Nonpareils "Scented Pictures (Mute)"
Aaron Hemphill, formerly of Liars, is here with his debut solo album. Although he wanted his solo project to sound more like a collective or a band, so he went with Nonpareils (you know what those are, right? Those almost flat, round chocolates that are covered in those teeny, tiny colored sugar balls. Mmmmm…. sugar balls…..). Not to be out-odded by his former band, Aaron is as strange as ever by himself. As the Mute press states, Aaron did the “silliest things” (his words) when recording this album. What did he do? Well, he “played the drums without click tracks, encouraged his engineer to distract him, and played the piano while allowing poorly set-up microphones to fall away from the body of the instrument.” I’m sure the engineer was thrilled with this, but the results are surprisingly cohesive and almost pleasant. Scented Pictures is sure to please both longtime fans of his former bands, and peeps new to the fold. Check out “The Timeless Now.”
Wye Oak "The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs (Merge)"
Gotta love the non-couple rockers. Digging into late-era Sonny and Cher? How about those last few Sonic Youth gigs? Well thankfully, as Wye Oak release their 5th album they are truly at a great place for post break-up non-couples rock. Listen to the exciting and funky (YES FUNKY) groove of “Symmetry” or the oh so emotional “Lifer”. This record is so good I might advise a couple bands I know to actually break up (I’m looking at you Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Pretty sure Janice has dated both Floyd and Zoot). If you’d dig a more synthy, less alien St. Vincent – have we got some tunes for you! Dig into the title track ”The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs” and know it isn’t too late to send flowers.
Amen Dunes "Freedom (Sacred Bones)"
If you are only as good as the friends you keep, then Damon McMahon aka Amen Dunes is like the best dude around. He’s worked with everyone from Godspeed You! Black Emperor to our pal Delicate Steve. Now THAT is some stellar company. It helps that the dude is enormously talented, as is evident on his latest collection Freedom (Sacred Bones). Sure it’s darker than his previous albums, yet he’s somehow found joy in his sorrow, creating songs that are at times danceable and funky, and at other times are grimy and tough. In fact, Pitchfork referred to the first single “Blue Rose” as “his most immediate music to date” so go ahead and check it out!
Chris Carter "Chemistry Lessons Vol. 1 (Mute)"
As a founding member of Throbbing Gristle, Chris Carter helped build the foundations upon which electronic music has been built. Also, he created X-Files! What’s that? A different Chris Carter did X-Files? I know! We kid here! For his latest release, Chemistry Lessons Vol. 1 (Mute), he combined his love of electronic music with his “guilty pleasure” obsession with English folk music. So expect here electronic music with nearly a sci-fi noir feel to it, combined with melodies that wouldn’t be out of place in nursery rhymes (he said so himself in the press for the album!). Check out the euphoric first track from the album “Blissters.”