Albums of 2019

[iAbuseAnimals]

It's a bit weird to have both a Chastity Belt and a Julia Shapiro solo album released a few months apart but hey I'll take it I love these guys

[Brett]

Great stuff Higgs. Nice and sad and wistful, but in a summery way.

And Brett - that's incredibly sad about their guitarist dying at 24 on stage of a heart attack. On the flipside, changing their name from Smegma was probably a solid move though.

Yeah, Gavin notes on his website how awful their original name was. I'm a little biased, but I think if Al hadn't died, then Gwei-lo might have been pretty successful for a post-rock band. They were contemporaneous with Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor and their album came out when people were starting to really notice those two.

[bodysnatcher]

Nas- The Lost Tapes 2!

Disappointing. Tapes should have stayed lost.

Kinda weird he found a second set of lost tapes. Maybe he needs a better cataloguing system.

[Higgs]

Nas- The Lost Tapes 2!

Disappointing. Tapes should have stayed lost.

Kinda weird he found a second set of lost tapes. Maybe he needs a better cataloguing system.

He was probably vacuuming behind his couch. I find so much shit when I clean behind my couch its crazy.

[psychobain]

Digital shades vol. 2 by M83 coming out soon

[Higgs]

So I'm a big fan of Moon Duo and there are 2 interesting Moon Duo related things going on at the moment.

First off, The Quiet Temple are releasing a new album this year and have released a Moon Duo remix of their song "The Last Opium Den on Earth". This is a cracker:



Next off, Rose City Band (another Ripley Johnson vehicle) have released their debut album with almost no fanfare or media. Uncut describe it as a 'road album' and says it "puts valuable miles on the clock along a highway of dusty boogie. It has eyes on the road, but enjoys the possibilities of the landscape." I guess that's a fair assessment. Here's "Me and Willie".



Yeah, I'm in a bit of a spacey, hazy mood today.

[Higgs]

The latest Strand of Oaks is sublime. Really focused and the MMJ guys support him so well.

listening to that now and really digging it. heard him in a live session on the radio the other day and the new songs translated really well

Yeah, this is a great album. This song in particular is killing me. Here's Forever Chords:

[i got bugs]

So I'm a big fan of Moon Duo and there are 2 interesting Moon Duo related things going on at the moment.

First off, The Quiet Temple are releasing a new album this year and have released a Moon Duo remix of their song "The Last Opium Den on Earth". This is a cracker:



Next off, Rose City Band (another Ripley Johnson vehicle) have released their debut album with almost no fanfare or media. Uncut describe it as a 'road album' and says it "puts valuable miles on the clock along a highway of dusty boogie. It has eyes on the road, but enjoys the possibilities of the landscape." I guess that's a fair assessment. Here's "Me and Willie".



Yeah, I'm in a bit of a spacey, hazy mood today.

Rose city is sweet, thx for this

[Higgs]

No sweat bugs.

[bune]

Fever Dream leaked apparently.



I mean, it comes out tomorrow so it's not much of a leak but it's there if you look for it.

[Brett]

I just checked out that Black Midi video that Psychobain posted because I was reading something about them that was drawing comparisons to late post-punk, early post-rock, and no wave stuff. Digging that video, so I guess I'll track down the album and see if they hold up in studio form, too.

[bune]

Fever Dream leaked apparently.



I mean, it comes out tomorrow so it's not much of a leak but it's there if you look for it.

Weird change of sound for the band. Doesn't help that the guy sounds like Droopy Dog on some of the poppy songs.

[Higgs]

Fever Dream leaked apparently.



I mean, it comes out tomorrow so it's not much of a leak but it's there if you look for it.

Weird change of sound for the band. Doesn't help that the guy sounds like Droopy Dog on some of the poppy songs.

Not that it matters too much but the reviews aren't great. "Bland Pop"?

[bune]

Bland would be giving the songs too much credit. The first single was pretty good but it should not have been the opening song because it puts the bar at a level the rest of the songs can only dream of meeting.

[bune]

There are some songs where it's like they heard 22, A Million and thought "I like that sound, but how can we make it whiter?"

[Brett]

Ah, this is Of Monsters and Men you're talking about. Isn't bland music filtered of anything remotely interesting basically their MO?

[bune]

I mean, it's subjective because it's music, right? I feel like the musicianship on the last album was sublime, but then I don't like (to pick a band) Ghost because - again - it's subjective.

I've heard them compared to Mumford & Sons and I can see the comparison, but the difference for me is that the female vocalist in OMAM elevates the material whereas M&S are just bad.

[Brett]

I mean, it's subjective because it's music, right? I feel like the musicianship on the last album was sublime, but then I don't like (to pick a band) Ghost because - again - it's subjective.

I've heard them compared to Mumford & Sons and I can see the comparison, but the difference for me is that the female vocalist in OMAM elevates the material whereas M&S are just bad.

Of course it's all subjective. I only know a couple of the band's singles, and I've never really enjoyed them. I think it was "Little Talks" that I first heard, and it sounded to me like a watered down hybrid of Sigur Rós and Arcade Fire.

I don't often trash talk stuff I don't like, because it's a waste of time to do so, but the conversation you and Higgs were having about how 'bland' this new record is just left such an easy opening to make that quip. No harm was intended.

[Higgs]

Wand's Laughing Matter is nice listen for a work-day. I get really strong Velvet Underground vibes throughout, as well as Radiohead. Here's Airplane:

[Higgs]

OK, change of pace today. Not usually stuff I gravitate to but The Chemical Brothers new one No Geography is a fun and (unsurprisingly) groovy listen. Great start to a Monday morning. Here's the title track.