@@@ Peach Pyramid: Repeating Myself (Oscar St, 2017) Indie rock off this week’s CFUV playlist email. Mad dreamy, super arpeggiated guitars. I guess they’re either arpeggiated or not, there’s no super arpeggiated. Not super, but they’re super twee. Female singer, slack and straight than straighter rock beats. There’s not a lot to go on about here so I don’t want to waste anybody’s time. It’s shiny guitar indie done in the classic style. It’s like trying to describe Domino’s pizza — the shit is mad salty and you either get with it or you don’t eat it.
@@@ Kelea: Take Me Apart (Warp, 2017) I’ve seen posters for this record up in Brooklyn and given the state of the music industry it’s a bit shocking to see an indie label laying out for street posters. The production here is ultra slick but more than just a repetition of retro electronic soul. It’s being marketed as a super confessional record which I’m down with but her delivery is pretty smooth and doesn’t evoke any confessional vibe to my ears. She rocks a pretty straightforward sultry and lush vibe. The arrangements overshadow the vocals here by just a bit — I find my focus to be on the beats and the bass and I’m not noticing her lyrics or hearing her voice as more than a soft overlay.
@@@ Chelsea Wolfe: Hiss Spun (Sargent House, 2017) I was going to say more femme indie but these ladies came on dark, grungy, and unhappy. Like Harvey Weinstein’s Ass Ball Connector! Not to demean this fine band. Very tasty fuzzy bass sound, wailing and dyspeptic guitar squall and arena rock drumming. Let’s peep a bit more. There’s more than a bit of art school to this heavy rock. It’s slow like Jane’s Addiction but without Perry, you know Perry. If PJ Harvey was grafted onto Jane’s Addiction’s torso without so much arena flavor. It’s pretty good — it’s a bit restrained for my taste. When I want a hot mess or a sonic dumpster fire I want a real fucking mess. This is pretty manicured (like Harvey Weinstein’s Ass Ball Connector)? #inappropes
@@@ New Kingston: A Kingston Story: Come From Far (Easy Star, 2017) I saw a music publicist email about this up and coming reggae band. This first tune sports both a thick bass and a shiny modern pop production. Concious lyrics with some dub elements. It’s a full reggae ensemble from hand percussion to background vocalists to bubbling organ. I respect the spirit of the record but I’m not a fan of tunes like the fifth one ‘Agape’. It’s a Hollywood/reggae vibe they’re working. I prefer the old school sound and vibe.
YTD recordings listened to: 660
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 354
Not good music: 280
Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6
Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, American Lips, Sudan Archives, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Benjamin Booker
Deep In the Music 