Patrick Sweany "Ancient Noise (Nine Mile Records)"
Besides having a title for their music blog that made me laugh, folking.com also described “Country Loving,” a highlight tune from the new Patrick Sweany LP Ancient Noise (Nine Mile Records) as wonderfully as I’ve ever heard a song described before, calling it “a smoochy, country, piano song.” They used “smoochy”!?! That’s awesome. You know what else is awesome? This Patrick Sweany LP. It sure is “smoochy.” It’s a little bit country, a little bit soul, a little bit gospel., a little bit roots rock (and even a little bit funky!). It’s like a relic out of the past, yet it doesn’t sound like its from any specific time. Like if early ZZ Top mixed with Dusty Springfield and Syl Johnson and Nick Cave and late-era Tom Waits. How blissfully all over the place! Check out the aforementioned “Country Living.”
Daniel Blumberg "Minus (Mute)"
Minus (Mute), the solo debut from Daniel Blumberg finds a musician finally arriving at the spot he was always meant to be. Daniel, only 27 years old, has sent years in various bands of his own device as well as working with the likes of David Berman, Low, Lambchop, and Neil Michael Hagerty. Now on Minus, we find Daniel in an almost experimental classical meets modern improvisational jazz meets singer-songwriter mode. The result is something like Harry Nilsson meets Philip Glass meets Radiohead. Pianos, violins, drums, guitars, and other instruments do exactly what you don’t expect them to do, and do it so hauntingly well you’ll swear that you are listening to a newly invented genre of music. Maybe you are? (Ooh! Exciting! If you discover a new genre, you get to name it like a scientist finding a new species. Name it after your favorite pet maybe? That’s always a crowd pleaser). Every time you think you’ve figured out what’s going on here, some surprising element crashes its way into the sonic landscape and leaves you bewildered. Check out the title track “Minus” and decide for yourself.
Eleanor Friedberger "Rebound (French Kiss)"
If you thought Rebound was going to be your album for this year’s NBA playoffs you are sadly mistaken (as am I). Instead, it is a musical rebound of sorts. Harking back to the ‘90s-exchanging live instrumentation for programmed drums, a Juno synthesizer, and muted guitars. Eleanor Friedberger sings over these newly styled grooves with the assurance and confidence of either A) someone who has been making records for over a decade or B) must crush it at karaoke. Basically, imagine Eleanor fronting Stereolab or New Order. Sound cool? It sure is! Check out the catchy as frack “Make Me A Song.” Unlike the rest of life, it won’t disappoint.
FAN "Barton’s Den (Polyvinyl)"
Meric Long has spent 10+ years as half of the duo the Dodos. But he put that on hold when life got in the way, he lost his father and he had a baby. His father had left him two lovely vintage synths, and so as a way to reconnect with his loved one, he started experimenting with the synths and thus his solo project FAN was born. And now, a note to all musicians in the future. THIS kind of quote is how you get me to love your music before I even listen to it. For his solo project, he decided to use the synths to “finally embrace a wealth of childhood influences: Nintendo soundtracks, Devo, Brian Eno, Prince.” Really, that’s just what this music sounds like. The angular guitars and unexpected prog-y-ness of Eno, the melodic wonders of early Nintendo games’ music, the weirdness of Devo, and the pop bliss of Prince. Frankly, if you haven’t already stopped reading and started listening to the first single “Bob1” already then we have very little in common.