Sam Amidon’s The Following Mountain remains one of the most adventurous, genre breaking, exciting records in the “folk sphere” in this decade, maybe of all time? This album is just genius and after listening to a lot more Arthur Russell, among other similar things, since this came out I’m even more appreciative of it.
Also seeing Sam with Sam Gendel, Shazad Ismaily and Milford Graves at Union Pool was a revelatory experience.
Some real slick, satisfying power pop from the south of Norway! Getting some Yo La Tengo vibes on this one. Very summery – I can picture this playing at sunset on a very nice day.
Looking for more Greek psych to insert into your life? Look no further than these unholy rippers from Dury Dava, a group based in Athens. Their new self-titled album has so much awesome instrumentation, it makes me question how many members are really in this group, or how many instruments they know how to play. Tons of spaced out guitar, riffs, mysterious saxophone, torch song flute, slinky bass, hand percussion – it has it all. I don’t know if I posted about them at all, but this Turkish band Altin Gün reminds me of them a lot, likely due to the similar region. Either way, if psych is your game, than you gotta give a listen to these Greek fellows. It was recommended to me since I liked that Vanishing Twin album and guess what, they weren’t wrong.
Did you ever think you’d hear a ska + bubblegum bass mash? Well, prepare to fool yourself. I don’t know why, but this both makes me feel so old and so hypnotized.
Laura Stevenson has been on the fringe of my “oh yeah I’ve listened to her album from 2013 once or twice, enjoyed it, but haven’t listened to any of her music” consciousness for, well, the past six years. She recently released The Big Freeze on Don Giovanni and guess what – it rips! This song “Rattle At Will” is one of the more rockin’ tracks, allowing Stevenson’s unique voice to exist in a highly dynamic environment. Can’t wait to dig into this album more.
Definitely not music made for enjoying the summer, but more reminiscing on how isolating and desolate the winter will be – perfect for introspection. Portland, OR musician Drowse follows the leads of other PNW artists like Phil Elverum and Grouper to make a heavy, droning portrait of inner turmoil and wandering. I especially like the violin woven into the soundscape on this track. Definitely not something I’m going to put on repeat right now, but once it starts getting a bit colder you know I’m gonna be jamming this one.
Drowse’s new album Light Mirror is out now via The Flenser. Check out the record HERE.
Joan Shelley made one of my favorite albums of 2017 and one in 2015 that’s been on the fringe and has been growing in my appreciation since. She just released this new song “Coming Down For You” and it’s – you guessed it – great! If this is hinting at a new album on the horizon, count me as one excited fanboy.
Yeah yeah pitchfork just posted about this but hot DAMN if it isn’t a trip. Just listened to this twice in a row and if you’re looking for a hypnotic, infectious, psyche-altering piece of ecstatic electronic music, check this out NOW. This had me in the ZONE for nearly 30 minutes straight. Hell yeah. One of the year’s big highlights for sure.
Absolute magic. The closer of the revelatory R Plus Seven. Revisit this if you’ve heard it, immerse yourself if you haven’t.
Welcome to the first edition of It Fit In High School – a new bit I wanted to try out. The premise is simple: I re-listen to albums that I primarily listened to in high school with a pair of ears that have eight more years of experience digesting music within them, along with thousands of albums under their belts. Now you’re thinking about ears wearing belts. That’s ok. In fact, that’s perfectly normal and encouraged. It will help us get into our first edition with a clear and open mind. Earbelts. For the first half of high school I almost exclusively listened to classic rock, along with big rock like The Killers, Muse and The Mars Volta. Maybe we’ll touch the entry-level indie rock that helped get my taste to where it is today as well.
The first album I’ll be diving (back) into is Led Zeppelin’s fifth LP, Houses Of The Holy. Led Zeppelin was by and far my favorite band going into high school and held that honor proudly throughout my freshman and sophomore year. Once I started phasing out the Kohl’s video game graphic tees from elementary and middle school, Led Zep claimed the spot as the leader of my graphic tee empire. I grew my hair out to an outrageous length, so much so that I could have been confused for a member of LZ if someone were to take purely hair silhouettes of the band and my own. No body, face or anything – just hair. Without the overwhelming locks, I was just another chubby, pasty white kid with braces, frameless glasses, rosy cheeks that played the violin. I can see self-deprecating reflection being a staple in this series already, and I LOVE that.
Why I’m choosing Houses Of The Holy to be the first entry here is likely because out of their first six records, AKA the straight-up-gold-classic-money-printer period, Houses is the one I’m least familiar with, or maybe the one I remember the least. I don’t want to take on the pinnacle classics right away, plus I know that after the four self-titled records the band started to get weirder with instrumentation, recording quirks and songwriting. This seemed like a logical starting point. A split in the world of LZ. Two worlds, same band – here’s the fission point. Does it err more on one side than the other? That’s why I’m here, folks. Does the world need another cis white male voice tossing words into the classic rock canon? Hell no. Will it be fun? Uh I mean, probably. I hope so!
Warm Visions 