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#235: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, “Sideways to New Italy”

Is there anything more typical of music publications in the 21st century than waiting for an indie rock band to fail miserably with the release their second record? Don’t let them tell you “Sideways to New Italy” is lacking something important. The new Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever album has all the melodies and hooks you need to survive this festival-less summer so you can pretend everything’s fine. We’re adding a fourth sentence to this paragraph because it seems like it’s mandatory to reference the Go-Betweens and/or the Feelies every single time we talk about this band.

Plus: new tracks by Run The JewelsDJ LycoxPop Dell’ArteNo Age, Lithics, OhmmeDougie PooleWhiskey Wolves of the WestSwampmeat Family BandCrystal ShipsssHelvetiaMuzzThe ClienteleLA PriestBecca MancariSarah LouiseBrigid Mae PowerThe World of DustSamantha CrainCamille DeleanModern NatureMt. JoyJoan Shelley, and Torres.

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#232: Jess Williamson, “Sorceress”

Other than a vague idea of how her debut album sounded like, we knew almost nothing about Jess Williamson the moment we walked into the dark backroom of a Nijmegen venue to listen to her songs. Or at least try to, as the audience seemed to be more interested in catching up with their buddies before Kevin Morby took the stage. That being said, our most vivid image of that night is staring at the stage as Williamson played the broodingly gorgeous “Heart Song” off her forthcoming album. We had to go up and tell her we could get her to play a few shows back in Portugal. That never happened, but 100% of her future albums ended up being featured here. Of course they were. “Sorcerer” is the latest instalment in a perfect streak of stellar records. It’s out now.

Plus: new tracks by Josiah JohnsonTommy Alexander, Sumbuck, The JayhawksRose City Band, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Chris Maier, OwenSilverbacks, Crack Cloud, Hanni El KhatibKhruangbinSINEAD O’BRIENKATE NVJim White and Marisa Anderson musicneubauten.orgI Break HorsesPhoebe BridgersNicole AtkinsPerfume GeniusLA PRIESTCharli XCXHappyness, and Lily Hayes.