Built To Spill "Built To Spill Plays The Songs Of Daniel Johnson (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)"
From Ernest Jenning Record Co.:
In 2017 Built To Spill was invited to play a few shows as Daniel Johnston’s back up band. This is what those rehearsals sounded like. 11 tracks of Johnston’s fractured pop presented through the eyes of Built To Spill.
jim white and marisa anderson "The Quickening (Thrill Jockey)"
From Thrill Jockey:
White and Anderson are instrumentalists whose voices are unmistakable and spellbindingly lyrical. Anderson unravels guitar traditions from across the globe into atmospheres all their own through improvisations and melodic lines that transform with each iteration. White implements an array of sticks, brushes, and techniques that imbue each rhythmic passage with its own distinct personality. Together their melodic flourishes cascade and twist upon one another, at times trading conversational exchanges, and at others drifting in unison as if lost in the same train of thought. Ecstatic pieces like “Gathering” and “The Other Christmas Song” harken back to Anderson’s playing with the improv-heavy Evolutionary Jass Band and carry with them a sense of perpetual motion. That feeling of urgency and maximalism is in turn contrasted by the open spaces and quiet subtleties of “Unwritten” and “Diver”.
No Age "Goons Be Gone (Drag City)"
From Drag City:
Summer 2020, and No Age are back out on the street! Effortlessly raw and extravagantly indulgent in one practiced swoop, they set their live/bedroom internal clock and get out early into a glorious windtunnel of naked beats and sunbaked guitars, forming a wave from which they hang eleven tunes. A perfectly balanced set, ranging from their classic punk and indie to ever-evolving soundscapes, in their maybe their most direct statement yet.
Jade Hairpins "Harmony Avenue (Merge)"
From Merge Records:
Jade Hairpins sneaked onto the scene in late 2018 with a mysterious 12-inch on Merge Records and a couple of poetic sentences about hiding in trees. The label remained tight-lipped while touting Dose Your Dreams, a truly epic new Fucked Up album released on the same day. Fast forward to 2020, when Fucked Up drummer Jonah Falco and songwriter/guitarist Mike Haliechuk burst out of the proverbial trees with Harmony Avenue, a collection of songs written and recorded in real time. Pop foraging with analog acoustics and electronic landscaping.
The album’s themes mostly focus on contradictory behavior and double entendres as well as regret and control, revelation, support, and complete absurdity. Jade Hairpins are here to challenge, confound, and sparkle their way into listeners’ hearts and keep them coming back for more!