Aaron Frazer is best known as the drummer (and singer) for soul outfit Durand Jones & the Indications. Like so many songwriters in the past few years, he teamed up with the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and got his debut solo album, “Introducing…”, ready in no time. We’re not even halfway through January and we already have our first highlight of 2021. Feels good to be back.
Bolachas Now Playing, a new music Spotify playlist, updated every Wednesday.
The Nude Party are 2020’s kings of cool. Which is kinda unfortunate, since in a normal world they would be everybody’s pick for the next festival season. Feel-good and groovy as it gets, “Midnight Manor” was clearly made for an older world where we’re all out partying. Let’s pretend it never changed.
Plus: new tracks by Esther Rose, Deep Sea Diver, The Clientele, Justin Wade Tam, Cartalk, Adrianne Lenker, Anna McClellan, Hamilton Leithauser, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Half Japanese, Fuzz, Te Voy A Matar, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, Shilpa Ray, Eartheater, Jennifer Castle, Sam Amidon, Andrew Bird, Jim Audet Music, Jonathan Wilson, Luka Kuplowsky, Brent Cobb, Kurt Vile, Steve Earle, Fruit Bats, and The Good Ones.
Another week, another half-surprise release. We didn’t have access to a single song off Fiona Apple’s stunning new record (her first in 8 years) and we missed how good it is to be able to be surprised in an age where we already listened to a third of a record by the time it’s out. Plus: almost two hours of brand new music by the Mountain Goats, Bright Eyes, Hamilton Leithauser, King Khan, Malena Zavala, Faye Webster, Lido Pimienta, Rina Sawayama, Bedouine, Sarah Siskind, Courtney Marie Andrews, Hazel English, Pacific Range, Fruit Bats, Trace Mountains, Nathan Kalish, Dougie Poole, Whiskey Wolves of the West, The Howling Hex, Flatworms, Car Seat Headrest, Stereoboy, Malojian, Sir Richard Bishop, and The Deep Dark Woods.
We had to. In a week full of great releases, we had to feature Fruit Bats’ first collection of new songs in three years, “Gold Past Life”, released on the 21st. Eric D. Johnson cements its place as one of the songwriters of his generation with a better ratio of “great” to “barely decent” songs – almost half of the record’s songs have already been featured in this playlist, so you know it’s true.
Plus: new tracks by black midi, Pip Blom, Super Doppler, Night Moves, Alex Cameron, The Raconteurs, Lucy Dacus, Purling Hiss, Andrew Combs, Nev Cottee Band, Jesse Malin, Tyler Childers, Divino Niño, Steve Gunn, Willie Nelson, Horse Jumper of Love, I am Oak, Mega Bog, Wilder Maker, Native Harrow, and Daughter of Swords.
Time for our return after the usual early June festival break. Bill Callahan is back with his first long play in six years, an unusually twenty songs long record called Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest. It sounds like, well, exactly what you would expect from Callahan.
Go have a listen after you’re done with our ridiculously long playlist – 31 songs by 30 different artists over almost two hours: House and Land, Jambinai, Shellac, Kate Tempest, RF Shannon, Whitney, Bruce Springsteen, Richard Hawley, Lower Dens, Julia Shapiro, Stef Chura, The Divine Comedy, Adam Green, Tim Heidecker, David Berman’s Purple Mountains, Will Johnson, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Hiss Golden Messenger, Chris Stapleton, Willie Nelson, Sturgill Simpson, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Michael Fracasso, Fruit Bats, Eilen Jewell, Bedouine, Joan Shelley, Julien Baker, and Shannon Lay.