Anna Burch "Quit The Curse (Polyvinyl)"
In the summer of 2017 longtime Polyvinyl mainstay Fred Thomas sent his buds at PV Anna Burch’s demos along with a note that read “This is not a drill. You need to hear this.” Thank god Fred did what he did, because here we are 6-ish months later listening to her debut. Quit The Curse finds Anna’s subversively sunny songwriting skills in full form. Sometimes the guitars are warm and inviting, a la Best Coast. Other times they are angular and strange, like Sonic Youth (especially the positively late-era SY sounding “Asking 4 a Friend”). Anna’s vocals are a little bit like Zooey’s from She & Him in their up-front and center plainspokenness with a little bit of Alvvays first album thrown in for good measure. But really, she kind of reminds you of lots of stuff all at one while also not really sounding like anything. It’s quite a trick. Let her work her magic on you and check out “Tea-Soaked Letter.”
Miles Francis "Swimmers EP"
Multi-instrumentalist Miles Francis has been one of NYC’s best kept secrets over the past few years. Able to play just about any instrument you give him, and having collaborated with everyone from Mark Ronson, Sharon Jones, Allen Toussaint, and Will Butler, and Bob Newhart (ok maybe not Bob), but now is his time to be secret no more. Swimmers, his debut EP, is a wonder. Written and recorded entirely my Miles himself, with minimal edits and redubs, this is the sound of Miles finding his sound. And what a sound it is! Left field pop rarely sounds as exiting as this. Think turn of the century alt-pop releases from Self crossed with current soul revivalist Matthew E. White and your starting to get the picture of this singular release. Check out the introspective, exceedingly modern quirk-pop of “Complex.”
Montero "Performer (Chapter Music)"
Bjenny Montero is a man of many talents. Known as much as a visual artist as he is a musician, it makes sense that his music is as visual and whimsical as it is. Performer (Chapter Music), the newest LP from Montero (as he goes by in the music world), is a candy-colored dose (and I MEAN dose!) of surreal, psychedelic pop. At times sounding a bit like McCartney’s Wings, other times sounding like everyone’s newly favorite band ELO (when did that happen, exactly?). Frankly, if ever there has been a quirky, literate bit of pop music you’ve heard in the past, you might find hints of it here. But you’ll find so much more, as this is definitely the work of someone with a singular voice. It just so happens that that singular voice has excellent taste. For evidence of this, check out the Stevie Wonder meets Beck sounds of “Vibrations.”
Dommengang "Love Jail (Thrill Jockey)"
Holy guacamole, rock and roll is back and Dommengang is rolling their best rocks and rocking their best rolls on Love Jail (Thrill Jockey), their second LP. This is the first time the band found themselves all living in the same city (that city being the city of angels). LA has certainly found its way into their sound. Imagine a world where the good time ‘70s The Rolling Stones, Rush at their most restrained, late-70s Zappa guitar tone, and… hmmm… throw in some Foghat for the sheer bluesiness of it all, and you are starting to get to the heart of this rollicking road trip of a record. Distortion! Guitar solos! Drum fills! Energy! If this is what love jail sounds like, then arrest me! Check out “Color Out Of Space” from the Tim Green-produced album.