Alasdair Roberts "Pangs"
For 15 years now, Alasdair Roberts has been writing and performing songs so timeless that it’s impossible to tell if they were written yesterday or hundreds of years ago. Sure, his Scottish brogue helps add to the ancient sound of his songs, but it’s more than that. He has been known to cover traditional songs from time to time, but his own songs match up with those perfectly. On his latest album Pangs (Drag City) he has cast aside the all-acoustic nature of his last album to include some electrics along with the fiddles and other instruments. Check out the Shakespearean lilt of “The Downward Road.”
Six Organs Of Admittance "Burning The Threshold"
If you’ve never heard a song from Six Organs Of Admittance (which would be shocking, there are like 20 records!), I cannot think of a better place to jump on board than with their latest album Burning The Threshold (Drag City). A gentle, unabashedly pretty album full of peace, love, and understanding. Pastoral folk-esque tunes, like a slowed down Fairport Convention, or a less mope-y Nick Drake, or a more relatable Bon Iver. Some songs have vocals, some do not. That’s how the world works. Seriously, if you need some pretty then look no farther than this record. Start with the fretboard gymnastics of the haunting “Threshold Of Light.”
Brokeback "Illinois River Valley Blues"
Douglas McCombs has been recording with his instrumental band Brokeback in some capacity since ’95. Not a bad side gig, eh? Well, that last sentence means he has a main gig, right? Yup. He sure does. Tortoise! How’s that for a one-two punch? I’m sure you are well familiar with the sounds of Tortoise, but Brokeback somehow seems to fly under the radar. It’s a shame, too, since they have been making some of the most evocative instrumental rock of the last 20+ years. If David Lynch were to direct a Kids In The Hall project, the music would almost certainly sound like Illinois River Valley Blues (Thrill Jockey). If you find that statement hard to believe, than you haven’t listened to “Cairo Levee.”
Xiu Xiu "Forget"
Being a member of Xiu Xiu must be an artist’s dream. After all, their latest album Forget (Polyvinyl) was recorded while they were involved in a few other projects. “What are those other projects?” you may ask? Oh, a reworking of the music from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, a song for an upcoming John Cameron Mitchell flick, music for an art installation, a record with Merzbow. Oh, and an experimental reworking of Mozart’s The Magic Flute opera. Like I said, they must be feeling rather artistically fulfilled right about now. What that means for their latest album is amazing. For a band known as “experimental” this is as experimental as it gets, but also with a hazy layer of dreaminess not heard from the band before. Like if David Bowie and Negativland recorded an album produced by Brian Eno. Check out the chilling bounce of “Wondering.”