Album Cycle For February 7th, 2025
List of new release albums, my thoughts on some and Apple and Spotify playlists
Happy Sunday! Here are this week's Spotify and Apple Music playlists and the album list, and my thoughts on some. Some of the tracks on the playlist that I don’t write about further include Canadian/American country rock band Horsebath. Bono from U2’s kids band Inhaler, which is actually starting to take off. I sold a lot of this album on Friday when it came out. Rotterdam darkwave band Rats On Rafts is on here, the first of probably many albums from indie rock legends Guided By Voices this year, 78-year-old country legend Joe Ely, and the tenth album in five or six years from The Bird Calls. The Bird Calls looks and sounds like a certain person from Omaha.
There is jazz from The Moses Yoofee Trio and pop artist Oklou, who has a little too much voice manipulation for me, but I could see pop music fans going for this artist. Indie songwriter duo Sleepers Ball is on the playlist as well as Helen Ganya, who used to go by Dog In The Snow. Angular/post-punk indie acts FAC are here, as is songwriter Sarah Klang.
HERE IS THE APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST
Sharon Van Etten-Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory-This album has really connected with me. I have been a fan since Van Etten first became known and have loved her dip in recent years into a more synth-based thing, as that is very much my thing. This album goes very deep into 80s synth and sound. It is credited to her and her band, The Attachment Theory. The songs on here are not fun 80’s music and not super dark, but they have a cloud over them with little rays of sunlight creeping through to hit that dopamine button in your brain. The music could be borrowed from a cool underground 80s movie, and I have seen Siouxsie comparisons, which is a stretch. The song “Trouble” is going to be on the best songs of 2025 easily.
Squid-Cowards-The first Squid album was angsty post-punk that was played extremely well with some prog rock influences in the mix and pretty long songs for angsty post-punk. Vocalist Ollie Judge had a unique, squelchy vocal that came off a bit snarky and tongue-in-cheek. The second album dropped that quite a bit, and they stretched out their musical muscles a lot more. On the UK band's third album, Cowards, they go even further into a proggier sound, with the vocals being more talky now, and the vibe of the first album is pretty much gone. It’s a very good album, and there are fun songs on here like “Cro-Magnon Man” and “Crispy Skin,” but personally, I miss that early sound and urgency. I am going to spend a lot more time with this album.
Avalanche Party-Der Traum Uber Alles-second album from the UK band. They are a lot of fun and list themselves as punk-garage rock. Sure. It’s a bit of post-punk, a bit of Strokes like swagger, and super upbeat. These guys will not win innovative band of the year, but I would be first in line to see them live. “Shake The Shack” is an instant classic.
Honesty
Heartworms
This Weeks List Of Albums
16)- Guides For The Misguided
Avalanche Party – Der Traum Uber Alles
Biig Piig – 11:11
Bird Calls-Melody Trail
Bjarki – A Guide to Hellthier Lifestyle
cka FLAX – the birth of fantasy
corook – committed to a bit
Dream Theater – Parasomnia
Drop Nineteens – 1991
FACS – Wish Defense
Fotokiller – Eerie Nostalgia
FVZZ POPVLI – Melting Pop
George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners– Porter’s Pocket
Gino Vanelli-The Life I’ve Lost
Guided By Voices – Universe Room
Heartworms – Glutton For Punishment
Helen Ganya – Share Your Care
HONESTY – U R HERE
HORSEBATH – Another Farewell
Inhaler – Open Wide
Jinjer – Duél
Joe Ely – Love and Freedom
JOHNNYSWIM – When The War Is Over
Larry June, 2 Chainz, and The Alchemist – Life Is Beautiful
Leæther Strip – Pornography: A Tribute to The Cure
Lewis Watson – blue skies grey
Low Roar-House In The Woods
Matt Pond PA – The Ballad of the Natural Lines
Michigander – Michigander
The Moles – Composition Book
Moses Yoofee Trio-MYT
Nadia Reid – Enter New Brightness
Natti Natasha – Natti Natasha En Amargue
Obscura – A Sonication
Oklou – Choke Enough
Olly Alexander (of Years & Years) – Polari
Rats on Rafts – Deep Below
Real Bad Man and ZelooperZ – Dear Psilocybin
The Rumjacks – Dead Anthems
Sam Moss-Swimming
Sarah Klang – Beautiful Woman
Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears – Head In The Sand
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory – Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
Skeleten – Mentalized
Sleeper’s Bell – Clover
Soulja Boy-The Influence
Squid – Cowards
Thundermother – Dirty & Divine
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers – Closer to the Bone
Two Chainz-Life Is Beautiful
The Vices – Before It Might Be Gone