This is fine.
Last week I might have gotten a little carried away; my wife and newborn son were spending a lot of time resting, so I was just hanging out writing about songs all week…something a teacher, soccer coach, dad and label owner typically can’t do. So, this week’s playlist of last week’s hits might be a little longer than usual, but you’re going to be all the better for it. I hope you have a wonderful Monday my friends, and enjoy the jams here!
I’ve been posting a whole lot of singles and stuff this week, mostly because I like to over-indulge and see who is listening. No one, apparently. But, why not wrap up this week of working harder than I ever have before by sharing some cool records I liked that drop today? Yeah? Ok.
Smoke Bellow – Open for Business (Trouble in Mind)
If you’re into that new Dry Cleaning album (and you should be), then see how far this Baltimore outfit can take that sound…pushing to a weirder, albeit synthesized, world. Like Kraftwerk covering Dry Cleaning at a Halloween party for art school kids.
Sweet Nobody – We’re Trying Our Best (Daydream Records)
I’ve written about every single on this album, and could easily make comparisons to the likes of the Beths or Alvvays…all good things. If you’ve got a sweet tooth and need something to snack on, press play.
Hits – Cielo Nublado (Paisley Shirt Records)
You ever wonder what Sarah Records would sound like if they got transported to the future about 20 years? Well, pretty sure that Hits have given you the answer to that question, so if you’re looking for ramshackle pop, you’ve come to the right place!
TC Superstar – As Seen on TV
Austin’s dance party drop their latest record today; it’s 9 songs of catchy hooks ready for you to invite your friends over for the night to celebrate the joys of life. Stomp about until the neighbors complain about the noise.
Welcome to another Monday my friends. First, taking a minute here, as I’m writing this post, to celebrate the 7 day young Rhys Bennett Lankford! That’s right, went and had me another one of those kids, and its been a lot of fun, and well, we’re super stoked on the lil’ fella. That said, we also had a short week, so maybe we didn’t get as many jams in as we might otherwise. But, rest assured, we’ve got a pretty solid little collection of tunes here for you to begin your week, with quite a few ATX appearances from the likes of Lola Tried, American Friend and more. You know what to do, press play and stuff.
The first minute or so of this new Smoke Bellow tune is sort of this meditative mood, like there’s been a glitch in the Matrix and we’re all just biding time as we watched the giant-headed characters on the screen. Meredith McHugh conducts here voice like she’s welcoming you to some sort of psychedelic retreat, a sort of softened mantra that beckons you to fall deep into the contemplative nature of this tune. You look up on the screen, and you’re united by the rest of the big heads, taking part in the joyousness of sonic exploration. I love how just as I think I’ve got this lot figured out, they take a turn and lead me somewhere else. I’ll gladly follow to the release of Open for Business, out next week via Trouble in Mind Records.
Here we are on another Monday, about halfway through the musical calendar, and while I should probably be working on one of those magically meaningless “Midway Best Of,” I feel like I’d be letting down our friends if we didn’t do our wrap-up of the goods from last week. Honestly, and I won’t throw out names, but there are some jams that would certainly make my best of the year list…one in particular. Can you guess it? Also, some of the new stuff by Love, Burns and Normil Hawaiians isn’t streaming, so I linked you to some of their other work you might enjoy. Mostly, it’s Monday, and I like to make this playlist for my friend Marc, so he doesn’t have to read anything and just gets music. Happy Monday folks!
It seems like the year’s been packed full of acts brandishing their own interpretation of what indie rock is/was, so you’ve got to look to your favorite labels to see where its going, like with the latest from Trouble in Mind. Today the label announces the release of a new LP from Smoke Bellow, and while pieces of the sound collage are definitely familiar, the presentation feels fairly unique, albeit one in line with current trends. It’s almost what one would call no-punk or no-pop; it’s got that sort of arty presentation, with stabbing guitar lines, rhythmic pulse and a kind of off-beat nature about it…sort of reminds me of one of my ATX faves, Deep Time. Don’t be confused, there’s still delectable pop bits in here, just tossed out in a fashion that’s not as easy to consume, but ultimately as rewarding. Open for Business drops on September 17th.
