R.E. Seraphin Preps Fool’s Mate + Shares Bound
Think we’ve got 2 degrees of separation from R.E. Seraphin, but that’s neither here nor there, as we’ve got a fresh LP and a new track that immediately require your attention. A light little jangle and a wash of atmosphere opens things up, with the song taking a propulsive bass line under its wings as they push towards a meet and greet with the melodic center force. Seraphin’s vocals have a really nice warm jacket atop, perhaps with a nod to the album’s producer Jason Quever (Papercuts)…and whatever, it’s a really nice move that really takes Ray’s songwriting to the next level. Fool’s Mate is the new album, dropping on March 22nd via Take a Turn Records and Safe Suburban Home Records.
I’ll be honest…there’s not a spot in the country that’s dropping better tunes than the Oakland/San Francisco scene; we’ve covered tons of those projects here on our end of things, so you know we’re continuously enamored. But, let’s say you just stumbled upon our site for the first time…and you’re looking for something new? Well, Welcome to Oakland! This compilation was put together by 
Well, last week was a struggle. End of the school year, for two teachers, and well, then that other thing, so we barely got to the end of the week, let alone hit the musical stride with our usual fervor. So, our end of week wrap-up, which we give you at the beginning, is a little short. But, there’s new jams from great releases like R.E. Seraphin, Why Bonnie or Dehd, plus a rad new track off Hazy Sour Cherry‘s forthcoming LP for Damnably. And hey, you can never go wrong having a Tony Molina tune in there. So, here’s to one foot in front of the other with our favorite jams from last week.
It’s been a crazy year, and a depressing year, so perhaps we all retreated more into our record collections to seek out that fleeting joy. On my end, I spent a lot of time running/walking in the ‘burbs, so these are the records that played the most in my life…thus they are my Favorite Albums of 2020. The validity means little to anyone other than myself, but since you stop by, perhaps come by and check out my list!
Despite a horrible toll on our souls and families, there have been some minimal bright spots in the art world, like friends working together to organize compilations. Last week 
R.E. Seraphin was a staple in the Austin music scene for years, even working with ATH Records own Mean Jolene…but, life led him out to California where he’s just released a really wonderful new collection of songs: Tiny Shapes. I reached out to Ray to see if he’d be willing to share a playlist of tunes that influenced his latest release…and he kindly obliged. After the jump you’ll get 10 songs that helped R.E. Seraphin make a great new record. And if you’re so inclined, go grab a copy from