Every Friday on new release day, I post the albums on my ongoing Spotify playlist, which I gradually sort in order of favorites as the week goes on. Once I’ve had time to hear a handful of them, I add some short blurbs and post on Facebook. I should probably post that stuff here, but then I feel compelled to labor over it to write some halfway decent blurbs, which I don’t always have time for. So we’ll see how it goes, some weeks I may just post more succinct one-liners and save the blurbs for the monthly rundown. This covers Apr 3 & 10, plus a couple March releases I’d previously missed.
It’s good not to take these albums for granted, because at some point, the pandemic is going to slow the flow of new content, or at the very least change the nature of it, so you’ll see less band projects, and more solo work, and in-home live performances. To make up for the lack of shows and band merch I’m paying for, I’m paying for more music on Bandcamp, and relying slightly less on streaming and promos. A good thing to do for anyone still employed to spread some love.
1. Loose Fit – Loose Fit EP (FatCat) Mar 27
While plenty of post-punk bands emerged from art schools in the UK, Loose Fit are the first I’m aware of with an origin story coming from fashion school in Sydney. Kaylene Milner (drums) and Anna Langdon (sax, vocals) are joined by Max Edgar on guitar and Richard Martin on bass, citing Public Image Ltd., Maximum Joy, James Chance, Bush Tetras and Native Cats as inspirations among others. Originally self-released as a cassette a couple years ago, the reissue has gained more attention. Hopefully the band has put together enough songs for a full-length soon.
2. Hollow Ship – Future Remains (PNKSLM) Apr 1
Based on some promo teaser I’d been looking forward to hearing this for some time. At first it was unclear what kind of band Hollow Ship are setting out to be. While recent B-side “Air” has strong Pink Floyd-isms, a lot of tracks have a funky percussion, like a jazz-funk prog pop band. Only on the last track do the Afro Pop influences reveal themselves more boldly, like the spaceship crash-landed into Fela Kuti’s Shrine. So it’s interesting that they primarily identify as a psychedelic band. I was unsure if all the tracks work, but they’ve grown on me.
3. Lucifer – Lucifer III (Century Media) Mar 20
I completely missed this release last month, and had no idea it was coming. Thankfully the band does not drop the ball like Century Media’s promo team. Maintaining the lineup of Lucifer II (2018) with Nicke Andersson, they continue with the hooky hard rock, driven melodically primarily by Johanna Sardonis’ accomplished voice. Between smooth backing choruses and polished production, it begins to dip into AOR and power pop territory, not unlike Ghost. While at first it feels a bit too well mannered for an occult/horror psych noir rock band, further listens reveal the masterful artistry of the band, who set out to serve the songs and their evil mistress, putting her front and center. There may not be elaborate proggy arrangements or dramatic doom, but surrender to Sardonis’ charms and you’ll surely fall under Lucifer’s spell. | Buy
4. Slum Of Legs – Slum Of Legs (Spurge) Mar 13
Slum Of Legs are self-described queer, feminist noise-pop psych monster with twelve legs who write songs about “ghosts, architecture, gender, loneliness and hair envy.” Kudos to their name-dropping La Düsseldorf, the underrated punky spin-off of Neu lead by lead by the tempestuous Klaus Dinger. These literate, self-aware art punkers pack a lot of passions and interests into their music, which makes for a really varied, diverse listen. The lead track, “Benetint & Malevolence” is the longest and most intense, building up to a chaotic storm with an assist from Maria Marzaioli’s prominent violin which evokes combined powers of The Raincoats and Dutch post-punkers The Ex. “I Dream Of Valves Exploding” is a more consise, joyous burst. Tamsin Chapman’s powerful work well in most cases, though it can grate on the repetitive “RUTHE14ME.” But all is forgiven on adventurous tracks like “The Baader-Meinhof Always Look So Good In Photos” and “The Las Time,” giving every indication that this is just the start of a beautiful creative arc.
5. Sei Still – Sei Still (Fuzz Club) Apr 10
Taking their name from a Popol Vuh record, the kosmische force is strong in this Mexico City band. They process templates old (Neu!) and contemporary (Follakzoid, Spanish new wave), roughed up in the garage and worthy of a soundtrack.
6. Sunwatchers – Oh Yeah? (Trouble In Mind) Apr 10
At a time when 3-5 year gaps between albums is considered normal, New York’s Sunwatchers are becoming reliably prolific, with their fourth album in four years. Their glorious combo of psych, free jazz, prog and noise teeters the line between a hot, sludgy mess, and engaging tunes. The songs stretch and sprawl a bit more than last year’s Illegal Moves, but there’s also an appealing tunefulness amidst the chaos.
7. The Strokes – The New Abnormal (Cult) Apr 10
Comparing anything to The Strokes’ magical debut Is This It (2001) remains a futile exercise in disappointment (a feeling fans of Interpol and Weezer are also familiar with). It’s best to treat the later albums as if they’re from a different band, in which case they’re pleasantly better than, say, The Killers. But seriously, all their subsequent five albums have some really fun highlights. Comedown Machine (2013) isn’t band once you adjust to the synthpop sheen. Produced by Rick Rubin, their latest pulls back slightly from that sound, balanced with some of the Velvets ‘n’ Voidoids pre-punk garage the band was originally inspired by. Perhaps the lack of any big hits has helped the band avoid bloaty complacency and remained a bit hungry as they enter middle age. It sounds like Rubin assigned Julian Casablancas some voice lessons, as he’s never displayed such range and expression before. Like “One Way Trigger” from the last album sounding like a re-write of “Take On Me,” “Bad Decisions” sounds like a mind-meld of “I Melt With You” and “Dancing With Myself.” A little throwaway, but fun. “The Adults Are Talking” is not quite a return to their debut glory, but it’s a nicely textured, nimbly played tune. Everything comes together pleasantly on just about every track, making it their most consistent album in at least over a decade.
8. Dool – Summerland (Prophecy) Apr 10
Dutch psych noir hard rockers Dool’s debut, Here Now, There Then (2017) was promising, if heavily indebted to the mighty The Devil’s Blood. That band’s Farida Lemouchi must have appreciated their potential, as she contributes backing vocals on the new album. Ryanne van Dorst sounds more assured, the epic production assisted by Opeth’s Per Wiberg on Hammon organ. One odd moment though, is when I realized “Ode to the Future” is nearly a carbon copy of Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot.” It’s pretty much the same arrangement, vocal melodies, even the spoken word part at the end, the only difference is the chorus sounds more like Ghost. That misstep aside, a solid album.
9. Lady Beast – The Vulture’s Amulet (Reaper) Apr 3
This is the fourth album of twin guitar traditional heavy metal from Pittsburgh’s Lady Beast. Iron Maiden provides their unholy scriptures/base texts (see the gloriously galloping “Runes Of Rust”), but they also delve into speed and power metal, though not as polished as say, Unleash The Archers. “Metal Machine” suggests Girlschool if they had teamed up with 1982 era Judas Priest. Tons of metal fun.
10. The Dream Syndicate – The Universe Inside (Anti-) (Apr 10)
Since regrouping in 2017, The Dream Syndicate has been burning bright, cranking out just as much music as during the entire decade of the 80s. Producing music at warp speed seems to have unleashed their more freewheelign creative side, as this album finds them using extended, sprawling jams to explore their love for space rock, psych prog and electric jazz fusion. In a way I imagine this album brings them back full circle to when they first formed, toying with key influences and finding their sound. A very cool surprise.
11. Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind (Warp) Apr 3
I admired Yves Tumor’s debut, and this is certainly an adventurious progression. All the damn blogs have covered this, so I don’t really feel obliged to rehash. It’s just one of those rare moments where my tastes intersect with what’s fashionable.
12. Phe – Glooming Dawn (Phe) Apr 10
Dutch stoner/desert psych rockers may be part of the family tree spawned by Kyuss, but their vocalist in particular evokes Danzig and The Cult. This is surprisingly not a bad thing at all. It works so well it’s surprising there weren’t bands like Phe doing this a long time ago.
13. Take yr pick:
Spell – Opulent Decay (Bad Omen) Apr 10
Flat Worms – Antarctica (Drag City) Apr 10
Melkbelly – Pith (Carpark) Apr 3
Gaytheist – How Long Have I Been On Fire? (Hex) Apr 10
High Priestess – Casting The Circle (High Priestess) Apr 10
Jackie Lynn – Jacqueline (Drag City) Apr 10
Maserati – Enter The Mirror (Temporary Residence) Apr 3
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals (Rocket) Apr 3
YouTube Playlist is Fully Loaded!
Rate Your Music List
Fast ‘n’ Bulbous Best Of 2020 So Far
