Favorite albums of the past couple months, including Body Type, Blood Ceremony, Protomartyr, QOTSA, Royal Thunder, Motorpsycho and Squid.

2023 got off to a fairly slow start in terms of exciting releases. While there’s always good music being released every week (I’ve heard just under 400 albums so far), a majority of big releases have come out the past couple months. Years ago I wondered if I should bother reviewing new music anymore, since there were hundreds of sites covering music I was into. But for some reason in the past five years or so, it kind of dried up. And while NPR, Pitchfork and other mainstream sources are covering all the dance pop, R&B, hip hop, electronic music you could ever (for some, never) want, they completely ignore close to 99% of what you’ll find here. Am I out of touch? I listen to all the releases that are fashionable, and it’s not like all the artists I cover are middle aged. There’s plenty of young artists and bands here. Check ’em out now before they’re middle aged too!

1. Body Type – Expired Candy (Poison City)

2. Blood Ceremony – The Old Ways Remain (Rise Above)

3. Protomartyr – Formal Growth in the Desert (Domino)

4. Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman… (Matador)

5. Royal Thunder – Rebuilding the Mountain (Spinefarm)

6. Motorpsycho – Yay! (Rune Grammofon)

After a six year run of incredibly ambitious and lengthy albums, Motorpsycho dial it back with more laid back album of acoustic numbers and psych pop that circle back to a trio of albums from 2000-2002. Coincidentally, Bent Sæther’s singing here brings to mind Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue, who were at an artistic peak in that same time period. The plaintive melody of “Real Again” could strike a chord with audiences not yet on board the psychonaut vessel, but at the same time wears out it’s welcome for me on too many repeat plays compared to their more labyrinthine compositions, which they do revisit on “Hotel Daedalus” and the interwoven textures on closer “The Rapture” with acoustic and electric guitars and strings, given a baroque Swedish psych folk flair by producers Reine Fiske and Lars Fredrik Swahn. The album ends with the verse “The days are getting longer, summer’s almost here, I thank my guardian angels, we survived another year.” There’s far worse ways to kick off the official summer. 

7. Squid – O Monolith (Warp)

I was stoked to see the excitement and attention given to London bands Black Midi, Black Country, New Road and Squid the past few years. There’s even a scholarly paper that attempts to assign the bands a “generic term for the contemporary avant-garde British rock scene.” All of them (Gremlin-Core, Speedycore, Windmill-Core) are awkward and unlikely to stick. Between Black Midi’s hectic avant-prog/jazz-rock, Black Country, New Road’s chamber post-rock (which reminds me of Long Fin Killie, but could easily evolve into something more like Elbow), I’ve always been more aligned with Squid’s experimental art punk going back to their LINO EP (2017). Their second album is a bold progression from the energetic but less cohesive Bright Green Field (2021) which has a significant learning curve to process, which promises for rewarding repeated listens. This kind of rapid development promises the band will be one to watch.

8. Kanaan – Downpour (Jansen)

This Norwegian instrumental space rock band started on the acclaimed El Paraiso label, and maintain their high quality psychedelic stoner jams on their sixth album and second for Jansen. Last year’s Diversions Vol. 1: Softly Through Sunshine, as the title suggested, was a departure into more minimalist, spacey Kosmische textures, while Downpour has them returning to more guitar heavy jams.

9. Rose City Band – Garden Party (Thrill Jockey)

When Ripley Johnson (Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo) debuted Rose City Band as a solo project in 2019, there was more J.J Cale choogle found in his Cosmic Americana than country. However, as the project has expanded into a full band, including Barry Walker on pedal steel, the country element grew stronger. That’s alright by me, as he still maintains a similarly soothing, chill ambience. And since this has become Johnson’s primary craft for riffriding, I wouldn’t mind hearing evidence on record of the band’s ability to let loose with more dynamic rock in their live sets.

10. Dream Wife – Social Lubrication (Lucky Number)

In the early 90s when Riot Grrrl and queercore groups were making an impact in the punk and indie scenes, I never would have imagined that 30 years later women would have even fewer rights, and allegedly sophisticated female pop stars would avoid the word “feminist” like it’s a dirty word. Listening to their music leaves me feeling irritated from my skin to my core. Thankfully there are a bunch of diverse bands that provide an antidote like anti-itch bug spray, like Body Type, RVG and Dream Wife. Dream Wife remain too uniquely prickly on their third album to truly cross over to mainstream audiences, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some brilliant tracks that couldn’t sneak under the barbed wire, like “Who Do You Wanna Be?,” “Orbit” and the title track. I could see clever placement of a track like “Hot (Don’t Date a Musician”) on some Netflix TV show catching fire.

11. Cable Ties – All Her Plans (Merge)

On their third album, the Melbourne trio diversify their post-punk sound into more varied indie rock and pop, while still saving some select savage post-hardcore hammer blows. First track “Crashing Through” sounds like classic Cable Ties, but with some of the rust buffed off in the garage. Jenny McKechnie’s vocals start with the familiar shouts, elevates into blood-curdling screams on “Perfect Client,” but then ably deliver melodic pop on “Time For You,” a slow-burning croon on “Too Late” and plaintive, vulnerable melody on “Mum’s Caravan.” Drummer Shauna Boyle takes the vocal lead on “Thoughts Back,” and the talky/shouty “Silos” vents some political outrage. Closing track “Deep Breath Out” is surprisingly gentle and fragile as McKechnie sings to a sibling dealing with mental health problems. A significant step forward for Cable Ties.

12. Haunt – Golden Arm (Iron Grip)

It seems just yesterday that I was still trying to catch up on the output of Trevor William Church’s doom project Beastmaker. I blinked and here we are with the ninth Haunt album. He even re-recorded songs from the first EPs from way back in 2017-19. I started taking them for granted the past few years, but seeing them live at Hell’s Heroes V shortly before this was released reignited my fervor. The compact length of just over 27 minutes and the relentless barrage of catchy riffs has me enjoying this album more than everything since If Icaraus Could Fly (2019). In a better, more rockin’ universe, I’d turn on the radio and hear Haunt tunes alongside High Spirits.

13. Rival Sons – Darkfighter (Atlantic)

I’ve always appreciated Rival Sons’ talent for writing strong tunes and Jay Buchanan’s powerful voice since their 2009 debut. But despite seeing them live twice and being impressed, I’ve also held them at arm’s length, as I felt they weren’t quite distinctive enough, compared to a band like Iceland’s The Vintage Caravan. However, listening to Feral Roots (2019) and their latest next to Greta Van Fleet, I can see this band really does have it together, and deserves the mainstream success that inexplicably has only translated for GVF. Later in the year they’ll be releasing Lightbringer, which, the Rock Gods willing, will bring them some kind of crossover pop hit. Either way, anyone craving a bluesy hard rock band at the top of their game are in luck. Check out their video of “Nobody Wants to Die” with Fuzzlord and gang vs. The Preacher! | Buy

Bubbling Under

Do Nothing – Snake Sideways (Orchard): Ever notice that British bands in the indie and post-punk realms rarely last more than two to three albums? It’s an extremely fickle atmosphere where a lot is expected from bands, which can often inspire some bursts of brilliance, but then any slight deviation, change in course or wobble, results in a backlash of savage, bitchy and dismissive reviews. It’s kind of fucked up. I fear the very thing is happening to Do Nothing, a talented band who put out two EPs in 2020 & 21 of pretty unique sounding mixes of post-punk, art punk and jangly indie. Yet the anticipation for their first full-length seemed to be missing, because as far as I can tell, UK critics are now bored of Yard Act, The Lounge Society, NOV3L, Shame, possibly even the revered IDLES and Fontaines D.C., and moved elsewhere. There is a strong underground following for Squid of course, but Do Nothing cross over into the poppier side of indie which great bands like The Rakes and Maximo Park inhabit, who often get treated patronizingly. Nevertheless, this is an excellent debut loaded with great songs like “Nerve,” “Fine,” “Moving Target,” “Happy Feet” and more, and they could have a brilliant future if the gatekeepers will let it happen.

Wytch Hazel – IV: Sacrament (Bad Omen): When the Lancaster based renaissance hard rock/folk/metal band Wytch Hazel debuted with Prelude in 2016, I was stoked to find a younger band taking the reigns from The Lord Weird Slough Feg in combining Wishbone Ash, Thin Lizzy, Dark Star and Ashbury influences into some fresh new tunes. Of course this band wasn’t quite that, but also more, dipping into Jethro Tull’s progressive folk and even ancient music’s Aolean and Dorian scales. There’s also the Christian lyrics, which could make me squirm, but I selectively hear “Satan, blah blah blah, holy ghost, Satan” and it’s all good, as are the white tights, tunics and crosses. After all, they’re not all that different than fellow cross-wearers Black Sabbath’s morality tales. On their fourth album, their approach remains pretty consistent, which means fans will probably have various favorites across their catalog. All four albums on random play sound consistently great with no duds. The band could stand to vary the dynamics a bit, and push Colin Hendra beyond his comfort zone, but that will have to wait for a future album.

Witchskull – The Serpent Tide (Rise Above): Yet another witch band. This is their fourth album, the third with the Rise Above label. It’s hard to go wrong with anyone on that roster, especially if you have a weak spot like me for uptempo rock ‘n’ doom, which isn’t nearly as common as more traditional doom, funeral and sludge. It’s also rare for vocals to be a strength with these kind of underground bands, but Marcus De Pasquale has the chops. I love the sort of panicked wail that takes early Ozzy but intensifies it, similar to Gregg Higgins of Houston’s underrated Venomous Maximus. | Buy

RVG – Brain Worms (Fire): After the brilliantly promising debut A Quality Of Mercy (2017), a beguiling mix of The Smiths, The Monochrome Set and The Only Ones, Feral (2020) was disappointing. Coming to terms with the fact that no one is going to out jangle prime Johnny Marr, I can appreciate this Melbourne band and leader Romy Vager’s passionate, personal songs like “Midnight Sun,” “Common Ground” and “It’s Not Easy.” The production brings out subtle details this time that compare favorably to mid-period Echo & the Bunnymen and Go-Betweens, with Vager’s emotionally devastating lyrics balanced somewhat by moments of dry humor. This is the kind of music people re-evaluate and treasure long after a band is gone. It doesn’t have to be this way, just click play.

TEKE::TEKE – Hagata (Kill Rock Stars): This seven piece Japanese-Canadian surf-psych-prog big band was an unheralded highlight of SXSW in 2022, and their second album promises more innovative surprises. Originally inspired by the surf-Eleki stylings of Japanese guitarist Tekeshi Terauchi, they pack a lot into their sound, including Japanese folk (with a bit of Beefheartian blues guitar on “Garakuta”), J-Pop and jazz-funk. Trombone-assisted noise rock and flute-tinged prog can all feel overwhelming at first glance, with a chaotic party vibe along the lines of a more avant-garde The Go! Team. But the visual element of seeing the band live or their videos translates into wildly stimulating entertainment.

Mong Tong – Tau Fire (Guruguru Brain): On their third album, these electronic psych experimentalists mix gamelon, tablas and space rock with samples of local celebratory (and funeral) music, resulting in strikingly original sounds that vary from party atmospheres to what would make for convincing horror movie soundtracks.

Swans – The Beggar (Young God): I’ve always been a lousy Swans fan. Despite following them since their early days, I’ve never once been excited for a new album. The idea of another double album exhausts me before I’ve heard a single note. And yet, I always end up circling back to the albums at some point, admiring their uncompromising boldness, then put them away for a decade. Same goes for this one. I recently read a long interview with Michael Gira by John Robb from around 2016, and Gira was very upfront about not having credentials of an actual musician. He’s always simply experimented and worked at his craft until he felt satisfied that he expressed what he needed to. And yet, he’s now regarded as a kind of elder statesman of avant garde and experimental music. I can appreciate that, going back to amateur artists entering the inclusive no wave scene in the 70s. But will I ever listen to the 43:51 long track “The Beggar Lover (Three)” ever again? Possibly not, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an impressive achievement, just like I’m not often in the mood for modern classical music and lots of experimental electronic music.

Cory Hanson – Western Cum (Drag City): Ever since I saw Cory Hanson shredding his guitar with Wand in 2015, I’ve always had time for his musical projects. While I would have liked to have seen him focus on making a killer Wand album, I’ll take this solo joint, because it’s spilling over with guitar. In a way it could get along well in playlists alongside J. Mascis worshippers Purling Hiss and Island Of Love, but with more sprawling elements of classic Crazy Horse/Neil Young jams. But man, that cringeworthy title. It seems Hanson is doing his best to stay underground. He need not try so hard, as his brand of garage psych guitar rock will remain unfashionable for the foreseeable future.

Blood Star – First Sighting (Shadow Kingdom): Salt Lake City band is a new project from Visigoth’s Jamison Palmer with new vocalist Madeline Smith. Banger TV suggested they sound like Christian Mistress covering High Spirits. That’s an alluring proposition, and while Smith is still a bit of a novice and doesn’t quite have the grit and depth of Christine Davis, this is a fine hard rock/heavy metal snack to tide us over until those particular bands have new material.

Dead Quiet – IV (Artoffact): This Vancouver band has been reliably producing solid stoner psych-tinged hard rock since 2015. Kevin Keegan’s vocals remind me a lot of Graveyard’s Joakim Nilsson, and since that band hasn’t released anything in five years, Dead Quiet are filling that void for me.

Sweeping Promises – Good Living Is Coming for You (Sub Pop): When I first heard Hunger For a Way Out (2020), I’d have assumed Sweeping Promises were a British post-punk band, informed by The Raincoats, Liliput and Au Pairs. They’re actually from Lawrence, KS via Boston, and their second album is an improvement in songs and sounds. They were so lo-fi originally that they sounded worse that the most rudimentary recordings of their 70s predecessors. Sub Pop may not have kicked them all that much of a budget, but they most certainly have the know how to make a good sounding album. The arrangements are still simple and spare, but there’s some alluring grooves found in the slithery title track, harmonies on “Shadow Me” and new wave pop hooks throughout.

Motorama – Sleep, and I Will Sing (I’m Home): Russia’s Motorama has been active since 2005, putting out consistently gorgeous hybrids of post-punk, jangle pop, dream pop and new wave. Their seventh album shows them working in near top form, with strong cuts like “Dreams,” “Another Chance,” “Next to Me,” drugs of choice for Felt fetishists everywhere.

Permanent Clear Light – Right as Rain (Sulatron): This Finnish psych prog group takes their time to generate new music, this being just their third album in a decade. There’s some really pleasing elements of ambient pop and synthy space rock here, which should satisfy anyone who admires the more dreamy moments of Motorpsycho’s prog pop material, the bucolic nature-invoking psych pop of XTC’s Skylarking (1986), as well as a more modern, shimmering flavor of Canterbury Prog along the lines of the much missed Syd Arthur, if they were to partner up with Robert Wyatt and his fragile croon. They throw in some heavier, jazzy prog in “Mole in the Hole,” which possibly references Wyatt’s Matching Mole project. “I’m Gonna Turn Your Castles into Sand” could almost be categorized as darkwave/synthwave. The darkness abates to a more contemplative mood with the 9:06 analog keyboard-centric closing track. Available only on vinyl currently, but supposedly will be on streaming services soon. I only just acquired review files, so this may rise in the rankings as the summer continues. | Buy

1. Body Type – Expired Candy (Poison City) | Jun 02 | Australia | Bandcamp
2. Blood Ceremony – The Old Ways Remain (Rise Above) | May 05 | Canada | Buy
3. Royal Thunder – Rebuilding the Mountain (Spinefarm) | Jun 16 | USA | Buy
4. Queens Of The Stone Age – In Times New Roman . . . (Matador) | Jun 16 | USA | Bandcamp
5. Bad//Dreems – HOO HA! (Farmer and the Owl) | May 19 | Australia | Bandcamp
6. Spotlights – Alchemy for the Dead (Ipecac) | Apr 28 | USA | Bandcamp
7. Grave Pleasures – Plagueboys (Century Media) | Apr 21 | Finland | Bandcamp
8. Floodlights – Painting of My Time (Floodlights) | Apr 21 | Australia | Bandcamp
9. Geese – 3D Country (Partisan) | Jun 23 | USA | Bandcamp
10. Protomartyr – Formal Growth in the Desert (Domino) | Jun 02 | USA | Bandcamp
11. Motorpsycho – Yay! (Rune Grammofon) | Jun 16 | Norway | Bandcamp
12. RVG – Brain Worms (Fire) | Jun 02 | Australia | Bandcamp
13. Squid – O Monolith (Warp) | Jun 09 | UK | Bandcamp
14. Kanaan – Downpour (Jansen) | May 05 | Norway | Bandcamp
15. Vanity Mirror – Puff (We Are Busy Bodies) | May 12 | Canada | Bandcamp
16. 9K33 – Urtext 1977 (9K33) | May 16 | USA | Bandcamp
17. Rose City Band – Garden Party (Thrill Jockey) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
18. Dream Wife – Social Lubrication (Lucky Number) | Jun 09 | UK | Bandcamp
19. Wytch Hazel – IV: Sacrament (Bad Omen) | Jun 02 | UK | Bandcamp
20. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (Flightless) | Jun 16 | Australia | Bandcamp
21. Rival Sons – Darkfighter (Atlantic) | Jun 02 | USA | Buy
22. Cable Ties – All Her Plans (Merge) | Jun 23 | Australia | Bandcamp
23. Century – The Conquest of Time (Electric Assault) | Apr 21 | Sweden | Bandcamp
24. Do Nothing – Snake Sideways (Orchard) | Jun 30 | UK | Bandcamp
25. Swans – The Beggar (Young God) | Jun 23 | USA | Bandcamp
26. Church Of Misery – Born Under A Mad Sign (Rise Above) | Jun 16 | Japan | Buy
27. Haunt – Golden Arm (Iron Grip) | May 05 | USA | Bandcamp
28. Sweat – Who Do They Think They Are? (Tee Pee) | May 26 | USA/Switzerland | Bandcamp
29. The Lemon Twigs – Everything Harmony (Captured Tracks) | May 05 | USA | Bandcamp
30. Witchskull – The Serpent Tide (Rise Above) | Jun 16 | Australia | Buy
31. Cazayoux – Cazayoux (Ramble) | May 05 | USA | Bandcamp
32. Godflesh – Purge (Avalanche) | Jun 09 | UK | Bandcamp
33. Teke::Teke – Hagata (Kill Rock Stars) | Jun 09 | Canada | Bandcamp
34. The Toads – In the Wilderness (Anti Fade) | Jun 09 | Australia | Bandcamp
35. Snakemother – Snakemother (Snakemother) | Jun 06 | USA | Bandcamp
36. Giöbia – Acid Disorder (Heavy Psych) | Apr 28 | Italy | Bandcamp
37. Miranda And The Beat – Miranda and the Beat (Ernest Jenning) | May 26 | USA | Bandcamp
38. Sweeping Promises – Good Living Is Coming for You (Sub Pop) | Jun 30 | USA | Bsndcamp
39. Display Homes – What if You’re Right and They’re Wrong? (Erste Theke) | Apr 27 | Australia | Bandcamp
40. Draag – Dark Fire Heresy (Draag) | Apr 28 | USA | Bandcamp
41. Split Dogs – Split Dogs (Venn) | May 26 | UK | Bandcamp
42. Margarita Witch Cult – Margarita Witch Cult (Heavy Psych) | Apr 21 | UK | Bandcamp
43. Ritual Howls – Virtue Falters (Felte) | May 12 | USA | Bandcamp
44. Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy – O Yinne! (Philophon) | Jun 02 | Ghana | Bandcamp
45. Sparks – The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte (Island) | May 26 | USA | Bandcamp
46. Vipertime – Arise (HPBC) | May 05 | UK | Bandcamp
47. Bobby Lee – Endless Skyways (Tompkins Square) | Jun 23 | UK | Bandcamp
48. Pardoner – Peace Loving People (Bar/None) | Jun 23 | USA | Bandcamp
49. Brown Spirits – Solitary Transmissions (Soul Jazz) | May 12 | Australia | Buy
50. Matt Ulery – Mannerist (Woolgathering) | May 05 | USA | Bandcamp
51. Ronnie D’Addario – All Gathered in One Room (Ronnie D’Addario) | May 11 | USA | Bandcamp
52. Karma Vulture – Something Better (Bent Knee) | Apr 28 | USA | Bandcamp
53. A.S. Fanning – Mushroom Cloud (K&F) | May 26 | Ireland | Bandcamp
54. Mong Tong – Tao Fire (Guruguru Brain) | Jun 30 | Taiwan | Bandcamp
55. Cornelius – Dream in Dream (Warner Japan) | Jun 30 | Japan | Buy
56. Saint Karloff – Paleolithic War Crimes (Majestic Mountain) | Jun 02 | Norway | Bandcamp
57. bdrmm – I Don’t Know (Rock Action) | Jun 30 | UK | Bandcamp
58. a.s.o. – a.s.o. (Low Lying) | Jun 02 | Germany | Bandcamp
59. Weite – Assemblage (Stickman) | Jun 30 | Germany | Bandcamp
60. Peter One – Come Back to Me (Verve) | May 05 | Ivory Coast | Buy
61. Holiday Ghosts – Absolute Reality (FatCat) | Apr 21 | UK | Bandcamp
62. Edena Gardens – Live Momentum (El Paraiso) | Apr 21 | Denmark | Buy
63. The Machine – Wave Cannon (Majestic Mountain) | May 12 | Netherlands | Bandcamp
64. Rahill – Flowers at Your Feet (Big Dada) | May 12 | USA | Bandcamp
65. Morgan and the Organ Donors – M.O.D.s (Perennialdeath) | Apr 28 | USA | Bandcamp
66. Bell Witch – Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate (Profound Lore) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
67. Jeffrey Silverstein – Western Sky Music (Arrowhawk) | May 12 | USA | Bandcamp
68. Tanith – Voyage (Metal Blade) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
69. Arlo Parks – My Soft Machine (Transgressive) | May 26 | UK | Bandcamp
70. SBT – Joan Of All (Ocean Omen) | May 19 | USA | Bandcamp
71. Mega Bog – End of Everything (Mexican Summer) | May 19 | UK | Bandcamp
72. Cory Hanson – Western Cum (Drag City) | Jun 23 | USA | Bandcamp
73. Nithing – Agonal Hymns (New Standard Elite) | Jun 13 | USA | Bandcamp
74. Tough Age – Waiting Here (Bobo Integral) | Jun 16 | Canada | Bandcamp
75. Motorama – Sleep, and I Will Sing (I’m Home) | May 17 | Russia | Bandcamp
76. Permanent Clear Light – Right as Rain (Sulatron) | May 05 | Finland | Buy
77. Blood Star – First Sighting (Shadow Kingdom) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
78. Inherus – Beholden (Hypnotic Dirge) | May 26 | USA | Bandcamp
79. Dead Quiet – IV (Artoffact) | Jun 09 | Canada | Bandcamp
80. Durand Jones – Wait Til I Get Over (Dead Oceans) | May 05 | USA | Bandcamp
81. WITCH – Zango (Desert Daze Sound) | Jun 02 | Zambia | Bandcamp
82. Anthem – Crimson & Jet Black (Ward) | Apr 21 | Japan | Buy
83. Black Rainbows – Superskull (Heavy Psych) | Jun 09 | Italy | Bandcamp
84. Enforcer – Nostalgia (Nuclear Blast) | May 05 | Chile | Bandcamp
85. Holy Tongue – Deliverance And Spiritual Warfare (Amidah) | Apr 28 | UK | Bandcamp
86. Monde UFO – Vandalized Statue to Be Replaced With Shrine (Quindi) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
87. King Krule – Space Heavy (Matador) | Jun 09 | USA | Bandcamp
88. Agriculture – Agriculture (The Flenser) | Jun 21 | USA | Bandcamp
89. Iron Jinn – Iron Jinn (Psychobabble/Stickman) | Apr 21 | Netherlands | Bandcamp
90. Buddie – Agitator (Crafted Sounds) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
91. The Ocean – Holocene (Pelagic) | May 19 | Germany | Bandcamp
92. Smoulder – Violent Creed of Vengeance (Cruz del Sur) | Apr 21 | Canada | Bandcamp
93. Luster – Dopamine Loop EP (Funeral Party) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
94. Black Duck – Black Duck (Thrill Jockey) | Jun 23 | USA | Bandcamp
95. Lael Neale – Star Eaters (Sub Pop) | Apr 21 | USA | Bandcamp
96. Stuck – Freak Frequency (Born Yesterday) | May 26 | USA | Bandcamp
97. Heavenward – Pyrophonics (Fever Ltd) | Jun 16 | USA | Bandcamp
98. Estrella del Sol – Figura de cristal (Felte) | Jun 30 | Mexico | Bandcamp
99. Sans Merit – Early Grave (Zen 2000) | May 12 | Australia | Bandcamp
100. Lorelle Meets The Obsolete – Datura (Sonic Cathedral) | Jun 16 | Mexico | Bandcamp

Playlists

Spring Leftovers

Crown Lands – Fearless (Spinefarm): This one is a bit of a guilty pleasure. The Ontario duo Cody Bowles and Kevin Comeau started out owing a lot to the garage rock of The Black Keys and The White Stripes. Gradually they have expanded their scope to hard rock with prog and psych flavors on their self-titled debut in 2020. However, for the White Buffalo EP (2021) and their sophomore album, they’ve gone full-on Rush mode. While they also cite Yes, Floyd and Zep, a tour opening for Greta Van Fleet showed them fully embracing their Rush spirit, blending pretty much all their phases from the mid-70s through the 80s. So serious points need to be docked for lack of originality, but damn, it’s fun stuff. The duo are talented, and certainly know how to make impressive arrangements and sound huge. I have a good feeling they’ll go on to create something special in the future.

Eyelids – A Colossal Waste of Light (Jealous Butcher): In the late 00s, John Moen (drums, guitar) and Chris Slusarenko (guitar, bass, keyboards) banged out five albums with Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) as Boston Spaceships. I’d completely ignored them because, well, I can barely keep up with Pollard’s main band. I still need to give those albums a listen, but first, I had to acquaint myself with the first three albums by their next band, Eyelids, after The Accident Falls (2020), a beautiful rendering of Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett lyrics to power and jangle pop. Like that album, their fifth is produced by R.E.M.’s Pete Buck, and it’s heavier on the jangle. Probably they figure of the kiddos in the likes of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever can revive interest in jangle pop, why not these indie veterans. Why not indeed, essential stuff for jangleheads. Janglephiliacs?

Fire! Orchestra – Echoes (Rune Grammofon): While I don’t keep up with the whole jazz scene, I do have a thing for experimental big band, rooted in my love of Charles Mingus’ most expansive works, and the fifth album from this Stockholm band is a whopper of a triple album. Recorded at Atlantis studio in Stockholm with 43 musicians and mixed by Jim O’Rourke, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into, nearly two hours of music that balances avant-garde free jazz/fusion intensity with some really pleasing compositions. The final track concludes with some jazz poetry in the form of a riddle about a mysterious “last of the late great finger wigglers,” the legendary tenor saxophonist Joe McPhee.

Red Telephone – Hollowing Out (Red Telephone): I have a soft spot for English alt pop bands that subtly reference more subversively underground sounds than their melodic, potentially commercial sounds suggest. Formed in 2017 in Caerdydd, Red Telephone waited until their sound was fully fleshed out for their debut, kind of what Television did. It’s unfair to expect anyone to be able to redefine rock these days, but their mix of Bladerunner’s sci fi noir, kosmische, Berlin Bowie/Iggy, Roxy Music, Magazine, new wave, darkwave and even late period Strokes is pretty dang alluring.

Anticipation

A new PJ Harvey release is always an event, coming July 7, and new post-punk band Current Affairs has an album July 14. I often complain about how popular Greta Van Fleet are compared to more deserving bands, but I still kinda enjoy them, and am curious to see if they improve. Their third album is out July 21. I’ve been a fan of The Fierce & the Dead, and their new one has them introducing vocals on July 28. The two biggies I’m looking forward to the most are Spirit Adrift’s fifth album, their first full length in three years, recorded just a few miles from Rancho Bulboso at Red Nova Ranch, and the sixth album from Baroness.

Spirit Adrift – Ghost at the Gallows (Century Media) Aug 18

Baroness – Stone (Abraxas Hymns) Sep 15

Other

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