Josh T. Pearson "The Straight Hits! (Mute)"
Though distinguished southern gentleman Josh T. Pearson has been making music and writing songs for over 30 years now, The Straight Hits (Mute) is only his second solo album. Like a lot of us, 2016 affected Josh immensely, and it was then that he decided to “burn his idols.” As Josh tells it “In the last years I learned to dance, take drugs, make love… choose life.” He decided on that fateful election day that people were going to need joy and that he was going to be just the man to spread it. The Straight Hits is a rollicking, colorful honky tonk-ing good time. Like the Stones at their most country-obsessed mixed with the more straight-rock sounds of Pavement on their last two albums and occasional hints of new wave masters The Cars, Josh is having the time of his life on this album. You’ll have a pretty great time listening to it too, so check out the Ocasek-y banger “Straight At Me.”
Wrekmeister Harmonies "The Alone Rush (Thrill Jockey)"
If ever you find yourself listening to Nick Cave and think to yourself “nah, not dark enough for me” then do I have an album for YOU. The new album from Wrekmeister Harmonies, The Alone Rush (Thrill Jockey), is one gloomy, scary album. Filled with passages of beauty, but also filled with people screaming their heads off, the whole thing feels like a performance piece, gorgeous long songs that also sometimes sound like if you’re playing the greatest hits of Morphine at a slower speed. For an even better sense of the album, check out the aptly named “Covered In Blood From Invisible Wounds.”
Kate Tucker "Practical Sadness"
Kate Tucker is back with a new batch of songs! Practical Sadness “is not slow nor is it sad. It is alive. It is for you.” That’s according to Kate’s words about the album on pledgemusic. So why is she warning you that the album is “not slow” or “sad”? Well, with a name like Practical Sadness, she wants you to know what you’re really in store for. So do we–after all, what is a blurb really but a collection of words that let you know what you are in store for? So what are you in store for? (besides no more use of the term “in store”?) A fantastic collection of Kate’s Petty-esque roots rock, with melodies as timeless as a great pair of jeans, all delivered by Kate’s emotive, smooth voice. Check out “It’s True.”
Dusted "Blackout Summer (Polyvinyl)"
Brian Borcherdt of the bombastically electronic Holy Fuck stunned everyone at the venue when he unveiled his side project Dusted. Just Brian by his onesies on stage, a guitar and a crackling amp his only accompaniment. From there, he rounded out the sound with a live band and released their beloved first album, Total Dust. Now we have the follow-up to that record, Blackout Summer, just in time for all of your planned blackouts this upcoming summer. Sparse yet deceivingly complex arrangements leave this airy, early morning-appropriate album heavy on deeper secrets just waiting to be discovered. Take, for instance, the hypnotic bass calisthenics on “Seasons” or the fade-in harmonies of “All I Am.” A little like a Pedro The Lion album of Beach Boys covers, Blackout Summer is sure to be a new fav. So make room in the “D” section of your collection and check out any of the tunes already mentioned, or the equally great “Backwoods Ritual.”