Quick Spins takes a quick look at recently released albums to make certain you're listening to all the quality music being released these days. And with today being Bandcamp Friday, I'm hoping some of the words below will spur you to actually listen to, and then buy, these excellent new releases today while all the dough goes directly to the artists!
I took a look at my original notes taken after my first listen to then new album from Toronto's PONY and they read, "BANGER AFTER BANGER. THEY'VE DONE IT AGAIN. HOW DO THEY KEEP THIS UP???!!!" And while I can't end my brief review that simply, I hope it gives you an inkling of my excitement around the music on Clearly Cursed. PONY's core duo of singer Sam Bielanski and guitarist Matty Morand have perfected their approach to loud and noisy life-affirming rock and/or roll powered by endless streams of hooks and vocal melodies that sound as if they've been pulled from some sort of central emotional repository to ensure maximum delight and pleasure when your system inevitably gives in and start singing along. Some call this grunge pop, others call it bubble-grunge. Me? I call it freaking excellent and urge you to get onboard ASAP.
Clearly Cursed by PONY
A tapestry of samples and beats wafts its way over here to our shores courtesy the Australian producer/musician behind the Department moniker. It hit my ears like a more focused and slightly funkier version of a sound popularized by Avalanches, with a touch of Spiritualized symphonic grandeur. If your looking for an album that provides an escape hatch from reality and want to drop into a groovy dream state, Department has you covered.
Audacity Files by Department
When I first heard Snowcuff's new EP Sweet Gravity I thought this singer sounded really familiar. The band traffics in dream pop, a field whose vocalists tend to blend together stylistically due to the hazy gaze of the music's needs, so feeling a singer is "distinctive" is unusual to me. Some digging through old emails revealed that singer Stephanie Nikolas' voice caught my ear when she was originally part of a duo named Blue Cove, who were briefly active a few years ago. In Snowcuffs, Nikolas teams up with a full band and the expanded combo works really well. The sound hearkens back to late '80s Brit indie acts like The Sundays, but with a bit more oomph. Tinkly and jangly, these tunes will brighten any room while still giving space for ribbons of melancholic shadow around the edges.
Sweet Gravity by Snowcuffs
MX LONELY aims for the epic. Epic guitars. Soaring vocals. Pounding drums. All recorded to sound like they're reverberating around some sort of gothic cathedral. Jake Harms and Rae Haas trade off vocal duties, leading to the album feeling like an ongoing conversation in two different directions, which keeps things from feeling too predictable. The only predictability here is the band's ability to craft old school epic rockers, unafraid to slather vulnerability atop all the squall, letting the music seep through your skin and into your bones.
ALL MONSTERS by MX LONELY
One thing that's been missing from the first couple months of this year has been interesting pop releases. But, just as I was beginning to despair, Grace Inspace swoops in to deliver an EP of subtle indie pop that could get both the diva lovers and the asymmetrical haircut into kids into the same room. The first couple songs might lull you into thinking this is singer/songwriter fare, but after that the EP takes a turn into embracing the beat, peaking with the insanely catchy "Emergency Contact," a tune that screams SUMMER STRUT even though we're still in the midst of a seemingly endless winter. I would recommend picking this up for that reason alone, but luckily for you the entire EP is a gem of a listen.
Heavy Hair by Grace Inspace
Mirah is a legend, and 2000's You Think It's Like This but Really It's Like This is still one of my favorite albums of that era, and I still think "Sweepstakes Prize" is one of the greatest songs of all time. I've also always admired that Mirah only seems to release the music she wants to do, when she's ready to do it. This means her catalog isn't vast, and what she has released bounces down different avenues, few of them obvious, so I had no idea what to expect from Dedication, her first new album in 7 years. What we get this time around mainly sticks with a more hushed retro-pop approach, bolstered by tasteful orchestral touches to add depth and color. And one totally unexpected throwback retro-pop '80s banger, "Catch My Breath." If you've never heard of Mirah before, Dedication is a satisfying entry point for newbies, and an album that will delight those that have been around for the whole journey.
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