After a small break to record some music in the folky “superband” (we’re guilty, but can we all please forget this concept?) Bonny Light Horseman, Eric D. Johnson celebrates 20 years of Fruit Bats with a brand new record. “The Pet Parade” shows Johnson, one of the best melody crafters of the game, at his most dreamy and contemplative so far.
You know Spring has arrived whenever there’s a new Damien Jurado album to marvel at. The prolific American singer-songwriter is probably the most featured artist in our playlist since we started five years ago, and he doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down any time soon. We’re not complaining. Plus: new tracks by Lavinia BlackwAll, Alasdair Roberts, Johanna Warren, Talitha Ferri, Big Thief, Andy Jenkins, Courtney Marie Andrews, Christian Lee Hutson, Langhorne Slim, Zachary Cale, Rose City Band, Car Seat Headrest, Man Man, BC Camplight, Chicano Batman, American Aquarium, Grutera, João Pais Filipe, neubauten.org, Protomartyr, Fantastic Explosion, and Diet Cig.
The world might have changed a lot since we’ve started doing this playlist. But there’s one thing that doesn’t: every time Nap Eyes releases an album it goes straight to our playlist as our top pick of the week. Go get your literate guitar pop fix. Plus: new tracks by Lola Kirke, Craig Finn, Dawes, Damien Jurado, Low Cut Connie, Roger Eno & Brian Eno, Maria McKee, Margaret Glaspy, Katie Von Schleicher, Waxahatchee, Lilly Hiatt, Say Sue Me, Chuck Prophet, Lewsberg, Mush, Egyptian Blue, We Versus the Shark, Melt Yourself Down, Hailu Mergia, Tony Allen, Noveller, and Bob Dylan.
This is going to be a long one! We were tired of snubbing over half an hour of music almost every week due to the sheer amount of great singles and albums coming out this season. This means you have two hours of new music to listen to until next Wednesday. Our highlight of the week is Soccer Mommy’s “Color Theory”, her sophomore (properly released) record which pretty much sums up what an indie rock album will like in the 2020s. Plus: brand new tracks by Jessie Ware, Margaret Glaspy, Brooke Bentham, Tristen, Hazel English, Brigid Mae Power, The Secret Sisters, Phoebe Bridgers, Jess Williamson, Land of Talk, Katie Pruitt, Hailey Whitters, Tami Neilson, Sam Doores, Damien Jurado, Kikagaku Moyo, Archers of Loaf, Moaning, Woods, Western Centuries, Loose Koozies, Matt LaJoie, Jeremy Cunningham, Christian Kjellvander official & Tonbruket, Moses Sumney, Kevin Krauter, Jarvis Cocker, and Perfume Genius.
Less than one year after the release of the excellent “The Horizon Just Laughed”, Damien Jurado is back with his 14th LP, the first on Mama Bird Recording Co. and Loose Music. It’s impressive how his songwriting keeps getting better with time – Jurado’s output between “Saint Bartlett” and now is arguably the best of his career – and this (mostly) acoustic collection of songs that clocks at a mere 27 minutes is by no means a secondary volume of his immense discography.
Plus: new tracks by Todd Snider, Paper Beat Scissors, Carl Broemel, Richard Hawley, The Mountain Goats, Alex Schaaf, Courtney Barnett, Aldous Harding, Heather Woods Broderick, Mega Bog, Sonny & the Sunsets, Os Amigos dos Músicos, Evripidis and his Tragedies, Trond Kallevåg Hansen, Lily Hayes, Palehound, Jesca Hoop, Lowly, Mutual Benefit, Josh Ritter, John Paul White, Anthony D’Amato, and Adam Carroll.