Sarah Davachi "Gave In Rest (Ba Da Bing!)"
It’s sometimes difficult to describe in words the moving experience of listening to music like Sarah Davachi’s. Somewhere between post-modern classical and ambient, her compositions are ethereal, glacial. Since our pals at Ba Da Bing already did such a good job of it, I’ll let them do the heavy lifting here: “Gave In Rest is a modern reading of early music, reforming sacred and secular sentiments to fit her purview and provide an exciting new way to hear the sounds that exist around us.” Nice job BDB! And nice job Sarah. This album is simply lovely, as is evidenced by the haunting “Evensong.”
We Were Promised Jetpacks "The More I Sleep The Less I Dream"
So this is 30? Yup, when We Were Promised Jetpacks started they were four blokes (dudes) from Scotland with guitars, dynamics and all the things that made them the great band they are. Now upon entering the studio as 30 somethings, the boys decided to bring it back to the sound/feel of their debut These Four Walls. Sounding almost like the most powerful live album – (overdubs? pffft) The More I Sleep The Less I Dream hits some hot aging topics like self-doubt in album opener “Impossible” to the emotionally heavy “Hanging In”. Check out “Make It Easier” and hear what 30 something sounds like (“I have no idea, where to go from here”)….Can’t wait to hear what they record when they turn 40 (i’m guessing it won’t be a comedy album…)
Calvin Valentine "Keep Summer Safe (Mello Music Group)"
Having already produced for such hip-hop luminaries as Nas, De La Soul, Illa J, and most recently Ryan Beatty (as well as his stint as drummer for the rock band Medium Troy), its time for Cavlin Valentine to once again step out from behind the mixer and into the spotlight. Keep Summer Safe is the producer/hip-hop artists latest LP. Chilled out, wavey vibes (Mello Music’s PR calls it “meditative late night head nods) that are part throwback to the heyday of early rap and exceedingly modern-not Soundcloud modern or anything like that. This is meticulously crafted and sonically rich. Plus, his skills as emcee are second only to his production skills. Check out the west coast sounds of “911 Turbo.”
Waxahatchee "Great Thunder EP (Merge)"
I’ve heard some pretty mediocre thunder in my life. I’ve even heard what I would qualify as good thunder. But great thunder? That is rare! You know what else is rare? Talent like Katie Crutchfield’s. Which is what makes her new Waxahatchee EP Great Thunder so… um… what’s the word I’m looking for here… oh, right. Great! Katie went back to the well and re-recorded some songs originally slated for an experimental recording group called Great Thunder (there’s that thunder again!). A departure from her sound of late, gone is the full band, and here she is stripped down and solo, produced by Brad Cook at Justin Vernon’s April Base Studio. So check out the solo Katie sounds of the shoop-heavy piano ballad “Singer’s No Star” and the gentle Omnichord hints of “Slow You Down.”