Past Releases

Versus "Ex Voto (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)"

Light a candle to whoever the patron saint of returning indie rock legends is, because Versus is back baby! Ex Voto (Ernest Jenning Record Co.) picks up pretty much where we last heard the band nearly ten years ago. All of the trademark Versus moves we’ve come to love are here–the trading of vocal duties between Richard Baluyut and Fontaine Toups. The angular guitars. The exquisite drum work. The choir of penguins…. Ok. Fine. I made the penguin bit up. But I’m not making up how heavy this album is thematically. I’m also not making up how much you are absolutely gonna fall in love with it instantly. Check out “Mummified” before you yourself are wrapped in rags and sleeping in a sarcophagus. So, I mean, you have plenty of time… but why wait?

Alexander Tucker "Guild Of The Asbestos Weaver (Thrill Jockey)"

I have never been an asbestos weaver, let alone in the need of a guild dedicated to just such a craft (I try not to light my books on fire without the need of such a group, thank you very much!  But if I was such a person I’d be pretty chuffed that Alexander Tucker dedicated his new album Guild Of The Asbestos Weaver (Thrill Jockey) to me and my brethren. An expansion to Tucker’s already wide breadth of sounds that lies somewhere between modern experimental electronic music and modern classical music. Here we find Tucker dropping the word “Dreampop” in the PR for the album, and he certainly isn’t wrong. So check out the dreamy, surreal “Energy Alpha.”

Bill Callahan "Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest (Drag City)"

Is there anything more comfortable than having the sound of Bill Callahan’s voice wash over you once again? After all, its been nearly 30 years since his Smog career started, and now here it is-2019-and we still are gifted with his singular works. Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest (Drag City) is everything you want it to be. Gentle, sparse, experimental folk/rock music with Bill’s singular baritone delivering the poignant lyrics. In a perfect world, this is what country music would sound like-emotional and personal. For a glimpse into the mind of the master check out the smashing “Son Of The Sea.”

Fruit Bats "Gold Past Life (Merge)"

“Fruit Bats makes existential make-out music, but you’re also welcome to dive into it deeper if you want. Good pop music should be sublime like that.” So says Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats in the PR for the excellent retro-pop blast that is Gold Past Life (Merge). This may be the feel-good record of the summer. With Eric’s unique falsetto and ‘80s George Harrison guitar vibes all over the place, it’s nearly impossible to wipe the smile off your face when the tunes kick in. So give yourself over to “The Bottom Of It.”