Album Cycle 8-23-24
Pretty stacked week-includes album list, my thoughts on some and this weeks playlist
Big week for albums. I wrote about five here, which I haven’t done in awhile, and there were a few more I could have written up. The playlist is large this week, as it was a bountiful week for songs and artists with potential to dig into. You can get into the Spotify Playlist Here and the You Tube Playlist Here
Fontaines D.C.-Romance-The Irish band is celebrating ten years this year. This is their fourth album, and all four have come out in the past five years. They are a post-punk band that came up around the same time as Idles and kind of spearheaded the revival of that whole thing. There have been so many bands in this vein that have come since, and many of them good. I would say Fontaines and Idles remain the top two, with Idles being the most popular, but I think Fontaines has the best overall output of recorded music. The album also follows frontman Grian Chatten’s fantastic solo album last year, Chaos For Fly. The album evolves the band's sound yet again, this band has been evolving since the start. We are headed more into arena rock territory now, but with many genuine and even tender moments. There is a Depeche Mode feel to some of the songs—not an outright sound, but a feel. There are a lot of vocal rhythmic things happening, and even though the urgency of their debut album is long gone, there is still plenty of grit, angst, and some fist pumping moments. There is just a lot more to go along with it also. Fleshed out, little more synth, little more, dare I say it, dark or gothic vibe. It will be considered one of the best albums of the year. There are some serious contenders for song of the year also with “Modern World” and “Death Kink.” That is the Fontaines we started loving, but I love where they are going also. This is a must-listen.
Falcon Jane-Legacy-I was really confused by this. The name and every picture I can find of this project feature a woman, and some places say it is Sarah May under the Falcon Jane moniker, and some say it is a duo with Andrew McArthur. Either, way, this album captured my attention this week. The Canadian project has a handful of albums out, but not a ton of plays or listens that I can see, but maybe in Canada they do. It’s a really solid album, and I just figured it was picked up and being distributed and everything, but not really. Falcon Jane has a touch of country, Americana, and a little Adrianne Lenker in places. I assume this Andrew cat is playing a lot of the instruments, such as some nice pedal steel and more. The songs are very solid all the way through, though I can’t really get a read on their sound. There are a few different styles happening here. Worth a listen, maybe a couple to sink in.
Gift-Illuminator-New York band’s second album. This is my first exposure to them. They do shoegaze, dream pop, alt rock. Here is the deal with this-these guys are not trying to be too cool for the room with the whole shoegaze dream pop thing and it really works. Like I don’t have to dig into this, let it sink in or anything (and trust me I love doing that), but Gift just wallops you with happy AF feelings right from the start and does let you go. There is plenty to dig into here, lots of kick ass grooves, atmosphere and some fun twists along the way. You may pump your fist in places, chair dance a bit even. Maybe I listened to this at the right time this morning, but it totally made my morning. Check it out
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings-Woodland Studio-this is the first album of original music since 2011. The one prior to that? 2003. It is impossible to not go into this with unreachably high expectations. That said, this is a wonderful collection of music from the duo, which never reaches their highest moments from their earlier years, but again that is silly to place upon an artist (but we do it). Much of the lead vocals are Gillian, but I think the best song on here is sung mostly by David (with Gillian on harmonies) and that is the song “Hashtag”. No Rawlings and Welch fan is going to be disappointed in this collection of material or be surprised by it. It may not reach expectations, but it is what you expected.
Illuminati Hotties-Power-This is the third album from Illuminati Hotties not including the “mix-tape” from 2020. The band and mainly Sarah Tudzin has always made a mix of infectious indie-pop with quite a bit of punk mixed in. Gone is the punk vibes on Power, and this is a full on indie pop album with emphasis on the pop. The songs are still as infectious as ever especially “I Would Like, Still Love You”, “Rot” and “The L”. Very good album. I don’t know if the project has a definitive album to date, but they have already put together one hell of a best of compilations should they end at some point soon. Highly recommend putting this on
Venmo- @marcus-manner
This Weeks Album List
Ark Patrol – GEM
Chime School – The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel
Closebye – Hammer of My Own
Bryce Dessner – Solos
Emmet Cohen – Vibe Provider
Geneva Jacuzzi – Triple Fire-synth pop with some dark edges. A little amateur and aping past acts, but a fun listen if you are a synth pop nerd.
Giant Day – Glass Narcissus
Atlas Genius – End of the Tunnel
Bear McCreary – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season Two: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack)
Ben Katzman – Tears on the Beach
Benny Trokan (of Spoon) – Do You Still Think of Me
Body Meat – Starchris
Brian Gibson (of Lighting Bolt) – Thrasher (Original Soundtrack)
Cash Cobain – Play Cash Cobain
Confidence Man – fabric Presents Confidence Man
Delving – All Paths Diverge
Dhruv – Private Blizzard
ENDON – Fall of Spring
Emma Russack – About the Girl
Falcon Jane – Legacy
Fleshgod – Opera
Fontaines D.C. – Romance
Fruition – How To Make Mistakes
Generation of Vipers – Guilt Shrine
The Georgia Thunderbolts – Rise Above It All
GIFT – Illuminator
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings – Woodland
Gilligan Moss – Speaking Across Time
illuminati hotties – POWER
Heems – VEENA LP
Jack Kays – DEADBEAT! – Disc 1
Joe P – Garden State Vampire
Kato Hideki & Kramer – The Walk
Kenshi Yonezu – Lost Corner
Kishi Bashi – Kanto
Lainey Wilson – Whirlwind
Lisa Loeb & The Hollow Trees – That’s What It’s All About
Little Hag – Now That’s What I Call Little Hag
Luna Li – When a Thought Grows Wings
Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk
Maggie Antone – Rhinestoned
Malice K – AVANTI
Mura Masa – Curve 1
The National Parks – Wild Spirit
Nervous Eaters – Rock n Roll Your Heart Away
Nicole Miglis (of Hundred Waters) – Myopia
NILE – The Underworld Awaits Us All
Oh He Dead – Ugly
Pegg – Geronimo
PlayThatBoiZay – VIP
Psychic Lines – Sunset on Sunset
Queen Priyanka – Devastatia
Ruthie Foster – Mileage
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
Sadhguru – Eternal Echoes
Simone Simons – Vermillion
The Softies – The Bed I Made
Spectral Wound – Songs Of Blood and Mire
Spirit of the Beehive – YOU’LL HAVE TO LOOSE SOMETHING
Stand Atlantic – Was Here
Sofi Tukker – BREAD
Thomas Rhett – About a Woman
Umberto – Black Bile
Uniform – American Standard
Vanessa Williams – Survivor
Warren Zeiders – Relapse
White Hills – Beyond This Fiction
Woody Jackson – Cowboy Yoga
Zeal & Ardor – GREI