Sloucher "Be True (Swoon Records)"
If, like me, you devoured the heyday of ‘90s indie rock like it was popcorn at a superhero movie, then Sloucher’s debut record Be True (Swoon Records) is making some late-in-the-year moves towards being on your list of favorite 2018 records. If you remember standing in church basements waiting to see Grandaddy while listening to Pavement on your Walkman wearing a Built To Spill t-shirt the whole time… But also had an ear out for the better mainstream grunge stuffs… Well, get ready to fall in love, starting with “Perfect For You.”
Ian William Craig "Thresholder (Fat Cat)"
Ian William Craig’s latest LP Thresholder (Fat Cat) was born from a commissioned job in which he was tasked with creating tracks “based on concepts of quantum physics, black holes and space” and if that isn’t enough to get you to check this out then you and I have very different tastes. Somewhere between William Basinski, Brian Eno, and detuned space radio transmissions, this glacial, haunting collection lands with the thud of a satellite upon reentry. Most of these tracks could be used to signify rebirth, death, the coldness of space, the harshness of life, and the beauty to be found in all of those things (so, you know, like the ending of 2001). Combining looped noise, analog hisses, organs and synths, and angelic choral touches, Pink Floyd WISHES they ever got this sci-fi. The whole thing is meant to be listened to as a whole, but for our purposes, check out “And Therefore The Moonlight.”
Sunshine & the Rain "Beneath The Stars (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)"
Wow! Sunshine & the Rain go POP with a capital P! Beneath The Stars finds them sounding more upbeat than ever, clearly due to either some good nachos (?), or maybe its the production by Tom Beajour. “How poppy?” are you asking me? If Doctor Who was able to take a 60’s girls group and throw them into the studio and have them produced by Taylor Swift then you start to get where “Beneath The Stars” is going. Really Taytay, time to start hanging out with Sunshine and the Rain’s Ashley and leave Selena Gomez behind! Strummy guitars, tambourines, big drums-Sunshine & The Rain will have you singing along no matter the weather (yup, I wrote that but check out “Pale Blue Skies” for proof). Dig into the single of the year “It’s All In My Mind.”
Laura Gibson "Goners (Barsuk)"
Imagine, if you will a, record where women become wolves, men metamorphosize into machines, ghost-children wave in the rearview mirror, a scar becomes a vessel for memory. Yes, you are entering the land of Laura Gibson and Goners. But don’t let those scary themes freak you out, Goners is a beautiful album from the haunting strings of “Tenderness” to the build-y “Domestication”. This maybe Laura’s 5th album, but it also could be her best (how many bands can you say that about?) Check out the aforementioned “Tenderness.”