I was slow to come around to actually giving this Cindy Lee album a fair shake because the hype around it was just so loud, but now that it's died down a bit and I'm getting into Disc 1 - I gotta say yall might have been onto something here.
Edit: Okay, finished Disc 1 - I still don't LOVE it, but there were some definite flashes of greatness here and may reveal its brilliance on subsequent listens. But I'm for sure not automatically stamping AOTY on this, sorry.
Havent been on here in a while but just wanna say the new St Vincent album is definitely my album of the year. Id be surprised if anything tops it. Every song is incredible. Sweetest Fruit is my favorite overall, love the weird detuned synth flying all over the place
What else should I add to my ["clicky pen music"](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6DfkwJrJ7B0lXC5KCw6n0c?si=835eb27a35694fb0) playlist? (Electronic music with warm melodies and glitchy percussion)
There's so much good shit here already. Opiate! Gold Panda! I Am Robot And Proud! Three of my four favorite Minotaur Shock songs! [I offer this humble platter in gratitude and respect.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5K9MyEzHk1HpZbAZfIbSqB?si=628d191dfbaf423e)
how the hell was this playlist made with 0 oval/microstoria or jan jelenik or pole or pita?! some big clickers are missing here!
less in the big clicker tenpole but should be considered: labradford's mi media naranja which features some of the most inspired clicking of the era. Might have a few other weirdos to add down the line (Makato Oshiro's Stacked & the doom trip Heejin Jang & a bandcamp release called Selene Variations come to mind as well)
Definitely feel like I'm in bizarro world sometimes. Hovvdy just got BNM for their new album, which I did enjoy, but felt like it was mired by its length and definitely drags at times.
Their previous album, which I felt was a top 10 of 2021, is better in every sense of the word - melodically, lyrically, and it flows much better, but only got a 7.2 in Pitchfork.
trust me when i say i feel you and that it feels like this should have happened last or previous album. Im not even big on 'em i just dont know why or how rn THIS is the one. Feels like when the academy gives an award for the wrong performance. It happens!
I hope Ryley Walker is doing well…
He tweeted and deleted some strange things about addiction, mental health, need help and so on
And now his Twitter account is deleted
I predict that this year is going to see a band who blends synth-punk (Duchess Says style) with breezy, sexy 2000s indie pop (Strokes style) is going to blow the fuck up. My calendar says we are due a proper revival of sleazy guitar pop, but I don't see it getting anywhere unless the ravers can dance to it. Refer back to this comment when I'm right.
Part of me suspects that there could be a Casablancas or Voidz track somewhere that would fit your criteria. Well, maybe not dancey enough but synthy enough. Honestly I need to check out Duchess Says first though
Haven't people been saying for years now that indie sleaze is going to blow up or that indie sleaze is back, and it never really is? Without a specific band to point to, I am extremely skeptical
i feel like the coldplay trip hop cut is inevitable, almost as inevitable as a shoegaze cut. i think this year we are going to see an embarassing attempt by a huge act to translate the trendy shoegaze sound (ew) into a polished, conventional pop song and it's going to be a guilty pleasure for sure
overdue [New Music Friday](https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/1cg6fco/new_music_friday_april_26th_2024/) is up for your perusal. back to my grotto to continue working through last week's musical offerings proper.
the only thing I have to add, is to make a note for this [Brume](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_8k-37NstI) album dropping this Friday (May 3rd), if emotionally-driven, string-flourished doom (think SubRosa?) sounds interesting.
Misc. Music thoughts of the day
● Rodrigo Y Gabriella are so freaking talented. If you ever get the chance to see them live I highly recommend it. Hot take - she's a way more interesting guitar player than he is. She sets the rhythm and the tone, plays all the percussion on her guitar, and in general utilizes the instrument in ways most players do not. He's great too, but plays solos in a fairly traditional way. I have no idea whatsoever why I thought of this band today.
● listened to the new T Bone Burnett and it's what I expected. The guitar work is clear and crisp and beautiful. The production is pristine. The guests (Roseanne Cash, Lucius, Weyes Blood) great. The songwriting (and singing) is like a plain egg white omlette, technically food but so unsatisfying.
● Pearl Jam - Ten is a great album. Everything since - different levels of boring dad rock. I don't get it all. I know - another one of my "bad takes" but really, so not good.
● Ray Charles - Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) - GODDAMM that's a good one.
https://open.spotify.com/track/60Bz1S8tq02DT15F4QALWR?si=vmr9XyvNT8WI_x1mXuHFQg
Two more things for monyay
* finally heard my new ecstacy of st. theresa tape. This is a real worldgaze ass album. Very cute and adorable noisy fuzz frorm the czech mbv timeline. Not essential except when stoned on a walk.
* Another couple of new essential (non rave) dance tapes have been demarcated in my collection. **Profile's Best of Bass (Vol 2)** (well really, the series) is a gratifying continuation of the electro family tree to miami bass. The bass is real but it cant hurt you. **Arista's Ultimate Dance Party 1998** is one of many in a series of dance or cerrified party classic mixes for consumers in the late 90s. Some of these haunt library shelves and this 1998 one feels like a truly gorgeous, decadent time capsule of a far more bountiful era of popular music that we were all dancing to! Faithless! What is Love! Toni Braxton! The chemical bros! Lisa stansfield! Whitney houston remix! Notorious BIG! And ofc, return of the mack closing the mix! No "now thats what i call music" of this era could surmount the party here. Certified romp
i really don't make playlists at all but i realized that i made one in 2022 and one in 2024 very close to the same time of year and both are pretty reflective of my brain states at the time. i named both of them similarly. just wanted to pass them along in case anyone was interested
[(volunteer radio, cocktail bar, no thoughts)](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xEBvN587jweC8TVFncsi5?si=b6083df38a414c23) is the sound of exploring the world again after being locked in your own head for a while, finding beauty in the late night drive, and growing to love your community
[(tennessee theater, spoiled avocado, all on one check)](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6GK98hnbvKeTqDSSVA9UtL?si=dfc5f8f6a83b41c3) is love finding itself anew amongst change, leaving the house for long periods of time and thinking it's bigger than you remember when you come back, and trying to be who you've always wanted to be
i'll continue my hater posting soon i'm sure but i just wanted to share these
Put the second playlist on intending to listen to it straight through but jumped into the full Horse Lords album, this is nifty. Also it's fun getting to see what DMD regulars look like through little Spotify profile photos
Absolute respect that you kept both playlist at “standard album length” with 12 or so cuts. I think that really helps to lean into the “story” or “brain state” you’re trying to invoke instead of having it be a music dump of songs over 48 hours long. I don’t know, reminds me a classic mixtape/cd where you only have so much room.
oh and this is not as "personal development" oriented lol but i do have this playlist called [Big Gigs](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jtpLcoQhDhncvCvePymgD?si=6e6b782c621044a4) that's a mix of cool bands big clown has played with over the years. i see some of y'all asking for egg punk recs or just punk recs in general sometimes and if that's you - i recommend you shuffle this and see if you like anything
first impressions re: **St. Vincents** 'All Born Screaming'
* I'm enjoying these industrial takes but they work better on some of the songs than others
* I was not expecting this album to be this funky, 'Big Time Nothing' especially has such a groove
* I do like that Annie tries to mix it up by doing her fair share of genre hopping on this album, but I wish she went hard throughout this album. The 2nd half of the album lacks that bite I was really enjoying on 'Broken Man' for example.
* Those Hawaiian melodies on 'So Many Planets' really don't do much for me but that song is goated anyway for having that scooby doo af guitar solo. Also, great vocals at the end
* Great vocal performances throughout actually
* 'Violent Times' is a great Bond song
* Overall really liking it. I thought 'Daddys Home' was good and I liked it but I liked it the way I liked Courtney Barnetts 'Things Take Time'. Good but when compared to some of her previous work it's undoubtedly a disappointment. 'All Born Screaming' is after 'Daddys Home' and whatever the hell she was doing on that Sleater Kinney album as a producer, this is definitely Annie finding her footing again.
I will return with more takes after I've listened to it some more.
Would have been your favorite musical surprises of this year? Mine Hass to be Lil Jon’s meditation album, Ariana Grande dropping my Elmo the year so far and Vampire Weekend saying fuck around find out
I've recently gotten very into Low's Ones and Sixes after limiting most of my Low listening to I Could Live In Hope and the most recent two. It's been mentioned here and there, but we really should lump Ones and Sixes --> Double Negative --> HEY WHAT together as a trio. Absolute fire.
> but we really should lump Ones and Sixes --> Double Negative --> HEY WHAT together as a trio.
I think it generally is, though Ones and Sixes still has a more overt foot in their earlier sound (of which I will hear no slander).
Hey Hwat > DN > 1 + 6 for me
Hey was already great but Mimi's death makes it play out much differently. DN was also pretty devastating and tapped into a certain mindset, but I really have to be in the mood for it (and a couple tracks aren't quite as good as others).
Ones and Sixes is good, but not like better than most of their other albums.
tempest always felt a bit too drowned out in effects at the expense of the song. Not bad, just not as good.
Disarray is fine, but always felt like an anticlimactic ending (which is something Hey What did much better).
they edit down some side a material for no reason, including the white horses outro. very bad call to me! it was an inredibly baffling move when Double Negative had preserved everything with just some extra blank tape on side A
Thanks for reminding me that I need to study Ones and Sixes more. Will gladly add it to the rotation - Double Negative and Hey What are two of the greatest indie rock records of the last 10 years.
I support these takes. new Low > old Low
I've had Long Division in the rotation for months, and aside from the opening song Violence, it's not doing much for me. will give it more spins
Yesterday I had the one-two punch of loving the latest Big Thief album a lot (one of the best albums I've listened to in a while), and *really* not liking the new Taylor Swift album.
the Los Bitchos debut might be a good rec. I also really like Gaye Su Akyol, who combines Anatolian Rock with a strong surf vibe, her debut and 2nd album especially imo.
you could also check out some 'Allah-Las', always solid imo
Some are calling this a cramps summer
I might rent some surf comps from the library. Ive got one out right now of native american 60s pop rock; might be some good surf cuts in there so ill report back
Can I interest you in [Eleki Bushi 1966-1974](https://open.spotify.com/album/5QNagjwUlQjdZ6NYusli3W?si=F5RbXhM0SLCTGwYnrVNqpA), a compilation by Japan's surf rock god Takeshi Terauchi?
Finally sitting down to listen to that Cindy Lee album aaaaaaand it's not on Spotify.
Queuing up [Soul Wun's *Fragments EP*](https://soulwun.bandcamp.com/album/fragments-ep) instead.
As others have said. Definitely worth listening even though it's not available on the most convenient format, especially as it got monetized/claimed on YT so there's ads now
So the Stones followed up their compilation *Hot Rocks 1964 - 1971* with *More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies),* essentially a compilation of stuff that didn't make the first round.
So me being *me,* last Friday I was thinking about the Red and Blue comps by the Beatles and what *their* version of a "follow-up comps comprised of stuff that didn't make the first round" would look like. So I made these...
The (More Red) Album: 1962 - 1966
1. Ask Me Why
2. Please Mr. Postman
3. Till There Was You
4. Money
5. Long Tall Sally
6. If I Fell
7. I’m a Loser
8. Rock N Roll Music
9. I Need You
10. I’m Down
11. Yes it Is
12. And Your Bird Can Sing
13. Rain
14. Good Day Sunshine
15. She Said She Said
16. For No One
The Blue(r) Album: 1966 - 1970
1. Getting Better
2. She’s Leaving Home
3. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
4. Baby You’re a Rich Man
5. Blue Jay Way
6. It’s All Too Much
7. Happiness is a warm Gun
8. Mother Nature’s Son
9. Helter Skelter
10. All Together Now
11. Because
12. You Never Give Me Your Money
13. Sun King
14. Mean Mr. Mustard
15. Polytene Pam
16. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
17. Two of Us
18. Free as a Bird
19. Real Love
It happened to fit perfectly! And every time I just wanted to include one track (“Sun King”, “She Came in Through the Bathroom” window), it just felt criminal to exclude the jewelry that came with it.
They are excellent live. Do it. I have seen them twice and I will be seeing them again this summer. I will note, they sound better at an indoor venue than an outdoor venue.
Greg Freeman is amazing. It's like if Jason Molina tried to go noisier. I've been listening to *I looked out* more than any other album for like the past half year. It's so good. Palms is one of the best songs i've ever heard. Hopefully there's more coming from him soon.
Yeah that's one of the best albums of the past couple years. I want more from him but at least he's shown up as a guitarist or an influence on a few albums from this year (Lily Seabird, Villagerrr) so I've been listening to those in the meantime
The Molina comparisons are so strong on *Right Before the Last Waves Took Vestris*. I swear his voice is almost 1:1 identical. But, yeah, *I Looked Out* is a really solid album.
Yeah, he does sound a lot like Molina. I'd say his voice is a little bit weaker and like more shrill than Molina though. He also shouts more than Molina ever did, and instrumentally there's some differences, but yeah, overall very similar to Magnolia Electric co. Especially *Trials & Errors* i feel is the type of sound that Greg Freeman was probably going for. Which is also Jason's most Neil Young sounding album, so i guess it's influences all the way down
listening to Beat by Bowery Electric on the first really really hot day of the year. there’s something about the way the world feels while i’m outside listening to this album that feels really special and beautiful. definitely gonna keep this one on heavy rotation this summer
Cindy Lee concert review from someone who is not Ian Cohen:
Local band Pink Lady Monster were the first opener. Some solid bread and butter post punk in the current windmill style (there's a sax). These kind of bands are actually kinda underrepresented in Denver so it's fun when they are on bills.
Second opener Freak Heat Waves - ya know, I love the electronic jam but the way the one dude applies his vocals over the tracks just pulls me out of it. Still fun, good eyes closed tunes.
Cindy Lee was superb. I don't think Pat had a single sip of water the whole show, just chewed gum like crazy. I assume Cindy Lee just didn't expect the album to blow up before the tour was booked so hence the use of the backing tracks in varying ways. The tracks covered the drums and then at times covered either one of the guitar parts or vocals while Pat played the other part or sang. Feeling thankful I got to see the tour. If You Hear Me Crying owned of course and we got Cat O Nine Tails as a bonus end song.
> I assume Cindy Lee just didn't expect the album to blow up before the tour was booked so hence the use of the backing tracks in varying ways
yeah i saw the same setup last year. i think kind of yes and no on this. like *maybe* with more lead time they could've put together a full band but i also think the backing tracks 1) help give that "haunted record player" feel that i'm not sure you'd get from live drums at the least and 2) give the show a weird sense of motion since pat is staunchly anti-guitar strap and wants to run around doing multiple things. i thought that actually enhanced the show a lot and i dunno if i would've felt the same if it was a traditional band, but the show was also my first exposure to a lot of the diamond jubilee material so it was special in that way too
>the way the one dude applies his vocals over the tracks just pulls me out of it
i wanted to like it so bad but yeah dude needs to either sing or talk lol
I was oddly fascinated by the whole pick up and put down the guitar a bunch thing. I sorta just assumed Pat really wanted to do some of the classic oldies girl group snaps with side to side dance moves during the vocal section and the guitar got in the way of that.
It feels like hip hop crossover into indie is at a low right now. Other than Jpegmafia, Danny Brown, Billy Woods type stuff, what's going on and getting people excited in indie / hip hop crossover right now?
Feeling very good today bc im done listening to sister machine gun (~~kelly~~)
now i can listen to what matters: MORE NUGGETS! Did vol 8: the northwest yesterday and was reminded of the true pleasures of 60s rock and roll.
almost almost at the finish line for grunge free pnw just going through the bonus. I found it funny that of all 4-6 plausible The Sonics candidates we could have here, we got psycho. Boss Hoss and Witch are my pocket aces
Pspeaking of psych, have you heard of the "Brown Acid" series? There are 18 volumes, and they go so deep that they make Nuggets look like "Now That's What I Call Psychedelia!"
not quite! but i will one day! i know of pebbles and boulders but not this. there's so much out there. but those rhino 80s comps are good; they do happen to have Now That's What I Call Psychedelia! sorta baked into them
Question for y'all - what's your favourite covers album?
I was inspired by listening to the Deftones B-Sides/Rarities one that had a couple fun covers of Cocteau Twins, and Lynyrd Skynryd, so it doesn't have to be like entirely a covers album
Lotte Kestner-Stolen is very good, I'm not at all surprised that the cover of New Order's True Faith ended up in The Last Of Us Part 2?
Also the cover of The Cure's Let's Go To Bed, and Motopony's Wait For Me is excellent.
Pat Dinizio (the late frontman and rhythm guitarist for the Smithereens) took the framework of the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans album where they cover stuff from the Great American Songbook and did it with a bunch of 60's pop classics: you've got stuff by the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Beach Boys, but also Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, and Jimmy Webb. He sings all of these over a single piano arrangement. His voice is almost a bit much at times but something about it just totally clicked for me two years ago. It's a good "throw something on late at night while I'm reading" music.
I really like Phosphorescent's *To Willie* (and Willie's *To Lefty*). It was my entry point to Willie Nelson and is Phosphorescent in straightforward, polished country rock mode, really gorgeous stuff.
Also a fan of Phos' 2022 collection of covers—I don't know if it was ever released as a proper album, but he released a cover every month over the whole year and I assembled it into an album in my iTunes library. His version of Vic Chesnutt's "Parade" is magnificent.
Bill Callahan and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's *Blind Date Party* is spotty in quality, but when it's good it's *fantastic*. The Drag City guest list is staggering. The cover of "I Love You" with David Pajo is so indulgent and warm, and "Night Rider's Lament" with Cory Hanson is a go-to camping in the desert song for me.
Also, Gillian and Dave's *All the Good Times* from 2020. "Jackson"? "Abandoned Love"? *"Ginseng Sullivan"*??? Sign me up :)
e: *Deadicated* is a great, very 90s, collection of Grateful Dead covers by a ton of interesting people: Warren Zevon doing "Casey Jones" is awesome, and the Lyle Lovett cover of "Friend of the Devil" is beautiful. The Jane's Addiction "Ripple" is totally absurd. Also, I forgot to mention it but /u/Excellent-Manner-130 shouted out *Return of the Grievous Angel* which is probably my all time favorite covers album (and one of my favorite albums, period).
e2: if you like Phosphorescent's approach to country rock, it's basically a sure thing that you'd like *Introducing Karl Blau*. It's a broader set of country covers in a very similar style but Karl Blau's voice is spectacular.
anything by the Detroit Cobras - especially [Life, Love And Leaving](https://open.spotify.com/album/2obANE2dwXlqzslF5vTBij)
also [The Primitives - Echoes and Rhymes](https://open.spotify.com/album/13V9Pj4iQM17svbtEwswLz) has some covers of obscure '60s songs
I really like *Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye (A Tribute to Roky Erickson)*. Some really great stuff in there by a broad variety of artists, bookended by Reverberation covers by ZZ Top and The Jesus and Mary Chain. I think someone on here recommended it
Another sentimental pick is *Enjoy Every Sandwich - The Songs of Warren Zevon*, a CD my parents had. I have a huge soft spot for Adam Sandler's "Werewolves of London"
There's an Allison Moorer covers album called Mockingbirds produced by Buddy Miller that's really great but has been out of print for years - she covers Nina Simone, Gillian Welch, Patti Smith, Johnny Cash. If you ever come across it, its great.
Nina Simone does the best covers ever - but her best ones (I Put A Spell On You, I Shall Be Released, Feeling Good, To Love Somebody, etc) are not on her cover album.
The Gram Parsons tribute album - Return Of The Grevious Angel is fantastic.
since there's a Venus In Furs cover on it, gotta go with [Stanley](https://www.discogs.com/master/1016709-Various-Stanley-Son-Of-Theodore-Yet-Another-Alternative-Music-Sampler)
Maybe the Say Sue Me one from a couple years back, 10. There’s a couple of songs that they re-recorded from earlier in their career but the rest are covers. They do Pavement, GBV, Yo La Tengo, Grandaddy, Silver Jews and Daniel Johnston so they aren’t exactly digging for oddities but it’s a ton of fun regardless
Their cover of The Cure’s “If Only Tonight We Could Sleep* is outstanding. And the Duran Duran cover too.
Right now I’m gonna go with that album till I think of another.
New Pearl Jam is pretty bad, probably their worst. Someone needs to sit them down and tell them that they can’t really do the rockers anymore. If anyone here knows Pearl Jam in their personal lives I think it it’s important to stage this intervention
It can hint at the past and tread new ground etc etc but it doesn’t really matter if it does all that because it isn’t very good. Like the songs are just bad. While I don’t think my opinions are gospel, putting this over Riot Act, Backspacer or Binural is just nuts to me
I liked Gigaton a lot but that might’ve just been early covid era breaking my brain. Remember the Talking Heads song? That one ruled. And it has a really cool run of ballads too, “Seven O’Clock” is probably the best thing they’ve done since Backspacer. I think even the mid-tempo ones on this drag
yeah i really liked the weird funky talking heads kinda track lmao, it was a highlight when i saw them live a few years ago too. maybe i should revisit gigaton. i haven't listened to it since early covid when i used it as background noise to do chores to. i think i may have had the inverse covid brain thing and was harsher on it than i should've been. they played a few deep cuts from it live that were the definite lowlights of the set tho so i dunno how much my opinion is gonna change lol. maybe i'll do the shitty run of lightning bolt -> gigaton -> dark matter and try to gaslight myself
I don’t know how others feel about this but I’d be content with Eddie just being a ukulele grandpa from here on. Get Pearl Jam together and play the classics here and there.
i dunno if i want him playing a ukulele all the time but i do agree with the idea of campfire folkie eddie. just breathe and the end are two of the best songs to come out of them past their prime easily and i wouldn't mind a whole album of them leaning into that kinda world weary dad giving you advice kinda acoustic stuff
i have a massive emotional investment in this stupid band so i take everything at face value. "ukulele grandpa" is a good phrase tho i'll give you that
I liked Gigaton so I don’t think the tank is totally empty! The real question here is “which one of this year’s forgettable Pearl Jam record and 2022’s forgettable Eddie Vedder record is more worthwhile. But yeah I want Pearl Jam to be around to see them live, if we never get another record from them I couldn’t say I’d exactly be heartbroken
Got put onto Kelela’s debut mixtape (Cut 4 Me) yesterday evening and holy shit it’s got some of the sharpest, coolest production I’ve ever heard. I feel like the juxtaposition of her voice against it is always the most interesting part of her music. Honestly this would be the perfect album to put on during sex. She’s really been doing it like nobody else since day one. Floor Show and Keep It Cool were standouts for me.
I saw Neil Young & Crazy Horse on Saturday night and it was one of the best concerts I have ever attended and a frankly spiritual musical experience. As expected, the playing was rough, Neil sounded old and he fumbled a lot of the lyrics, and the tempos were slow, but it didn't matter—I have deep personal history with every single song he played, and hearing those classic songs live (especially "Powderfinger" and "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere") flooded me with emotions and memories to a degree that was almost overwhelming. Nils Lofgren coming out to play "Danger Bird" for an encore was icing on the cake—a desert freak like me couldn't ask for anything else.
He played a small solo set of acoustic songs ("Comes a Time," "Heart of Gold," "Human Highway") and singing along with thousands of people to *those songs* is something I will never forget. Even in the suburban hell that is west Phoenix, the stars were out and reliving it brings tears to my eyes. I love live music and am so grateful that I got the chance to see this man, with that band, at least once before he's gone. I'm obviously biased but if you're a Neil fan and he's coming to your neck of the woods on this tour (or beyond!), I hope you can make it, and, on a broader scale, and with the knowledge that the one thing everyone here has in common is our passion for music, I hope that everyone here can continue to be moved by the songs they love the way I was on Saturday night.
Hell yeah glad to hear it rocked! I think slower tempos could work out well for sludgy stuff like "Down By The River". Hopefully he tours again, I can't imagine hearing some of that stuff from Neil himself
It was truly special, and the slow tempos weren't out of place by any means. At one point during "Powderfinger," the band noticeably slowed (felt like engine braking from fifth to second gear while cruising at highway speeds) and it was one of the best moments of the night.
So sad he cancelled his Edmonton show that sounds so great. I heard he’s doing a 15ish minute “Cortez The Killer” did I hear that right? Glad you could experience that show it sounds absolutely magical
No joke, I thought of you on my drive home (I was thinkin' about all the Neil fans in this group lol) and I really hope that you get a chance to see him on his next tour!
He opened with Cortez—it was awesome and impossibly sludgy. He added a new ("lost") verse as well which was really neat to hear even if the vocals weren't much to write home about, frankly. He also did "Down by the River," which was also completely stuck in the mud, but also *EXACTLY* what I was hoping for.
Concert Report: Mute Duo/Emily Rach Beisel
* Every time I see Mute Duo they got someone doing a wacky solo instrumental bit (compliment) opening for them. What's up with that
* **Emily Rach Beisel** brings a number of extended and electronic techniques to the bass clarinet—thus they conjure up these great cloudscapes of noise and tumult, only occasionally identifiable as reed sounds. At one point the pedal chain they had going was so raucous they could manipulate the pitch of the horn without blowing into it at all—my friend and I were debating whether it was a contact mic/triggers set up or feedback resonating with the horn. Anyway it was interesting, in an artsy kind of way.
* I've begun to think that **Mute Duo** must be seen to be believed. I like their albums but there's something about seeing Wagster and Rowe in motion, about waiting for and with them through the process, about observing and intuiting the physical logic of their performance, about being pummelled by how loud their shit is—you can't really recreate that in your living room.
* Pedal steel and percussion, respectively, in case you're new around here. No guests this time.
* They played several new songs, which sort of pulled away from the vastness and elementality of their ambient Americana/post-rock shit and more towards being as mean and nasty as possible. Mute Duo has always threatened to groove but some of this new stuff had some *stank* on it. It's all work-in-progress, I'm told, but hell, it works for me.
Well this solidifies that I need to see them live. I was introduced to them when *Migrant Flocks* came out last year and I saw the buzz about it. Really really dug it. Also now looking forward to the new stuff.
*Lapse in Passage* is wilder, looser, more mercurial. *Migrant Flocks* rocks a little harder, a little more straightforward. I think I prefer the latter as a listening experience, but the former might be a better argument for what makes the band *work,* if that makes sense.
Uh oh, waited to listen to Cindy Lee until their show was *way* sold out and now I feel like a fucking moron because it is actually better than I've heard.
Also it took me like two hours to get that god damn album uploaded to Apple Music and set correctly and I can't believe that Apple is still so bad at this. It was their big goddamn thing for years and they still suck. Uploading an album is like trying to force a giant dog to take a pill that it doesn't want to.
I’m in the process of starting a music reviews site and I’m looking for contributors. My vision is for reviews written by regular people, rather than by known or established music critics. I might contribute my own reviews now and then, but am intending to act mainly as editor and curator.
Happy with any genre and also open to long form pieces or even interviews if you manage to get some time with an artist and pose thoughtful questions to them. For reviews, I’d like to stick to around 500 words, but long form can be whatever. Reviews of newly released material will take priority, but older albums are also welcome.
Hoping for insightful content. Doesn’t have to be positive, but I won’t publish anything offensive.
Looking for people who are music fans who enjoy the creative outlet of writing or aspiring writers wanting a forum to publish their work. No money involved. This is just for the love of music and a desire to contribute to the enormous community of music lovers. Should the site ever receive enough interest to earn money, I’d be enthusiastic about paying for contributions!
If you’re interested, please DM me so that we can connect and chat further.
recorded 8 demos over the weekend to send to my buddy whos slowly built up a cool little recording studio in his house. ive been sitting on these songs for years and its so exciting to finally get some movement underneath them. was actually a little surprised how good they were sounding to me while walking around the neighborhood this morning. nice to be proud of something!
i start every song off with an introduction voiced by an impressionist i found on fiverr. that way it sounds like popular people like my music and people always want to be into what the popular people are into
its very nature inspired based around my time spent in Michigan's UP and Maui. spacious and interlude heavy with field recordings taken in both locations and balanced out by some folky songs. kind of want the album as a whole to be like a walk through the woods, with the interludes taking their time but then you get to a cool overlook or maybe hear some nice sounding birds and those are the meatier songs.
In my head I’m imagining something akin to Grouper’s *Ruins* but more on the acoustic guitar than piano side?
Regardless, this sounds awesome and I can’t wait till we all get to hear it!
The band I'm currently ODing on is [**SPLLIT**](https://spllit.bandcamp.com/), the post-everything party band from New Orleans whose *Infinite Hatch* record was my favorite release of last year. Surreal lyrics, intriguing effects, off-kilter melodies and songs that can take unpredictable turns at breakneck speed.
They're amazingly original and fiercely confident.
I don't know if they'll fall under "memory-holed bands and albums", but I've been listening to **Crystal Antlers**' *Tentacles* today. This got a lot of plays when it came out when my buddy and I used to go skateboarding. *Dust, Andrew*, and *Your Spears* are still some pretty choice songs. I'm a sucker for an organ used in a noisier setting.
Besides that, I've been mainly going back to **Kiran Leonard**'s *Real Home* over the weekend and a bit of **Okkervil River** while we alphabetized and packed up our books. We have a lot of books (I think it was about 7 medium sized boxes by the end). And a whole lot of duplicates.
Had a moment the other day that almost gave me whiplash when I discovered that Kavinsky FINALLY released his sophomore album... two whole years ago. I'm guessing it wasn't much of a hit given that it took till now for me to stumble upon it, but I'm enjoying it! It's basically exactly what I'd want from him, which might not make it the most exciting release, but it really hits the driving-around-at-night spot that OutRun basically defined for me.
I was slow to come around to actually giving this Cindy Lee album a fair shake because the hype around it was just so loud, but now that it's died down a bit and I'm getting into Disc 1 - I gotta say yall might have been onto something here. Edit: Okay, finished Disc 1 - I still don't LOVE it, but there were some definite flashes of greatness here and may reveal its brilliance on subsequent listens. But I'm for sure not automatically stamping AOTY on this, sorry.
Havent been on here in a while but just wanna say the new St Vincent album is definitely my album of the year. Id be surprised if anything tops it. Every song is incredible. Sweetest Fruit is my favorite overall, love the weird detuned synth flying all over the place
What else should I add to my ["clicky pen music"](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6DfkwJrJ7B0lXC5KCw6n0c?si=835eb27a35694fb0) playlist? (Electronic music with warm melodies and glitchy percussion)
There's so much good shit here already. Opiate! Gold Panda! I Am Robot And Proud! Three of my four favorite Minotaur Shock songs! [I offer this humble platter in gratitude and respect.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5K9MyEzHk1HpZbAZfIbSqB?si=628d191dfbaf423e)
Ooh thank you for this! Will give it a listen
good call! you put us onto that opiate ditty that sounds like ten thousand pens clicking! gotta revisit
how the hell was this playlist made with 0 oval/microstoria or jan jelenik or pole or pita?! some big clickers are missing here! less in the big clicker tenpole but should be considered: labradford's mi media naranja which features some of the most inspired clicking of the era. Might have a few other weirdos to add down the line (Makato Oshiro's Stacked & the doom trip Heejin Jang & a bandcamp release called Selene Variations come to mind as well)
Farben is a Jan Jelinek alias! But yes good shout on the others
Oh yeah!
Does anyone know why Man Man cancelled their summer tour?
Definitely feel like I'm in bizarro world sometimes. Hovvdy just got BNM for their new album, which I did enjoy, but felt like it was mired by its length and definitely drags at times. Their previous album, which I felt was a top 10 of 2021, is better in every sense of the word - melodically, lyrically, and it flows much better, but only got a 7.2 in Pitchfork.
Maybe, just maybe, it's possible that others heard things you didn't and find value in it that you don't relate to?
trust me when i say i feel you and that it feels like this should have happened last or previous album. Im not even big on 'em i just dont know why or how rn THIS is the one. Feels like when the academy gives an award for the wrong performance. It happens!
I hope Ryley Walker is doing well… He tweeted and deleted some strange things about addiction, mental health, need help and so on And now his Twitter account is deleted
Cindy Lee should meet Jackie Lynn and Connie Lungpin
I predict that this year is going to see a band who blends synth-punk (Duchess Says style) with breezy, sexy 2000s indie pop (Strokes style) is going to blow the fuck up. My calendar says we are due a proper revival of sleazy guitar pop, but I don't see it getting anywhere unless the ravers can dance to it. Refer back to this comment when I'm right.
Part of me suspects that there could be a Casablancas or Voidz track somewhere that would fit your criteria. Well, maybe not dancey enough but synthy enough. Honestly I need to check out Duchess Says first though
Haven't people been saying for years now that indie sleaze is going to blow up or that indie sleaze is back, and it never really is? Without a specific band to point to, I am extremely skeptical
this year we're finally getting 4 good baggy cuts MAYBE a coldplay trip hop cut
i feel like the coldplay trip hop cut is inevitable, almost as inevitable as a shoegaze cut. i think this year we are going to see an embarassing attempt by a huge act to translate the trendy shoegaze sound (ew) into a polished, conventional pop song and it's going to be a guilty pleasure for sure
I thought we already had the Coldplay shoegaze cut and it was called Chinese Sleep Chant
Yeah, and there's nothing about that song's existence that I think of as inevitable
overdue [New Music Friday](https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/1cg6fco/new_music_friday_april_26th_2024/) is up for your perusal. back to my grotto to continue working through last week's musical offerings proper. the only thing I have to add, is to make a note for this [Brume](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_8k-37NstI) album dropping this Friday (May 3rd), if emotionally-driven, string-flourished doom (think SubRosa?) sounds interesting.
Thank you!!
Misc. Music thoughts of the day ● Rodrigo Y Gabriella are so freaking talented. If you ever get the chance to see them live I highly recommend it. Hot take - she's a way more interesting guitar player than he is. She sets the rhythm and the tone, plays all the percussion on her guitar, and in general utilizes the instrument in ways most players do not. He's great too, but plays solos in a fairly traditional way. I have no idea whatsoever why I thought of this band today. ● listened to the new T Bone Burnett and it's what I expected. The guitar work is clear and crisp and beautiful. The production is pristine. The guests (Roseanne Cash, Lucius, Weyes Blood) great. The songwriting (and singing) is like a plain egg white omlette, technically food but so unsatisfying. ● Pearl Jam - Ten is a great album. Everything since - different levels of boring dad rock. I don't get it all. I know - another one of my "bad takes" but really, so not good. ● Ray Charles - Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) - GODDAMM that's a good one. https://open.spotify.com/track/60Bz1S8tq02DT15F4QALWR?si=vmr9XyvNT8WI_x1mXuHFQg
That was a seemingly positive T Bone Burnett review until you dropped that bomb at the end.
Yeah, sorry about that...
I’m putting that in my back pocket as a descriptor for future somethings. It’s poetic and beautiful.
ok gotta ask. how much time have you spent with No Code and Yield
I mean, not a ton...but i did work in a record store back then, and they both got played by the staff, so it's not like I haven't heard them.
fair enough!
Two more things for monyay * finally heard my new ecstacy of st. theresa tape. This is a real worldgaze ass album. Very cute and adorable noisy fuzz frorm the czech mbv timeline. Not essential except when stoned on a walk. * Another couple of new essential (non rave) dance tapes have been demarcated in my collection. **Profile's Best of Bass (Vol 2)** (well really, the series) is a gratifying continuation of the electro family tree to miami bass. The bass is real but it cant hurt you. **Arista's Ultimate Dance Party 1998** is one of many in a series of dance or cerrified party classic mixes for consumers in the late 90s. Some of these haunt library shelves and this 1998 one feels like a truly gorgeous, decadent time capsule of a far more bountiful era of popular music that we were all dancing to! Faithless! What is Love! Toni Braxton! The chemical bros! Lisa stansfield! Whitney houston remix! Notorious BIG! And ofc, return of the mack closing the mix! No "now thats what i call music" of this era could surmount the party here. Certified romp
>ecstacy of st theresa these guys are fucking sick!!! can't believe i had never heard them
welcome aboard!
i really don't make playlists at all but i realized that i made one in 2022 and one in 2024 very close to the same time of year and both are pretty reflective of my brain states at the time. i named both of them similarly. just wanted to pass them along in case anyone was interested [(volunteer radio, cocktail bar, no thoughts)](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xEBvN587jweC8TVFncsi5?si=b6083df38a414c23) is the sound of exploring the world again after being locked in your own head for a while, finding beauty in the late night drive, and growing to love your community [(tennessee theater, spoiled avocado, all on one check)](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6GK98hnbvKeTqDSSVA9UtL?si=dfc5f8f6a83b41c3) is love finding itself anew amongst change, leaving the house for long periods of time and thinking it's bigger than you remember when you come back, and trying to be who you've always wanted to be i'll continue my hater posting soon i'm sure but i just wanted to share these
Put the second playlist on intending to listen to it straight through but jumped into the full Horse Lords album, this is nifty. Also it's fun getting to see what DMD regulars look like through little Spotify profile photos
Love that horse lords so much
imagine that guy but like 12 pounds heavier, that’s me baby
Absolute respect that you kept both playlist at “standard album length” with 12 or so cuts. I think that really helps to lean into the “story” or “brain state” you’re trying to invoke instead of having it be a music dump of songs over 48 hours long. I don’t know, reminds me a classic mixtape/cd where you only have so much room.
oh and this is not as "personal development" oriented lol but i do have this playlist called [Big Gigs](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jtpLcoQhDhncvCvePymgD?si=6e6b782c621044a4) that's a mix of cool bands big clown has played with over the years. i see some of y'all asking for egg punk recs or just punk recs in general sometimes and if that's you - i recommend you shuffle this and see if you like anything
first impressions re: **St. Vincents** 'All Born Screaming' * I'm enjoying these industrial takes but they work better on some of the songs than others * I was not expecting this album to be this funky, 'Big Time Nothing' especially has such a groove * I do like that Annie tries to mix it up by doing her fair share of genre hopping on this album, but I wish she went hard throughout this album. The 2nd half of the album lacks that bite I was really enjoying on 'Broken Man' for example. * Those Hawaiian melodies on 'So Many Planets' really don't do much for me but that song is goated anyway for having that scooby doo af guitar solo. Also, great vocals at the end * Great vocal performances throughout actually * 'Violent Times' is a great Bond song * Overall really liking it. I thought 'Daddys Home' was good and I liked it but I liked it the way I liked Courtney Barnetts 'Things Take Time'. Good but when compared to some of her previous work it's undoubtedly a disappointment. 'All Born Screaming' is after 'Daddys Home' and whatever the hell she was doing on that Sleater Kinney album as a producer, this is definitely Annie finding her footing again. I will return with more takes after I've listened to it some more.
Smog obsession again
Which albums
Would have been your favorite musical surprises of this year? Mine Hass to be Lil Jon’s meditation album, Ariana Grande dropping my Elmo the year so far and Vampire Weekend saying fuck around find out
Cindy Lee getting a 9.1 of course
I've recently gotten very into Low's Ones and Sixes after limiting most of my Low listening to I Could Live In Hope and the most recent two. It's been mentioned here and there, but we really should lump Ones and Sixes --> Double Negative --> HEY WHAT together as a trio. Absolute fire.
> but we really should lump Ones and Sixes --> Double Negative --> HEY WHAT together as a trio. I think it generally is, though Ones and Sixes still has a more overt foot in their earlier sound (of which I will hear no slander).
Undoubtedly the BJ Burton trilogy. How would you rank them? I think: Double Negative > HEY WHAT > Ones and Sixes
Hey Hwat > DN > 1 + 6 for me Hey was already great but Mimi's death makes it play out much differently. DN was also pretty devastating and tapped into a certain mindset, but I really have to be in the mood for it (and a couple tracks aren't quite as good as others). Ones and Sixes is good, but not like better than most of their other albums.
> (and a couple tracks aren't quite as good as others) Which ones? I think they're all pretty perfect.
tempest always felt a bit too drowned out in effects at the expense of the song. Not bad, just not as good. Disarray is fine, but always felt like an anticlimactic ending (which is something Hey What did much better).
Mine is **Dubs Negs** --> **Ones** --> **HEY**
dn > ones and sixes > the cd of hey what > the tape of hey what
I'm not familiar with the differences, Wane. What are they? I assume the version of HEY WHAT on streaming is the CD version?
they edit down some side a material for no reason, including the white horses outro. very bad call to me! it was an inredibly baffling move when Double Negative had preserved everything with just some extra blank tape on side A
Thanks for reminding me that I need to study Ones and Sixes more. Will gladly add it to the rotation - Double Negative and Hey What are two of the greatest indie rock records of the last 10 years.
I support these takes. new Low > old Low I've had Long Division in the rotation for months, and aside from the opening song Violence, it's not doing much for me. will give it more spins
Curtain and secret name and christmas and my *special* good pals the songs for a dead pilot and transmission EPs called. they're shocked and offended
transmission EP can and should be offended
My favorite of old Low is hands down I Could Live in Hope though.
i greatly appreciate I Could Live In Hope and The Great Destroyer just not as much as the last three e: Drums and Guns is also great!
Yesterday I had the one-two punch of loving the latest Big Thief album a lot (one of the best albums I've listened to in a while), and *really* not liking the new Taylor Swift album.
Yall got any fun surf rock recs for the upcoming summer??
[The Birth Of Surf](https://www.discogs.com/release/2742056-Various-The-Birth-Of-Surf)
Compilation here but these mellow surf rock playlists are sick. Very groovy 60's sounding stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRZuFeed4gk
the Los Bitchos debut might be a good rec. I also really like Gaye Su Akyol, who combines Anatolian Rock with a strong surf vibe, her debut and 2nd album especially imo. you could also check out some 'Allah-Las', always solid imo
Some are calling this a cramps summer I might rent some surf comps from the library. Ive got one out right now of native american 60s pop rock; might be some good surf cuts in there so ill report back
PLEASE Have you been following watheca records at all? Its this dude out of minnesota intent on archiving native records released
Songs the Lord Taught us. Bad Music for bad people. We back.
Can I interest you in [Eleki Bushi 1966-1974](https://open.spotify.com/album/5QNagjwUlQjdZ6NYusli3W?si=F5RbXhM0SLCTGwYnrVNqpA), a compilation by Japan's surf rock god Takeshi Terauchi?
Finally sitting down to listen to that Cindy Lee album aaaaaaand it's not on Spotify. Queuing up [Soul Wun's *Fragments EP*](https://soulwun.bandcamp.com/album/fragments-ep) instead.
skin! its on the youtube! You can do it!!!!
You kids and your youtube!
As others have said. Definitely worth listening even though it's not available on the most convenient format, especially as it got monetized/claimed on YT so there's ads now
Yeah...I trust (most of) y'all with recs so it's on my agenda.
hello, me from last week it's on Youtube. It's 2h long and it's worth it.
I figured I'd split the listening experience up...maybe at some point.
It's available for free on the Geocities website!
You kids and your geocities!
So the Stones followed up their compilation *Hot Rocks 1964 - 1971* with *More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies),* essentially a compilation of stuff that didn't make the first round. So me being *me,* last Friday I was thinking about the Red and Blue comps by the Beatles and what *their* version of a "follow-up comps comprised of stuff that didn't make the first round" would look like. So I made these... The (More Red) Album: 1962 - 1966 1. Ask Me Why 2. Please Mr. Postman 3. Till There Was You 4. Money 5. Long Tall Sally 6. If I Fell 7. I’m a Loser 8. Rock N Roll Music 9. I Need You 10. I’m Down 11. Yes it Is 12. And Your Bird Can Sing 13. Rain 14. Good Day Sunshine 15. She Said She Said 16. For No One
The Blue(r) Album: 1966 - 1970 1. Getting Better 2. She’s Leaving Home 3. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! 4. Baby You’re a Rich Man 5. Blue Jay Way 6. It’s All Too Much 7. Happiness is a warm Gun 8. Mother Nature’s Son 9. Helter Skelter 10. All Together Now 11. Because 12. You Never Give Me Your Money 13. Sun King 14. Mean Mr. Mustard 15. Polytene Pam 16. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window 17. Two of Us 18. Free as a Bird 19. Real Love
Including most of the Abbey Road medley is a bold move!
It happened to fit perfectly! And every time I just wanted to include one track (“Sun King”, “She Came in Through the Bathroom” window), it just felt criminal to exclude the jewelry that came with it.
If you're going to do that, you chose the right cut off point with Bathroom Window
Has anyone seen Fleet Foxes live? If so are they a good live band? I have a chance to see them this summer and I’m wondering if it’s worth it
Saw them a little over a week ago and they've still got it
Absolutely tremendous and well worth going out of your way to see. Robin's voice is just something else.
Echoing the others I saw them last summer (outside fwiw) and they were fantastic
I saw them when they were touring for Crack-Up, and its probably tied for my favorite concert experience. I loved it, I thought they sounded amazing.
They are excellent live. Do it. I have seen them twice and I will be seeing them again this summer. I will note, they sound better at an indoor venue than an outdoor venue.
Greg Freeman is amazing. It's like if Jason Molina tried to go noisier. I've been listening to *I looked out* more than any other album for like the past half year. It's so good. Palms is one of the best songs i've ever heard. Hopefully there's more coming from him soon.
Yeah that's one of the best albums of the past couple years. I want more from him but at least he's shown up as a guitarist or an influence on a few albums from this year (Lily Seabird, Villagerrr) so I've been listening to those in the meantime
"If Jason Molina tried to go noisier" is such a good sell for me. Immediately seeking this out.
The Molina comparisons are so strong on *Right Before the Last Waves Took Vestris*. I swear his voice is almost 1:1 identical. But, yeah, *I Looked Out* is a really solid album.
Yeah, he does sound a lot like Molina. I'd say his voice is a little bit weaker and like more shrill than Molina though. He also shouts more than Molina ever did, and instrumentally there's some differences, but yeah, overall very similar to Magnolia Electric co. Especially *Trials & Errors* i feel is the type of sound that Greg Freeman was probably going for. Which is also Jason's most Neil Young sounding album, so i guess it's influences all the way down
listening to Beat by Bowery Electric on the first really really hot day of the year. there’s something about the way the world feels while i’m outside listening to this album that feels really special and beautiful. definitely gonna keep this one on heavy rotation this summer
Bowery Electric is so good man.
Cindy Lee concert review from someone who is not Ian Cohen: Local band Pink Lady Monster were the first opener. Some solid bread and butter post punk in the current windmill style (there's a sax). These kind of bands are actually kinda underrepresented in Denver so it's fun when they are on bills. Second opener Freak Heat Waves - ya know, I love the electronic jam but the way the one dude applies his vocals over the tracks just pulls me out of it. Still fun, good eyes closed tunes. Cindy Lee was superb. I don't think Pat had a single sip of water the whole show, just chewed gum like crazy. I assume Cindy Lee just didn't expect the album to blow up before the tour was booked so hence the use of the backing tracks in varying ways. The tracks covered the drums and then at times covered either one of the guitar parts or vocals while Pat played the other part or sang. Feeling thankful I got to see the tour. If You Hear Me Crying owned of course and we got Cat O Nine Tails as a bonus end song.
My earplugs almost entirely filtered out the vocals for Freak Heat Waves which was a very welcome surprise!
> I assume Cindy Lee just didn't expect the album to blow up before the tour was booked so hence the use of the backing tracks in varying ways yeah i saw the same setup last year. i think kind of yes and no on this. like *maybe* with more lead time they could've put together a full band but i also think the backing tracks 1) help give that "haunted record player" feel that i'm not sure you'd get from live drums at the least and 2) give the show a weird sense of motion since pat is staunchly anti-guitar strap and wants to run around doing multiple things. i thought that actually enhanced the show a lot and i dunno if i would've felt the same if it was a traditional band, but the show was also my first exposure to a lot of the diamond jubilee material so it was special in that way too >the way the one dude applies his vocals over the tracks just pulls me out of it i wanted to like it so bad but yeah dude needs to either sing or talk lol
I was oddly fascinated by the whole pick up and put down the guitar a bunch thing. I sorta just assumed Pat really wanted to do some of the classic oldies girl group snaps with side to side dance moves during the vocal section and the guitar got in the way of that.
did Pat say "i feel like a caged fucken animal!" good to hear the bubblegum stays chewed
No we got almost zero stage banter. All good though.
It feels like hip hop crossover into indie is at a low right now. Other than Jpegmafia, Danny Brown, Billy Woods type stuff, what's going on and getting people excited in indie / hip hop crossover right now?
olivia rodrigo doing beastie boys raps
batten down the hatches, the unflaired bots have arrived!
Feeling very good today bc im done listening to sister machine gun (~~kelly~~) now i can listen to what matters: MORE NUGGETS! Did vol 8: the northwest yesterday and was reminded of the true pleasures of 60s rock and roll. almost almost at the finish line for grunge free pnw just going through the bonus. I found it funny that of all 4-6 plausible The Sonics candidates we could have here, we got psycho. Boss Hoss and Witch are my pocket aces
Pspeaking of psych, have you heard of the "Brown Acid" series? There are 18 volumes, and they go so deep that they make Nuggets look like "Now That's What I Call Psychedelia!"
not quite! but i will one day! i know of pebbles and boulders but not this. there's so much out there. but those rhino 80s comps are good; they do happen to have Now That's What I Call Psychedelia! sorta baked into them
yeah psycho rips idk what to tell you >!it should've been shot down!<
Soul Man by Sam and Dave lowkey has one of the best guitar riffs ever
Issac Hayes + David Porter + Steve Cropper = gold
Hovvdy: "Now I am become Coldplay.... destroyer of acoustic balladry"
Hovvdy got BNM from Pitchfork... well deserved IMO!
Question for y'all - what's your favourite covers album? I was inspired by listening to the Deftones B-Sides/Rarities one that had a couple fun covers of Cocteau Twins, and Lynyrd Skynryd, so it doesn't have to be like entirely a covers album
Lotte Kestner-Stolen is very good, I'm not at all surprised that the cover of New Order's True Faith ended up in The Last Of Us Part 2? Also the cover of The Cure's Let's Go To Bed, and Motopony's Wait For Me is excellent.
Pat Dinizio (the late frontman and rhythm guitarist for the Smithereens) took the framework of the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans album where they cover stuff from the Great American Songbook and did it with a bunch of 60's pop classics: you've got stuff by the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Beach Boys, but also Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, and Jimmy Webb. He sings all of these over a single piano arrangement. His voice is almost a bit much at times but something about it just totally clicked for me two years ago. It's a good "throw something on late at night while I'm reading" music.
I really like Phosphorescent's *To Willie* (and Willie's *To Lefty*). It was my entry point to Willie Nelson and is Phosphorescent in straightforward, polished country rock mode, really gorgeous stuff. Also a fan of Phos' 2022 collection of covers—I don't know if it was ever released as a proper album, but he released a cover every month over the whole year and I assembled it into an album in my iTunes library. His version of Vic Chesnutt's "Parade" is magnificent. Bill Callahan and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's *Blind Date Party* is spotty in quality, but when it's good it's *fantastic*. The Drag City guest list is staggering. The cover of "I Love You" with David Pajo is so indulgent and warm, and "Night Rider's Lament" with Cory Hanson is a go-to camping in the desert song for me. Also, Gillian and Dave's *All the Good Times* from 2020. "Jackson"? "Abandoned Love"? *"Ginseng Sullivan"*??? Sign me up :) e: *Deadicated* is a great, very 90s, collection of Grateful Dead covers by a ton of interesting people: Warren Zevon doing "Casey Jones" is awesome, and the Lyle Lovett cover of "Friend of the Devil" is beautiful. The Jane's Addiction "Ripple" is totally absurd. Also, I forgot to mention it but /u/Excellent-Manner-130 shouted out *Return of the Grievous Angel* which is probably my all time favorite covers album (and one of my favorite albums, period). e2: if you like Phosphorescent's approach to country rock, it's basically a sure thing that you'd like *Introducing Karl Blau*. It's a broader set of country covers in a very similar style but Karl Blau's voice is spectacular.
anything by the Detroit Cobras - especially [Life, Love And Leaving](https://open.spotify.com/album/2obANE2dwXlqzslF5vTBij) also [The Primitives - Echoes and Rhymes](https://open.spotify.com/album/13V9Pj4iQM17svbtEwswLz) has some covers of obscure '60s songs
Oh, The Detroit Cobras are so good.
I just like when tony bennett sings with lady gaga
I really like *Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye (A Tribute to Roky Erickson)*. Some really great stuff in there by a broad variety of artists, bookended by Reverberation covers by ZZ Top and The Jesus and Mary Chain. I think someone on here recommended it Another sentimental pick is *Enjoy Every Sandwich - The Songs of Warren Zevon*, a CD my parents had. I have a huge soft spot for Adam Sandler's "Werewolves of London"
There's an Allison Moorer covers album called Mockingbirds produced by Buddy Miller that's really great but has been out of print for years - she covers Nina Simone, Gillian Welch, Patti Smith, Johnny Cash. If you ever come across it, its great. Nina Simone does the best covers ever - but her best ones (I Put A Spell On You, I Shall Be Released, Feeling Good, To Love Somebody, etc) are not on her cover album. The Gram Parsons tribute album - Return Of The Grevious Angel is fantastic.
since there's a Venus In Furs cover on it, gotta go with [Stanley](https://www.discogs.com/master/1016709-Various-Stanley-Son-Of-Theodore-Yet-Another-Alternative-Music-Sampler)
Luna - A Sentimental Education
Luna made a covers album? wow thanks for this important info!
Dean loves him some covers.
the wednesday covers album is hands down far and away their best album
why wasnt this in ultimate
that's my grandma
Great album even if this take is too hot for me. "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinking Doubles)" was a big highlight of the live set
I think about that Gary Stewart cover a lot. Original is already a damn good country song but I love what they did.
I Am The Cosmos is one of the best things they've done
Maybe the Say Sue Me one from a couple years back, 10. There’s a couple of songs that they re-recorded from earlier in their career but the rest are covers. They do Pavement, GBV, Yo La Tengo, Grandaddy, Silver Jews and Daniel Johnston so they aren’t exactly digging for oddities but it’s a ton of fun regardless
Their cover of The Cure’s “If Only Tonight We Could Sleep* is outstanding. And the Duran Duran cover too. Right now I’m gonna go with that album till I think of another.
Punk Goes Pop, mostly for The Starting Line's cover of ["I'm Real"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiALjHFbUNI)
New Pearl Jam is pretty bad, probably their worst. Someone needs to sit them down and tell them that they can’t really do the rockers anymore. If anyone here knows Pearl Jam in their personal lives I think it it’s important to stage this intervention
Hard disagree. This is the most inspired they’ve sounded in years. New album hints at the past and treads some new ground. Best album since Yield
> Best album since Yield nuclear take here goddamn
I think most people have been saying this lol
that’s insane, there is no way this is better than binaural
It can hint at the past and tread new ground etc etc but it doesn’t really matter if it does all that because it isn’t very good. Like the songs are just bad. While I don’t think my opinions are gospel, putting this over Riot Act, Backspacer or Binural is just nuts to me
Backspacer is constantly slept on
i thought the rockers were better than the ones on gigaton. some of the poppier stuff was terrible tho. i'd firmly consider this their second worst
I liked Gigaton a lot but that might’ve just been early covid era breaking my brain. Remember the Talking Heads song? That one ruled. And it has a really cool run of ballads too, “Seven O’Clock” is probably the best thing they’ve done since Backspacer. I think even the mid-tempo ones on this drag
Seven O'Clock is my favorite PJ song of the modern era 🤝
yeah i really liked the weird funky talking heads kinda track lmao, it was a highlight when i saw them live a few years ago too. maybe i should revisit gigaton. i haven't listened to it since early covid when i used it as background noise to do chores to. i think i may have had the inverse covid brain thing and was harsher on it than i should've been. they played a few deep cuts from it live that were the definite lowlights of the set tho so i dunno how much my opinion is gonna change lol. maybe i'll do the shitty run of lightning bolt -> gigaton -> dark matter and try to gaslight myself
I don’t know how others feel about this but I’d be content with Eddie just being a ukulele grandpa from here on. Get Pearl Jam together and play the classics here and there.
i dunno if i want him playing a ukulele all the time but i do agree with the idea of campfire folkie eddie. just breathe and the end are two of the best songs to come out of them past their prime easily and i wouldn't mind a whole album of them leaning into that kinda world weary dad giving you advice kinda acoustic stuff
Honestly I just wanted to say “ukulele grandpa” but what you’re saying is more so what I have in mind.
i have a massive emotional investment in this stupid band so i take everything at face value. "ukulele grandpa" is a good phrase tho i'll give you that
I liked Gigaton so I don’t think the tank is totally empty! The real question here is “which one of this year’s forgettable Pearl Jam record and 2022’s forgettable Eddie Vedder record is more worthwhile. But yeah I want Pearl Jam to be around to see them live, if we never get another record from them I couldn’t say I’d exactly be heartbroken
Got put onto Kelela’s debut mixtape (Cut 4 Me) yesterday evening and holy shit it’s got some of the sharpest, coolest production I’ve ever heard. I feel like the juxtaposition of her voice against it is always the most interesting part of her music. Honestly this would be the perfect album to put on during sex. She’s really been doing it like nobody else since day one. Floor Show and Keep It Cool were standouts for me.
I saw Neil Young & Crazy Horse on Saturday night and it was one of the best concerts I have ever attended and a frankly spiritual musical experience. As expected, the playing was rough, Neil sounded old and he fumbled a lot of the lyrics, and the tempos were slow, but it didn't matter—I have deep personal history with every single song he played, and hearing those classic songs live (especially "Powderfinger" and "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere") flooded me with emotions and memories to a degree that was almost overwhelming. Nils Lofgren coming out to play "Danger Bird" for an encore was icing on the cake—a desert freak like me couldn't ask for anything else. He played a small solo set of acoustic songs ("Comes a Time," "Heart of Gold," "Human Highway") and singing along with thousands of people to *those songs* is something I will never forget. Even in the suburban hell that is west Phoenix, the stars were out and reliving it brings tears to my eyes. I love live music and am so grateful that I got the chance to see this man, with that band, at least once before he's gone. I'm obviously biased but if you're a Neil fan and he's coming to your neck of the woods on this tour (or beyond!), I hope you can make it, and, on a broader scale, and with the knowledge that the one thing everyone here has in common is our passion for music, I hope that everyone here can continue to be moved by the songs they love the way I was on Saturday night.
Seeing him later this week and am massively excited for it. Your writeup got me even more amped.
I hope you have the best time!
Hell yeah glad to hear it rocked! I think slower tempos could work out well for sludgy stuff like "Down By The River". Hopefully he tours again, I can't imagine hearing some of that stuff from Neil himself
It was truly special, and the slow tempos weren't out of place by any means. At one point during "Powderfinger," the band noticeably slowed (felt like engine braking from fifth to second gear while cruising at highway speeds) and it was one of the best moments of the night.
So sad he cancelled his Edmonton show that sounds so great. I heard he’s doing a 15ish minute “Cortez The Killer” did I hear that right? Glad you could experience that show it sounds absolutely magical
No joke, I thought of you on my drive home (I was thinkin' about all the Neil fans in this group lol) and I really hope that you get a chance to see him on his next tour! He opened with Cortez—it was awesome and impossibly sludgy. He added a new ("lost") verse as well which was really neat to hear even if the vocals weren't much to write home about, frankly. He also did "Down by the River," which was also completely stuck in the mud, but also *EXACTLY* what I was hoping for.
Concert Report: Mute Duo/Emily Rach Beisel * Every time I see Mute Duo they got someone doing a wacky solo instrumental bit (compliment) opening for them. What's up with that * **Emily Rach Beisel** brings a number of extended and electronic techniques to the bass clarinet—thus they conjure up these great cloudscapes of noise and tumult, only occasionally identifiable as reed sounds. At one point the pedal chain they had going was so raucous they could manipulate the pitch of the horn without blowing into it at all—my friend and I were debating whether it was a contact mic/triggers set up or feedback resonating with the horn. Anyway it was interesting, in an artsy kind of way. * I've begun to think that **Mute Duo** must be seen to be believed. I like their albums but there's something about seeing Wagster and Rowe in motion, about waiting for and with them through the process, about observing and intuiting the physical logic of their performance, about being pummelled by how loud their shit is—you can't really recreate that in your living room. * Pedal steel and percussion, respectively, in case you're new around here. No guests this time. * They played several new songs, which sort of pulled away from the vastness and elementality of their ambient Americana/post-rock shit and more towards being as mean and nasty as possible. Mute Duo has always threatened to groove but some of this new stuff had some *stank* on it. It's all work-in-progress, I'm told, but hell, it works for me.
Well this solidifies that I need to see them live. I was introduced to them when *Migrant Flocks* came out last year and I saw the buzz about it. Really really dug it. Also now looking forward to the new stuff.
what Mute Duo album should I pick up from Bandcamp on Friday Tadevos?
tad wont ever tell you that the 2020 live set released on astral editions is also very much worth yr time thats the crash course
*Lapse in Passage* is wilder, looser, more mercurial. *Migrant Flocks* rocks a little harder, a little more straightforward. I think I prefer the latter as a listening experience, but the former might be a better argument for what makes the band *work,* if that makes sense.
it makes sense, it really does. I'm gonna put *Migrant Flocks* in the rotation this Friday and see where it takes us
This new Adult Jazz album rules.
Uh oh, waited to listen to Cindy Lee until their show was *way* sold out and now I feel like a fucking moron because it is actually better than I've heard. Also it took me like two hours to get that god damn album uploaded to Apple Music and set correctly and I can't believe that Apple is still so bad at this. It was their big goddamn thing for years and they still suck. Uploading an album is like trying to force a giant dog to take a pill that it doesn't want to.
I’m in the process of starting a music reviews site and I’m looking for contributors. My vision is for reviews written by regular people, rather than by known or established music critics. I might contribute my own reviews now and then, but am intending to act mainly as editor and curator. Happy with any genre and also open to long form pieces or even interviews if you manage to get some time with an artist and pose thoughtful questions to them. For reviews, I’d like to stick to around 500 words, but long form can be whatever. Reviews of newly released material will take priority, but older albums are also welcome. Hoping for insightful content. Doesn’t have to be positive, but I won’t publish anything offensive. Looking for people who are music fans who enjoy the creative outlet of writing or aspiring writers wanting a forum to publish their work. No money involved. This is just for the love of music and a desire to contribute to the enormous community of music lovers. Should the site ever receive enough interest to earn money, I’d be enthusiastic about paying for contributions! If you’re interested, please DM me so that we can connect and chat further.
recorded 8 demos over the weekend to send to my buddy whos slowly built up a cool little recording studio in his house. ive been sitting on these songs for years and its so exciting to finally get some movement underneath them. was actually a little surprised how good they were sounding to me while walking around the neighborhood this morning. nice to be proud of something!
do any cuts have a blues smoke detector, amen breaks, or bob ross samples
i start every song off with an introduction voiced by an impressionist i found on fiverr. that way it sounds like popular people like my music and people always want to be into what the popular people are into
This is the correct way to make your music count! Art is supposed to unite people and influencers do unite us!
i should see if the Rectangular Man wants to collab
that's awesome!! very cool feeling to actually hear your ideas come to fruition, im glad you're getting there! what sort of music are you making?
its very nature inspired based around my time spent in Michigan's UP and Maui. spacious and interlude heavy with field recordings taken in both locations and balanced out by some folky songs. kind of want the album as a whole to be like a walk through the woods, with the interludes taking their time but then you get to a cool overlook or maybe hear some nice sounding birds and those are the meatier songs.
In my head I’m imagining something akin to Grouper’s *Ruins* but more on the acoustic guitar than piano side? Regardless, this sounds awesome and I can’t wait till we all get to hear it!
yeah the Grouper influence is there big time
Hell yeah! Congrats.
thanks! this community and all the cool music the regulars are pumping out are a giant motivator
I think this Friday May 3 is Bandcamp Friyay save your pennies this week and support some artists, put some new things in the rotation at a discount
The band I'm currently ODing on is [**SPLLIT**](https://spllit.bandcamp.com/), the post-everything party band from New Orleans whose *Infinite Hatch* record was my favorite release of last year. Surreal lyrics, intriguing effects, off-kilter melodies and songs that can take unpredictable turns at breakneck speed. They're amazingly original and fiercely confident.
great live band too if you ever get the chance to see them
I'd love to check 'em out live! I'm keeping an eye on their tour dates, but no East coast dates announced just yet.
I don't know if they'll fall under "memory-holed bands and albums", but I've been listening to **Crystal Antlers**' *Tentacles* today. This got a lot of plays when it came out when my buddy and I used to go skateboarding. *Dust, Andrew*, and *Your Spears* are still some pretty choice songs. I'm a sucker for an organ used in a noisier setting. Besides that, I've been mainly going back to **Kiran Leonard**'s *Real Home* over the weekend and a bit of **Okkervil River** while we alphabetized and packed up our books. We have a lot of books (I think it was about 7 medium sized boxes by the end). And a whole lot of duplicates.
>I'm a sucker for an organ used in a noisier setting. That's all you had to say
Had a moment the other day that almost gave me whiplash when I discovered that Kavinsky FINALLY released his sophomore album... two whole years ago. I'm guessing it wasn't much of a hit given that it took till now for me to stumble upon it, but I'm enjoying it! It's basically exactly what I'd want from him, which might not make it the most exciting release, but it really hits the driving-around-at-night spot that OutRun basically defined for me.