I think they have six or more albums out at this point, but Sleaford Mods are new to me as of this year. Their latest album, Spare Ribs, is a lot of funky; slightly awkward, overly serious at times, too silly at others and generally easy to love but hard to categorize. There are quite a few good tracks on Spare Ribs, so it was a bit tough to pick one. I went with “Mork n Mindy” for a few reasons, not least of which is the terrific guest vocal performance by Billy Nomates. Her latest, especially “Petrol Fumes”, is great.
Maximo Park - All of Me
“All of Me” is one of a few single-worthy tracks off of Maximo Park’s latest album, Nature Always Wins. It’s good, as are most of their newer tracks, though I have to say, I’m not nearly as into this most recent effort as I have been in previous releases. Maximo Park is still right at the top of the “live bands I’ve never seen” list though, and I am very happy and excited that they have new music out. Now, if only we can get this pandemic business over and done with so I can catch them live, that'd be ace.
Black Country, New Road - Track X
Black Country, New Road (which I’ll shorten to BC,NR from here on out) made an impression on me right away. “Sunglasses” which is a crazy, cool song, popped up in one of my playlists and when I heard it I did a double-take and went right black and listened to it again. And then I texted it to a few friends and my brother. A good sign.
As far as I know, BC,NR didn’t have anything else out at the time but have released a few other singles and a short LP, For the last time, which arrived in early Feb. Here’s the deal, they don’t have a lot of music out, but what they do have is awesome and very well evolved. I read somewhere that they’ve been playing together for a while and that shows. They are a bit hard to pin down, but “jazz-infused garage punk” might work, though, as always, labels are a bit limiting. They’re good and today’s song, “Track X” is a good example of what they do well, mixing melody, a variety of instruments and a lot of frenetic creativity. It’s a little on the mellow side but serves as a nice intro. Give it a listen and then check out their other stuff.
Fun note: their name came from a random Wikipedia generator and their album cover was sourced from Unsplash. Nerds. :)
Tigers Jaw - Hesitation
“Hesitation” is the first track I heard of Tigers Jaw’s latest, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, and it was an instant add to my 2021 songs list, and a vision of what the rest of the album would hold. What’s what? Well, it’s some really good rock that falls somewhere between classic rock and mid-2000’s emo. In the best way.
They sound a bit more confident and polished here then previous releases, but haven’t lost any of the comforting, “listen to this on a Sunday afternoon” feel that makes them what they are. The album is good front to back, but a has a few standouts, including “Hestiation”; “Can’t Wait Forever” and “New Detroit.”
Mogwai - Ritchie Sacramento
“Ritchie Sacramento”, the latest from Scottish post-rock outfit, Mogwai, is a beautifully fuzzy track that fits well into their recent work scoring films, while at the same time working as a terrific, more traditional radio-play single.
I’ve only listened to a few cuts from the album, As The Love Continues, which is out now, but they’re also fantastic; epic yet minimal, experimental yet accessible in the way that a lot of their recent work has been.
Curious about the title? There’s a story for that:
Ritchie Sacramento’s title came from a misunderstanding a friend of ours had about how to say Ryuichi Sakamoto. The lyrics were inspired by a story Bob Nastanovich shared about his friend and bandmate David Berman who proclaimed “Rise Crystal Spear” as he threw a shovel at a sports car. The song is dedicated to all the musician friends we’ve lost over the years. ~ Stuart Braithwaite