Steady Holiday "Nobody’s Watching (Barsuk)"
Barsuk’s PR for the debut from Steady Holiday hits the nail right on the head when they say “There’s a nostalgia present in Dre Babinski’s songwriting that leaves you longing for the familiarity of a bygone era — just not one you can necessarily pin down.” It’s really true, it has swaths of girl group ‘50s and ‘60s stuff, ‘70s soul warmth, AM ‘70s songwriter sounds, ‘80s hooks, ‘90s trip-pop a la Portisehead… and tons of modern hints if artists like Weyes Blood and US Girls. If you are looking for a new album to fall in love with (read: become obsessed with) then this is a pretty great place to start. Check out the title track “Nobody’s Watching.”
Papa M "A Broke Moon Rises (Drag City)"
What a meditative, reflective tonic of an album A Broke Moon Rises (Drag City) is. Not surprising… Dave Pajo has been through some shit. But let’s not focus on that, let us instead focus on the beauty that is his new Papa M LP. Frail, hypnotic, mostly acoustic post-rock is the name of the game here. Ok. It’s not really a game, so much as it is a record… and a good one at that. Makes sense, seeing as how Pajo has worked with Tortoise, Will Oldham, Stereolab, Zwan, and tons of others-as well as his former main gig as a member of Slint. Check out the autumnal swells of “Walt’s.”
Cosmic Invention "Help Your Satori Mind (Drag City)"
In 1997, Ghost mastermind Masaki Batoh decided to form a new band to indulge his love of ‘70s rock from Britain, the US, and his homeland of Japan. So he borrowed a few Ghost members, added a few other Japanese heavy hitters, and thus Cosmic Invention was born. Help Your Satori Mind is now nearly old enough to drink legally but sounds like it should be preparing to run headfirst into a mid-life crisis. This is as 70s as it gets. Progressive and psychedelic, this reissue is a heady good time. Check out “Blue Link/Sky Was Falling.”
STRFKR "Being No One, Going Nowhere Remixes (Polyvinyl)"
On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, what would you rate your fandom of 2016’s STRFKR LP Being No One, Going Nowhere. If you’re anything over like… say… 6, then do I have good news for you! (and if you’re lower than a 6 I have some bad news for you… you should reexamine your tastes in music.) The cool peeps at Polyvinyl are releasing a remix collection of that aforementioned album, featuring reimaginings from artists like Chrome Sparks, Xiu Xiu, Juan MacLean, and tons more. Check out the silky smooth Chrome Sparks redo of “Open Your Eyes.”