Kamasi Washington is an improvisational artist. I hesitate to call his music "jazz", despite my initial inclination, because it seems more nuanced than that. To be honest, it's not in my wheelhouse and it's hard for me to describe. I think that's one of the reasons why I find it so compelling.
RIYL: Esperanza Spalding, Thundercat, Critters Buggin, Medeski, Martin and Wood
Let's keep it moody, shall we? Death Bells are a shoegaze (dream pop, emo, etc.) outfit from Sydney, Australia, but their latest single, off their forthcoming album, Standing At The Edge Of The World, sounds like it was recorded for and in Scotland or some other gloomy-yet-romantic location. You can bet your melancholy ass they listened to Joy Division growing up. It's all good though, and I'm looking forward to more from them.
RIYL: Interpol, Joy Division, Funeral Advantage, Day Wave
I'm laying around
My head on the ground
I feel that I'm sinking in
I'm walking around
I look at the ground
I feel like they're listening
Both Kerri and I are Jackson Phillips (aka Day Wave) fans and I've been enjoying his latest The Day We Had quite often the last few weeks. It came as a pleasant surprise when one of my favorite cuts from the album, "Something Here", was released as an acoustic version. It's a nice take, not all that different, but suited to acoustic very well.
RIYL: Sundara Karma, Lewis Del Mar, Sjowgren, High Tyde
Upcoming Shows
Say you want
Say you want
To cut me down
To cut me down
To size now
Here's another nice find from Tiny Engines: Minneapolis group Strange Relations. "Say You" is the lead single from their upcoming album Editorial You and it's dreamy, ethereal and catchy. The follow up "LIN" leans a bit more of the shoegaze side, and they both remind me a lot of that 4AD sound; Cranes, Cocteau Twins, Lush, Slowdive and the like.
RIYL: Slowdive, Cranes, Strange Ranger, Land of Talk
She was a shark smile in a yellow van
She came around and I stole a glance in my youth
A vampire
Evelyn shown quiet as roses sting
It came over me at a bad time
But who wouldn't ride on a moonlit line?
Had her in my eye, 85 down the road of a dead end gleam
Adrianne Lenker has a remarkable voice and style that pairs perfectly with Big Thief's low fidelity indie folk sound. Their latest, Capacity, is terrific with a few stand out songs, especially "Mythological Beauty" and today's Most Important "Shark Smile".
RIYL: M. Ward, Frankie Cosmos, Kevin Morby, Mitski
