Nightlands "I Can Feel The Night Around Me"
I Can Feel The Night Around Me, the third album from War On Drugs’ bassist Dave Hartley’s band Nightlands, feels like the album where everything has clicked. Sure, his last two albums were great, but upon hearing his latest it feels like they were all building towards to this moment. His mature use of vocal stacking (chorus of one), combined with his obvious otherworldly grasp on music composition (be prepared to be lifted to places you didn’t even know existed simply by unexpected chord lifts), elevates these dream pop tunes into something more substantial. Think middle-era Beach Boys mixed with Philly soul R&B touches, and don’t forget the obvious War On Drugs connection, and you’ve arrived at Nightlands emotive sound. Check out the beautiful first song from the album, “Lost Moon.”
Rogue + Jaye "Pent Up"
So yes, if you ever wonder what would happened if the lovely and talented Zach from Rogue Wave went on a journey to Nashville and got in the car with the lovely and talented Cortney Jaye well your wish has come true with Rogue + Jaye. Pent Up is like a road trip through America’s musical history! You will fall in love the Fleetwood Mac sounds of Golden Lady, and the beautiful Gram Parson/Emmylou Harris-esque duet of “Forces Of Decay.” Want to imagine what it would have been like if Elvis Costello wrote more songs for Linda Ronstadt to cover?? Dig into “Over And Over”. Singing and strumming the shit out their collaborative debut, Pent Up is the record to kick off your summer. Check out the aforementioned “Forces Of Decay.”
Juliana Hatfield "Pussycat"
Those of you expecting Juliana Hatfield to be excited about the election of Trump have not been paying attention very well. Pussycat, her latest album, is as anti-Trump as it gets. Thankfully, besides bringing her well-deserved Trump vitriol to the album, she also brought a batch of tunes that are as catchy as anything she’s ever written. They are also surprisingly upbeat. Just because things suck, she isn’t gonna let that get her down. Look, I’m not gonna sit here and tell you what Juliana Hatfield sounds like, that’d be silly. Just check out “Impossible Song.”
The Building "Reconciliation"
The Building is a new band from The War On Drugs’ guitarist Anthony LaMarca and his (I’m assuming) brother Angelo LaMarca. Reconciliation is a folk record in the same way that Neil Young is folk. The same way that Kurt Vile is a folk artist. Sure, it’s mostly guitar and vocals. Sometimes that guitar is acoustic, other times it’s distorted. But independent of the effects on the guitar, this is a lovely, pastoral album even when it’s in the red. Check out the Red Red Meat meets WOD strains of “If I.”