WHAT WE'RE SPINNING

William Tyler
Time Indefinite
Hard to believe it's been almost 10 years since Tyler first hit the scene with the groundbreaking Modern Country. This release is very different for the LA via Nashville artist who spent years touring with Nashville groups like Lambchop and Silver Jews before breaking away to focus on his own version of instrumental guitar music. Using field recordings, synths and tape loops here to supplement his guitar instrumentals, this one feels more country ambient / experimental than his past work. Our pick of the release is "Held" is probably the best song here. (Apr '25)

 

Jolie Laide
Creatures
We sort of downplayed this, the sophomore release from this Seattle-based band, initially because it sounded like they didn't know what they wanted to be: rockers? country crooners? folksies? sadcore? But then we're digging the sort of Americana ramble of "Holly." We're also suckers for well-done guy-girl harmonies and quirky songs, so naturally "Murder Ballad" catches our attention. After a number of listens we think we should perhaps place them next to Modern Studies and Ida in the vastly underrated bands that make lush guy-girl slowcore, indie, folk, Americana songs. (Apr '25)

 

Broncho
Natural Pleasure
Nice new release from Broncho -- their first one in five years! -- that retains the Tulsa bands straight-forward simple rock and roll sound. Fuzzy guitar, simple driving bass and beats and Ryan Lindsey's unsure but not shinking voice. "Funny" is our pick for best song on the release. (Apr '25)

 

Broncho
Just Enough Hip to Be Woman
While we were checking out Broncho's latest release, we dipped into the back catalog to spin and revisit this one. When you make one of the best pop and rock anthems that no one outside of Tulsa has ever heard -- and to be clear, we are talking about Easy Way Out on 2018's Bad Behavor -- you deserve frequent revisits to the back catelog. Good thing too as the quirky "Class Historian" definitely shone through. (Sept '14)

 

Lea Maria Fries
CLEO
From bandcamp: "Equally beautiful and weird, the music from Swiss singer Lea Maria Fries interpolates jazz with jumpy experimental elements." We're not so crazy about the parts of this that swerve into jazzy improv, but we love the beautifully weird stuff. This is right in our "Northern European Winter Girls" playlist vibe. (Apr '25)

 

Linying
Swim, Swim
From bandcamp: "Los Angeles-via-Singapore artist Linying makes beguiling pop music informed by her deep familiarity with classical Chinese music." We're hearing a couple of strings being plucked on the erhu (these things only have a couple - like 2 - stings right?) way way in the back of the mix here. Other than that, this is more LA produced pop rock than it is classical or anything Chinese related musically. It's good in that Chappell Roan sort of way. We'll have "Blondie" and "Donovan" on our heavy rotation for the summer. (Apr '25)

 

Sleigh Bells
Bunky Becky Birthday Boy
From NYTimes: "Sleigh Bells, the duo of Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, have just released their sixth album, "Bunky Becky Birthday Boy." Like the rest of their catalog, the new album is a recombinant bash, slamming together selected elements of loud and louder styles - punk, metal, grunge, hip-hop, electro, glam, garage-rock - with the suddenness of digital edits." We think this is big brash pop rock, a la No Doubt after they made it big - but without a vocalist that is as dynamic as Gwen Stefani. Not something we'll have on heavy rotation but we wouldn't be surprised to see these guys selling out big arenas and rocking out This Summer on tour over the summer. Perhaps this year's festival darlines? (Apr '25)

 

DJ Koze
Music Can Hear Us
From Pitchfork: "Stefan Kozalla is a peerless figure in a crowded field. Once the enfant terrible of Hamburg's Golden Pudel club, the German producer made his name in the early aughts with an idiosyncratic take on the bold colors and broad strokes of storied minimal-techno imprint Kompakt. He released one of the subgenre's definitive late-period records on his own label - which became a fantastical sandbox for friends and fellow weirdos - then transcended it entirely on 2018's Knock Knock, one of those Technicolor albums that renders real life sepia-toned by comparison." We're digging "Pure Love", the collaboration with Damon Albarn here. (Apr '25)

 

Tamara Qaddoumi
The Murmur
Tamara Qaddoumi, of Kuwaiti-Palestinian-Lebanese-Scottish heritage, co-wrote and composed the eight-tracks on this release. It combines Qaddoumi's evocative vocals with luscious synths and warm bass lines, making tunes that blends dream-pop, trip-hop, and a hint of 80's industrial, and perhaps a little influence from Broadcast. We like "River In The Darkness" as the top pick on a solid album. (Apr '25)

 

Masha Qrella
Songbook
From bandcamp: "Classics by Whitney Houston, Queen, Saint Etienne, and others get the minimalist folk treatment on the artist and composer's sixth LP." We liked the cover of Queen's I Want To Break Free. However, our like of this probably has more to do with how much we like the original than it does is loving this version. (Mar '25)

 

The Lewis Express
Doo-Ha!
From bandcamp: "Inspired by the Northern soul of yesteryear, the Leeds group showcase smoldering melodies alongside an unstoppable rhythm section." We dig listening to improv jazz. This has some of that feel, aforementioned rhythm section driving it, but it also seems sort of trying to blend elements of funk, R&B, and pop featuring the flute pretty predominately. That's a little too much for us. (Mar '25)

 

8ULENTINA
Surpassing Disaster
"Abstract club music meets Middle Eastern orchestral and folk traditions on the full-length from Brooklyn producer and artist 8ULENTINA." We were hoping for more of the Middle Eastern orchestral folk tunes than the experimental club music. Unfortunately for our tastes the album is more of the later. (Mar '25)

 

Crush of Souls
Lezire
Charles Rowell (Crocodiles, Flowers of Evil, Issue) channels a ton of 80s influences and wraps them into a neat package in this one. Listen to "Souls Apart" - where do I know that main lick you're probably thinking to yourself? Now go put on Frieda's 1982 hit "I Know There's Something Going On" Ah ha you say (no pun intended :-)! But the lick is lowered by a key or two before the Bauhaus meets Sisters of Mercy singing starts."The Pure Weapon" hits the dusty 80s file drawer in the back of our brain with synapses that light the place up like the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center on Dec 24. Is that some Dead or Alive You Spin Me Round? Some Great Reward era Depeche Mode? And "Call Your Dealer's" moody sax-laden slow build up would make "Infected" / "Mind Bomb" era-Matt Johnson of The The jealous as hell. (Mar '25)

 

Sharp Pins
Radio DDR
From Pitchfork: "Lifeguard's Kai Slater bottles the feeling of youthful, lovestruck invincibility with enough scream-a-long hooks and artful riffs that his second album feels like a greatest-hits collection." This is like LoFi Beatles. Or, like the Beatles back when they were LoFi and before psychedelic started influencing them. "Lorelei" is the go-to song on this album we think. We also love how the band uses the tag "teenbeat" to describe the sounds. They'd definitely get invited to play Tom Guido's Purple Onion if it were still kicking. (Mar '25)

 

upsammy
Open Catalyst
From bandcamp: "Dutch producer gives her hi-octane club music a glowing, almost new age-y refresh, its uptempo grooves layered to meditative ends." This is good fast beats breakcore but with sort of mellower bleeps, blips and beats. (Mar '25)

 

Saba and No ID
From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID
Pitchfork says "Saba and producer No ID collaborate for a master class in melodic rap that harnesses '90s sampledelia, '00s neo-soul, and the singsong lyricism of 2010s Chicago." We say nice hip/hop album here, as you might expect from Saba. "Every Painting Has a Price" featuring BJ The Chicago Kid & Eryn Allen Kane blends in some soul/R&B beats for probably the best song on the disc. (Mar '25)

 

YHWH Nailgun
45 Pounds
Pitchfork writes "On their outstanding debut, the New York-based experimental rockers show up fully formed with vision, presence, and possibility." Kinetic, frenetic with seemingly everything including the kitchen pots and pans on percussion, this one bounces while lyrics are yelled over it. (Mar '25)

 

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
Gift Songs
From Pitchfork: "The ambient experimental musician's latest record is cohesive, fluid, and egoless. Using an almost entirely acoustic palette, he and his collaborators channel an abiding sense of mystery." There are five gentle ambient songs here, three of them playing around the same musical themes. It's soft contemplative music for a rainy indoor Sunday spent cuddling with the cat and napping. (Mar '25)

 

Hekla
Turnar
From bandcamp: "The Icelandic artist weaves theremin, cello, and pipe organ into vast, melancholic pastorals." We generally like dark ambient but there are others we like better ... including a bunch of recently released stuff we've just reviewed. Read on... (Mar '25)

 

Sven Laux
The Undefined Feeling of Discomfort
From bandcamp: "Cellos and pianos blend on the latest from Sven Laux to sculpt gorgeous, slow-moving glaciers of sound that soothe and inspire." We're digging this dark ambient meets modern classical music release. (Mar '25)

 

Puce Moment
Puce Moment
Back to back to back dark ambient - we see a theme here. Well, given that the end of 2024 crashed and burned for us with disasters on many levels, sure, this is probably an apropos soundtrack for us this Winter. Although the artist positions it as "an immersive experience bringing the ancient traditional Japanese music of Gagaku into dialogue with electronic music," we're sticking with dark ambient. This is some good late night music with which to summon up demons and scare small children. And if the 11 minute decent into pure madness of the second song "Batu" wasn't enough for you, there's an equally as creepy video. Did we mention, this is excellent shit? The perfect soundtrack for writing appeals to FEMA for disaster relief assistance - yeah, we know. (Mar '25)

 

Whatever the Weather
Whatever the Weather II
From Pitchfork: "By narrowing its focus to muted synth pads and minimalist arrangements, the second LP from Loraine James' ambient-leaning produces some of the most direct, spontaneous music in her catalog." We like the temperature themed song tiles, but are not as crazy about bleeps and blips ambient as we are our dark ambient. (Mar '24)

 

Franc Moody
Chewing The Fat
This caught our eye as it was a new one recorded at Damon Albarn's Studio 13 so we decided to give it a spin. It's a nice synthpop release. We've got "Square Pegs in Round Holes", "The Light You Bring", and "Going Through the Motions" in our heavy rotation. (Mar '25)

 

Arny Margret
I Miss You, I Do
From bandcamp: "Backed by an all-star team of American producers, the Icelandic artist ditches minimalism for elegant, pastoral folk rock." Yeah, we couldn't tell Arny was from Iceland. Might as well have been from Nashville by her sound. It's good, albeit not mind-blowingly so, Americana for easy listening afternoons. (Mar '24)

 

Hamilton Leithauser
Knockin Heart
From Lindsay@NYTimes: "As anyone who's ever heard the Walkmen's coiled-up classic "The Rat" can tell you, Hamilton Leithauser is adept at singing with intense desperation. He taps into a similar vein on this solo album." We think this is a decent album. (Mar '25)

 

Fust
Big Ugly
From bandcamp: "The North Carolina band pair easy-rolling country-rock arrangements with narratively rich character studies set in the American South." Although no song really sticks out, we really like this slow rolling Americana / country. (Mar '25)

 

Ingrown
Idaho
From bandcamp: "The Idaho crushers take straight-edge hardcore to scorching, animalistic extremes on their most accomplished release yet." We appreciated the heavy guitar and growling, but found it a little too banal for repeated listening. The song "Idaho" though is a complete non-sequitur on the album, breaking out the acoustic guitar, dulcimer and mandolin for a tune right at home played by the fire in an Irish pub circa the 1400s. It's the best tune on the album. (Mar '25)

 

Zoe Mc Pherson
Upside Down
From bandcamp: "The French-Irish sound artist, presently based in Berlin, engineers heartfelt, optimistic techno-pop for uncertain times." We're not sure how pop this techno-pop is, maybe more techno-experimental to our ears. (Mar '25)

 

Pale Blue Eyes
New Place
bandcamp: "The UK outfit unfurl stunning, slow-rolling psychedelia soundscapes with flickers of '90s Britpop and shoegaze." We're definitely hearing the 90s alternative in this one. Songs like "The Dreamer" seems like they could have come directly from Ocean Blue or Trashcan Sinatras. (Mar '25)
Lucy Dacus
Forever is a Feeling
From Pitchfork: "On her new solo album, the songwriter and Boygenius alum makes an impassioned, all-in gamble on love. So why does the music feel hamstrung by caution and daintiness?." We're also not particularly blown away by this. (Mar '25)
Split Moon
More Clouds More Stars
From bandcamp: "Hypnotic, syrupy space rock with anthemic choruses and even bigger riffs." We're okay with this stoner rock release. (Mar '25)
SOFY
Another Day In Paradise
From bandcamp: "The London artist bursts out the gate with an anthemic indie-pop record buoyed by bright tones, summery hooks, and crisp percussion." When you've gotten your fix of Sabrina Carpenter and Chapel Roan but are still looking for more, SOFY is for you. (Mar '25)

Summer Pearl
The Interlude
From bandcamp: "High art R&B from Summer Pearl in seven songs marked by beguilingly twisting structures and hypnotic melodies." "The Creator" is a standout on this album, with some clever rapping over a killer beat. (Mar '25)

 

Vil
Moons
From bandcamp: "The Icelandic duo return with a slate of ‘musical paintings' that elevate shortform sketches into stirring minimal-synth vistas." We liked the sonic vistas and a lot of the songs grabbed us as well. (Mar '25)

 

Unknown Mortal Orchestra
IC-02 Bogota
The latest from New Zealand musician Ruban Nielson's globe-trotting series, as Pitchfork has put it, "taps into a cosmic, extroverted energy, highlighting his band's virtuosity in a set of psychedelic jams." We can see that on some indulgent instrumentals that might be what Jazz looks like when mashed up against some generic EDM with bleeps and bits thrown in for good measure. (Mar '25)

 

Velvet Bloom
Velvet Bloom
From bandcamp: "The Melbourne artist and her band make a stellar first impression with a buoyant debut combining folk, funk, soul and indie rock." This is a nice debut, skirting between jazz, funk and pop but never going too far into one of those genres. (Mar '25)

 

Liv Solveig
Nordic Coastline
To be fair, we have a liking for a strong female singer and her piano set in lush orchestration with strings. Agnes Obel anyone? It's really well produced and songs like "Words" almost get there for us, but we're just not connecting with the songwriting or something on this one. (Mar '25)

 

aya
hexed!
From Pitchfork: "Sound bristles, foams, bursts, and oozes as the UK artist's daring second album confronts the terrifying crush of reality. It feels like witchcraft; maybe it is" We appreciate the freshness and experimentation here. We're not likely to have it on any of our playlists though. (Mar '25)

 

Perfume Genius
Glory
We've been giant fans of Perfume Genius, the moniker of Seattle-based artist Mike Hadreas, since his first two sparse and understated albums that mostly featured frail Mike, his piano and his TASCAM (at least in our imagination). The production here, like the 4 or 5 albums before it, are anything but sparse pieces captured on a four track recorder. But while more glitter and pop/rock structures abound, they are still laden down with a sort of that Perfume Genius dark moodiness. So it still surprises us, as we belly up to the bar at the packed Fillmore before Hadreas and co. are about to take the stage, that so many people were here. We had a crew of seven, a mixure of old and new friends. We know how the old friends discovered the band (ahem, polishes fingernails on his shirt,) but how about the newbies? So we ask, "how long have you been Perfume Genius fans? A recent find or were you listening to his old dark, lo-fi slit-your-wrist albu..." Before we can finish the sentence, one of the girls blurts out - "oh the original dark early albums. Loved them. We constantly listened to them in college." While this might be Purfume Genius' most polished album to date--and we absolutely LOVE the collaboration with Aldus Harding here--if you're new to the band, don't skip out on hitting up the back catalog. (Mar '25)

 

Japanese Breakfast
For Melancholy Brunettes
From Pitchfork: "Michelle Zauner's lovely, pensive, capital-R Romantic fourth album takes a step back from autobiography to examine the performances and peril of fame itself." We're never been the biggest fans of Japanese Breakfast. Mind you, they make pleasant tunes, but nothing that really stuck out to us. But on this release - maybe it was the Jeff Bridges duet on song about bars - "Men in Bars" - or perhaps it was the extremely beautiful "Orlando in Love" and the uncanny release of that song at the same time long-time tunefilter contributor Big O passes away. But this one is hitting is differently. We approve. (Mar '25)

 

Water Margin
Gleaming Cursed
This is Vancouver-based emo band Water Margin's debut album. The album draws heavily from 1990s emo and post-hardcore influences, featuring thick basslines, dueling guitars, and dynamic drum patterns. We weren't so crazy about it and will stick to the stuff from the actual 1990s. (Mar '25)

 

Jeremy Bradley Earl
Four Songs
This one is the debut EP from Jeremy Bradley Earl, the New York-based frontman of psychedelic folk-rock band Woods. We like Woods and their sort of straight-forward catchy indie rock tunes. This EP blends folk and rock elements, offering a more introspective and stripped-down sound compared to Earl's work with Woods. It's also very good. (Mar '25)

 

Good Block
Window
Good Block is the debut album from a London-based producer and DJ duo that spans recordings from 2017 to 2024. The album showcases a fusion of acid, ambient, electro, and global influences, reflecting their eclectic musical journey. All tracks were written, mixed, and designed by the duo in their London studios, embodying their DIY ethos and commitment to artistic integrity. While we're not in love with it -- the synch flute gets to be too much at times -- it's not that bad. (Mar '25)

 

Balthvs
Mood Swing (Principles of Rhythm)
These guys hit our radar as they are playing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass later in October in San Francisco. We'd admit the title of this EP gave us a little deja vu to the 90s when we were listing to downtemp releases from Moodswings and "Principle of Lust" from Enigma. This release is very, very far from that. This is reverb heavy, mostly instrumental, jam band sort of stuff from Bogotá, Colombia. (Feb '25)

 

Yo La Tengo
Old Joy
From Pitchfork: "The score for Kelly Reichardt's 2006 drama, written by the indie-rock veterans and session guitarist Smokey Hormel, captures the magisterial doldrums of an American road trip in countrified krautrock." The six instrumental tracks, recorded in a single afternoon at Yo La Tengo's studio in Hoboken, carry that unmistakable Yo La Tengo sound. Sounds like a great roadtrip soundtrack piece to us. (Feb '25)

 

Fennesz
The Last Days of May
From Pitchfork: "As part of the boutique label's final crop of releases, the Austrian experimental musician strips back and stretches out, exploring the nuances of his guitar in real time." We got turned on the Fennesz back with his 2008 release Black Seas as the housing crash of 08 was still weighing on the nation. Flying from CA into Philadelphia or JFK, typically arriving on a dark Monday evening around midnight in the middle of winter, we'd stare out the taxi window as the grimey, run down industrial parts of town flashed by. Black Seas (or Christopher Bissonnette's Periphery) would be playing on our headphones. This dark ambient music was the absolutely perfect soundtrack for that experience. On this one, an album of one 24 minute song, the end of the world mood starts after 10 minutes of gental, sparse guitar plucking. Then it dissolves into Fennesz's dystopian, machines are taking over the world while you sleep, sound. We love it. (Feb '25)

 

Meagre Martin
Up To Snuff
From bandcamp: "Sludgy, chaotic punk meets simple, sweet indie-rock choruses on the Berlin band's new EP." We think this sort of lands like 90s female led pop rock. Think The Sundays or The Cardigans. (Feb '25)

 

Ichiko Aoba
Luminescent Creatures
Pitchfork writes: "Inspired by creatures she encountered diving in the waters off a remote island, the Japanese singer-songwriter's understated, beautiful album explores liminal worlds through softly textured ambient folk." This is a nice, easy listen-somewhere between ambient and indie folk with a Japanese vibe. (Feb '24)

 

Paraframe
Metropolis
From bandcamp: "The latest from Hamburg producer Paraframe is a dark pop wonder - steely synths and driving rhythms with haunting vocal tracks." We agree, this is really good house. (Feb '25)

 

Optometry
Lemuria
From bandcamp: "L.A. pop duo write misty, mirage-like synthpop songs with elegant vocal melodies." We think there's better stuff out there. (Feb '25)

 

Squid
Crispy Skin
We're not fans of Squid's third album here. If you're looking for a post-punk romper that can get a little heavy but has sme buoyant bass lines, jaunty keyboards and energetic yelps from the lead singer, this may be your cup of tea. (Feb '25)

 

Sharon van Etten
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, based in Los Angeles, released their self-titled debut album on February 7, 2025, through Jagjaguwar. This project marks a significant evolution for Van Etten, transitioning from her solo career to a collaborative band dynamic. The album showcases a darker, dreamlike edge, blending post-punk influences with intimate, personal lyrics. Tracks like "Afterlife" exemplify the band's immersive sound, characterized by swirling motifs and a focus on groove and mood. We like the mellow "Fading Beauty" as the top pick here. (Feb '25)

 

Panda Bear
Sinister Grift
This is the eighth studio album for Panda Bear, the solo project of Noah Lennox. Recorded at his Estudio Campo in Lisbon, Portugal, the album marks his first solo release in five years and features contributions from all members of Animal Collective. We are loving this release, imagining hints of Beach Boys mixed with some Latin vibes in a very approachable indie rock package. It's only February but this is our pick for signature album of the Summer of 2025 (Feb '25)

 

Youth Lagoon
Rarely Do I Dream
Youth Lagoon's latest album, Rarely Do I Dream, draws inspiration from rediscovered family home videos, blending personal memories with Western myth to create a vivid sonic collage. Based in Boise, Idaho, Trevor Powers showcases his evolution as a storyteller, transitioning from introspective themes to narrative-driven songs featuring eclectic characters. Produced alongside Rodaidh McDonald, the album's rich and varied sound incorporates guitar work by longtime collaborator Erik Eastman and a dynamic rhythm section, all unified by Powers' distinctive, emotive vocals. We really like this album, putting "Football", "Lucy Takes a Picture" and "My Beautiful Girl" in heavy rotation. (Feb '24)

 

Charlie Needs Braces
NYAA WA
From bandcamp: "An album about self-care and self-preservation, the latest from Charlie Needs Braces is full of feathery, effervescent pop." We agree on the feathery, effervescent pop description - which is perhaps a little too much for us to have on heavy rotation. That said, "Millowl", a little more experimental instrumental is a really good song. (Feb '25)

 

Horsegirl
Phonetics On and On
From Lindsay@NYTimes when describing the song "2468" from this release: "Here it is, the late-breaking entry on my songs of the year list! I am a sucker for anything that sounds even a little bit like the great post-punk band the Raincoats, and this sing-songy tune, from the Chicago group Horsegirl's forthcoming second LP, "Phonetics On and On," fits the bill perfectly. Warning: This song will get stuck in your head." We also like Horsegirl's raw post-punk meets Camper Van Beethoven sounds, but, as always, we'll disagree with Lindsay on which song is the best on this release. We're going with ""Well I Know You're Shy." Try both yourself and see which you prefer. (Feb '25)

 

Kathryn Mohr
Waiting Room
We were sort of excited by Pitchfork's take on this "-Oakland songwriter and field recordist's sinister, atmospheric full-length debut is all the more unnerving for its quiet, ticking-time-bomb intensity." But we got quickly disappointed when listening to a release where the vocals are so mopey they get lost and muddled in the mix- and the mix only includes said vocs plus one guitar. (Jan '25)

 

Daneshevskaya
Kermit & Gyro
Picked this up after reading Lindsay@NYTimes review of the new single. Daneshevskaya is the songwriting project of New York City's Anna Beckerman. Her artist name, also her great-grandmother's last name, calls back to her Russian-Jewish familial roots from her home base in New York. The name conjures a world of romance and unknowns, and as Daneshevskaya, Beckerman crafts artful, haunting songs that only ever reveal themselves halfway before she spins the wheel again. (Jan '24)

 

The Weather Station
Humanhood
We can usually count on a really good track or two from any new The Weather Station release. The beauty of the songs are usually subtle and understated as we imagine Tamara Lindeman, who leads the Toronto-based project, to be in real life - that is, when she's not on her soapbox about climate change. So the albums often take a bit of listening to get to those couple of gems. This one doesn't reward repeated listens with a solid melody that sticks in your head though. It's more about generating and maintaining a mellow and consistent mood throughout the entire release. That said, "Window" is a great song here. (Jan '25)

 

Tunng
Love You All Over Again
Tunng's latest album, Love You All Over Again, marks a delightful return to their signature folktronica sound after a five-year hiatus. Reuniting as a six-piece, the band blends pastoral folk themes with gentle electronica and surrealist humor, reminiscent of their early work. We like tunng and we like this album. That said, let's face it, their last album, 2020's "Tunng Presents Dead Club hitting in the thick of the pandemic, is a near impossible piece to follow up on. We like listening to this album, then go and put on Dead Club, play it end to end, and marvel at how such as amazing piece of art was created. (Jan '25)

 

Olivia Wolf
Silver Bullet
Wow, we're really proud of Olivia. Nice job, we love it! Looks like the move from SF/Sonoma to Nashville has paid off. We were looking forward to this release since we drank some whiskey with her and Taylor McCall at HSBG 2023, but were admittedly confused as 2024 seemingly brought more Instagram photos than music. But boom, album drops in Jan 2025 and it's a beautiful country rocker. There's steel pedal right next to Hammond B3, crunchy guitars next to banjos. Rockers right next to beautiful ballads like "The Veil", our favorite on this release. One of our tunefilter colleagues is hearing some Shania Twain. Way different than lil sis Avery's sounds with Ismay, but it looks like the talent runs deep in the family. Which, of course we long-time HSBG attendees and fans of Warren Hellman already know. (Jan '25)
C Duncan
It's Only A Love Song
C Duncan's fifth album, It's Only A Love Song, showcases the Scottish composer and musician's signature romanticism through lush orchestral arrangements and cinematic compositions. Drawing inspiration from artists like Scott Walker and The Carpenters, as well as film scores by Michel Legrand and Leonard Bernstein, Duncan crafts a collection that evokes the grandeur of classic Hollywood musicals. Alluvium, his previous album and his first release for one of our favorite labels, Bella Union, blew us away. We sort of didn't know what to make of it. This isn't really indie rock, it's not pop and nowhere near RnB. It comes off at times like show tunes, but not really. Maybe what the big band orchestras' playing to the dinner party crowds in the 40s and 50s might do if that was still a thing today in a musical vocabulary that now has synths and samples. We loved Allumium, which perhaps created a little too high of expectations for this one. Perhaps it's also due to the album title, but the "love song" sort of campiness seems to come on too strong here at times. (Jan '25)