We took a week off because we can. It gave us a few extra days to dive deeper into Snapped Ankles’ excellent “Forest of Your Problems”. The noisy London post-punk (if we can define it like that…) band refines their sound further, bringing us some hip-moving motorik we can use to pretend the world is back to normal and we can all dance again. Responsibly.
black midi is making prog and avant-jazz palatable for the kids. Makes us want to put a hat on just to tip it. Their second album, “Cavalcade”, is our record of the week. Of course it is.
Bolachas Now Playing, a new music Spotify playlist, updated every Wednesday.
John Darnielle is Getting Into Knives! And it’s probably his best album in almost a decade, when ‘All Eternals Deck’ brought us some of the most memorable the Mountain Goats songs. Closing the album, the title track is the standout here – a repeat affair right after the first listen.
Plus: new tracks by Bill Callahan & Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Helena Deland, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Woods, Okey Dokey, The Shilohs, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Matt Berninger (The National), The Besnard Lakes, Plastic War, Strange Ranger, Son Little, Nilüfer Yanya, Ariana Grande, Hot Chip (with Jarvis Cocker), Harolddd (with Faye Webster), Skyway Man, Julien Baker, Skullcrusher, Adrianne Lenker, Sierra Ferrell, Oliver Wood, Mandolin Orange, Grace Gillespie, and Valley Maker.
Bolachas Now Playing, a new music Spotify playlist, updated every Wednesday.
Almost a decade after the last The Black Swans release, frontman Jerry David DeCicca keeps putting out great solo albums. Which are not strictly solo, if you look at the cast of musicians enlisted here, a list that includes the legendary Augie Meyers (of the Texas Tornados and the Sir Douglas Quintet). The result is an instrumentally rich set of Americana songs that are probably your best introduction to DeCicca’s work as a songwriter.
This week, we have new tracks by Kacy & Clayton & Marlon Williams, The Weather Station, Sharon Van Etten, Steady Holiday, Jane Weaver, Ohmme, SUUNS & Jerusalem In My Heart, Viagra Boys, Woods, Jeremy Ivey, Cordovas, Langhorne Slim, Family Jordan, James Ellis and the Jealous Guys, The Slim Kings, Elvis Perkins, Kevin Morby, Julia Jacklin, Desure, Le Ren, Julie Byrne, The Orchestra of Cardboard, Tomberlin, Pearl Charles, Holy Motors, and Jennifer Castle.
Katie Von Schleicher’s “Consummation” is not only our album of the week, It’s one of our top albums of the year so far, too. There are 27 other songs on this week’s playlist, but if I were you I’d go explore that treatise on indie rock — and the rest of her discography, while you’re at it. New tracks by Jason Molina, Natalie Jane Hill, Soccer Mommy, Good Dog, A.O. Gerber, Becca Mancari, Matt Berninger, Camille Delean, Roadside Graves, Owen Pallett, TALsounds, Neil Young, Steve Earle, M. Lockwood Porter, Country Westerns, Jeff Rosenstock, IDLES, Shilpa Ray, Combo Qazam, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Angel Bat Dawid, Nidia, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids, Mulatu Astatke, Purling Hiss‘ Mike Polizze, Woods, and Okey Dokey.