, I feel like this is the journey I’d be on if I’d grown up an emo kid with a penchant for covering Grateful Dead songs; there’s something about both sides of that coin that seem to reside in this single…and frankly, I think that’s stunning, so I can’t stop pressing play here. Don’t forget the LP drops Friday.

A Place to Bury Strangers Share Hold On Tight Video

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I’m really loving the freedom that working through their own label seems to be providing A Place to Bury Strangers; it seems to have provided the band with this ability to sort of remain indifferent to expectations and still play on their own terms. Their latest single opens up with this barrage of noise, thundering upon your eardrums with such power that it’s likely to knock down all the unstable furniture in your living quarters. Still, with walls built of sonic expression, Oliver Ackermann and company hone in on their melodic inclinations, sort of bundled up inside this cocoon of shredding noise. The perfect imbalance if you ask me! They drop See Through You on February 4th via Dedstrange.

End Scene Share Bittersweet Spell

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When you send me an email name-dropping the Go-Betweens and early REM, you can bet I’m going to listen, and likely going to cover it. Such was the case when Sydney’s End Scene sent me their latest single, “Bittersweet Spell.” This tune has great ringing guitar lines, but they’re delivered with the vocals that seem weighed down with emotion a la Michael Stipe; this is the sort of tune you’d probably say was penned by Robert Forster if we’re sticking to the band’s musical nods. One of my favorite things here is that the tune has this sort of quiet magic; it’s the sort you play time and time again without even knowing it, gradually swooning more and more with each listen. If you, like me, love it, then be sure to check out the band’s forthcoming LP, All My Ghosts, which drops this Friday.

Wah Together Drop 7″

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I’m surprised given the pedigree of the members in Wah Together that the band aren’t getting more hype; the group features members of Longwave, LCD Soundsystem and the Rapture, so they’re cool in my book before they even started singing. But, with Jaiko Suzuki on vocals, singing in Japanese, the band take this blend of sort of skronky post-punk and rev it up into this mashing of pop and noise. It’s this swirling mixture where drums crash heavily while the rhythm section spastically pushes you forward, all of it circling around the gravitational pull of Suzuki. I can totally get behind this; you can too buy grabbing the 7″ from the band HERE. They’ll have an album out next year via Dedstrange in March.

Artsick Share Ghost of Myself Video

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I know we’re all clamoring over year end lists for 2021, but please, reserve a spot in next year’s list for Artsick; the band have only dropped two singles from their forthcoming LP, but already I’m saving it a place. This is the sort of frantic ramshackle pop meets punk that got me to jump ship full on into indie rock. It only takes 20 seconds for the waves to wash in and bring thumping drum work; the rhythm section drives the tune forward, bouncing it while Christina’s voice soars atop. Backing vocals also aid in delivering a satisfying bit of infectiousness, guaranteeing the song sticks in your brain all day long! Plus, the video should get bonus points since it was directed by Christina, who also is the sole character in it; I mean, can you direct a video and star in a video, all for a song you wrote?! That has to create some sort of black hole. Regardless, Fingers Crossed is out on January 21st via Slumberland Records.

Pink Milk Share New Single, I Lose My Mind

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Having just recently released their album, Ultraviolet, Sweden’s Pink Milk return with this hazy bit of dreamy indulgence. Every musical note seems to shimmer, hanging in the air like some sort of foggy mist descending upon your bedroom as you play this track through your headphones. There’s something angelic and haunting in the vocals, like the faintest echoes from lives lived in the past; they seem to always be just out of reach, creating this sort of disorienting feeling that I assume ties into the title of the tune. So, if you’re into altering your mood this Monday morning, I suppose you can’t wrong immersing yourself into this experience. And be sure to also check on Ultraviolet.

Reptaliens Drop I Feel Fine

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Another January release I’m excited about here is the new LP from Portland’s Reptaliens. Now, with this record, the full songwriting was paired down to just Cole and Bambi Browning, and while I’ve enjoyed previous releases, the switch in approach seems to have provided the perfect vehicle for Bambi’s voice. There’s just something coyly playful, but also sort of indifferent in the way each lyric is dropped out there into the world. Her performance in the chorus takes on a softer melodic tone, but I think it has a stunning contrast, giving the sound this sort of solid base to carry on its own adventures. Those little nuances included a mix of spaced guitar licks battling for space with the surfier nots, both constantly pushing to keep track with the voice. This is for sure a tune and a half! Multiverse is out on January 21st via Captured Tracks.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (11.29 – 12.3)

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Happy Monday! We’re still here, still covering sweet jams, though we’re not really working too hard on the cred-required year end lists. Still, last week we tossed up almost 20 new jams, so figured we should run a little recap. You get new hits from the Bay Area via Reds, Pinks and Purples, Kids on a Crime Spree and Sad Eyed Beatniks, plus some videos from our friends in Central Heat Exchange. I included a Smashing Times track from their 2021 LP because we loved their new 7″, though its not quite up on the streaming sites yet. Also, if you didn’t check out that Fortunato Durutti Marinetti track yet, what are you waiting for?

The Black Watch Release Now & Then Video

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Always a big fan of The Black Watch, so when a new album and single hit, you know you’re likely to find it here, though probably not as eloquently as John’s own words. Through the first few singles of Here & There, we find Fredrick and company seemingly stretching their sound, at least in terms of the arrangements that are built around the core songwriting. In a sense, this feels a bit sedated, a bit like a tune that could provide the record with a sort of balance. The accompanying video provides a sort of meditative set of black and white imagery to accompany the tune’s natural drift. Feel like this is a great place to spend some time today, and then perhaps you’ll feel as I do and grab a copy of Here & There from Atom Records.

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