Elena Setién "Another Kind Of Revolution (Thrill Jockey)"
Elena Setién’s Thrill Jockey debut Another Kind Of Revolution is an ethereal beauty of an album. Haunting and emotive in a Kate Bush meets Bonnie Prince Billy kind of way, this is a mesmerizing album. Distant, reverb-soaked instrumentation echoes while Elena’s captivating vocals draw you in. What’s that? Oh no! I just got an excessive adjective fine from the Commissioner of Blurb Writing. Man… I wasn’t being excessive, was I? I was just trying to describe how much I love this album. I’m gonna have to take this up with the league. In the meantime, check out the title track “Another Kind Of Revolution” and try to keep your adjectives below the league cap if you can.
ENDON "Boy Meets Girl (Thrill Jockey)"
If you love Thrill Jockey because they aren’t afraid to release scream filled metal strangeness, then you are here for this ENDON record Boy Meets Girl. Impossibly fuzzed guitars, screeching art-noise, and more screaming than you can… I dunno… shake a screaming stick at? That makes no sense. Sorry. But if you too like “disparate influences such as horrorcore, Dick Dale, Joe Meek and the Dead Kennedys” then get ready to add an ENDON t-shirt to the drawer of t-shirts that spark joy. Check out the Mr. Bungle-esque syncopation and quick changes of “Doubts As A Source.”
Bob Mould "Sunshine Rock (Merge)"
Check out the name of the new Bob Mould record! Does that mean Bob Mould is “happy”? Is he ever happy? Wait, is this a HAPPY ALBUM? With the title SUNSHINE ROCK you can start to think maybe, JUST MAYBE Bob has gone all Partridge Family on us. But alas, under the wall of churning guitars and power choruses is BOB MOULD. How does the guy do it? Album after album, song after song, the man has written more good words then Karl Ove Knausgård and more songs then Aleksander Vinter better known as Savant (yeah google it). Dig in to the title track, ”Sunshine Rock” and get ready for the next one!
Charlie Faye & The Fayettes "The Whole Shebang"
Hailing from Austin, Charlie Faye and the Fayettes return for The Whole Shebang. No second album syndrome here – The Whole Shebang is actually a step up in production, songwriting and–of course–back-up vocals. Are The Fayettes the new Pips? Will they take that midnight train to Georgia (Austin to Georgia? That probably isn’t a thing, maybe they should just Uber)? Well as Charlie proudly declares in “The Cream Rises To The Top” – “They can’t deny me now I’m blowing up, I’m never gonna stop”. Charlie and her “ettes” are at the top of the (I don’t always love using genre names but there’s no denying the sound) retro girl group thing. Check out “I Don’t Need No Baby” and the title track because Charlie Faye & The Fayettes have the whole shebang in the bag!