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.”
Alexander Tucker "Don’t Look Away (Thrill Jockey)"
Being psychedelic without falling back onto the accepted tropes of the form is something of a trick. Well, just call Alexander Tucker the David Copperfield of the genre (the magician, not the Dickensian character-that would be a whack metaphor… maybe I should have just gone with The Amazing Johnathan?) Anyway… Don’t Look Away (Thrill Jockey) is just that. All psychedelic swirls, warped, otherworldly music, but doesn’t sound just like all the stuff you think of when I use those words. Check out the Folk Implosion covering Pink Floyd sounds of “Visiting Again.”
Dragon Inn 3 "Double Line (American Laundromat)"
I really like this new Dragon Inn 3 record. I also really like this new Dragon Inn 3 record press. Seriously. Check this quote out “Combining sugary pop hooks, hypnotic beats, and huge MOOG synths, Double Line’s playful take on 80s pop could double as the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie (if John Hughes directed Blade Runner).” Hot damn! I couldn’t have described the sound of this band-comprised of Philip Dickey (of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin) along with his wife and sister, and the director of the short film Ghoul School-better. So I didn’t. I instead chose the easy way out and let the press do much of the heavy lifting. Thanks American Laundromat! Check out the hypnotic bounce of “Club Sauce” (bonus points if you read the song title in Gob’s voice.”
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.”