Las Rosas "Shadow By Your Side (Greenway Records/RTP)"
“Hey man…” you might say to yourself because you are a cool person who calls yourself “man” in like a ‘60s-esque hippie voice “I could really vibe on, like, some throwback chill rock tunes, you dig?” because you are REALLY committed to this character you’ve created. Well, tell your hippie character to mellow because we have the LP for them. Shadow By Your Side, the new album from Las Rosas is exactly what they (you) want. Think an edgier version of classic era Kinks mixed with uh… whatever we are calling this decade? Check out the head bopper “Christa.”
Tracyanne & Danny "Tracyanne & Danny (Merge)"
There you are, just a regular ol’ fan of the Camera Obscura as well as the album Danny Coughlan released as Crybaby. “Great” you think to yourself “I like these two bands” and then you go about your day like nothing is happening. WRONG! Get ready to have those two great tastes taste great together! Tracyanne & Danny is both the name of the group and the title of their debut. Tracyanne Campbell, of Camera Obscura fame, and Danny (of aforementioned in this blurb fame) have teamed up to create music that invokes their shared influences such as Lou Reed, Dion, Serge Gainsbourg, The Style Council, and more. A vintage, simple sound that reminds the listener of times long gone. Check out “Home & Dry.”
Wooden Shjips "V (Thrill Jockey)"
Are you ready for a wild journey? Are you ready to float through your own headspace Alice In Wonderland style? Then you MIGHT be ready for the newest release from Wooden Shjips. V (Thrill Jockey) was written to combat the anxiety that, well, everyone is experiencing these days. So here floats V, a slow-building psychedelic playground filled with sonic shimmers and chill summer vibes–the mood vibes, not the vibraphone vibes. At least, I don’t THINK I heard any vibes on here… What I did hear was a thrilling mix of groovy bass lines, distorted guitars thick with reverb and delay, Ok Computer-era Radiohead drums, and other fun things that are sure to make your summer a little more trippy. Check out the chilled out buoyancy of “Staring At The Sin.”
E "Negative Work (Thrill Jockey)"
We make no secret our love of Thalia Zedek around the BRM office. So when Thalia is releasing music in any capacity, we are always very excited. So word of a new album from E, Thalia’s trio with Jason Sidney Sanford and Gavin McCarthy (I wonder how Gavin feels being in the band E as the only member of the band without the titular vowel in his name?). Negative Work (Thrill Jockey) is not only the name of their new LP, but also the ethos behind the LP. Recorded and mixed in 4 days at Machines With Magnets, they took full advantage of their trio status, and gave each of their individual tracks the room to breathe and shine on this energetic, idiosyncratic band. (get it? negative space?) Check out the first single from the album “Untie Me.”