Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT
Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/cwfr1srlchp4q7n/Q125.zip/file
Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes.
Q's Compilations
Vol #125 – April to
May 2019
Greetings,
summer is about to hit its stride, I had a nice holiday in Greece and this is a
hastily put together set of notes.
01)
Ex Hex - Rainbow Shiner: Power trio Ex Hex returned this year with their second
album, It’s Real, five years after
their fantastic debut Rips. They
haven’t strayed from the tried and tested formula that make them so good, with
all the classic rock riffs and guitar solos you could wish for.
02)
Mattiel - Keep the Change: Atlanta, Georgia’s Mattiel are set to release second
record, Satis Factory on the 14th
of June and this is one of the catchiest singles I’ve heard in some time (a
self-titled debut was released by Burger Records in 2017).
03)
Mal Blum - I Don't Want To: Speaking of catchy, Mal Blum has come up with a
near-perfect dose of 90s-tinged pop-rock with this one. New album Pity Boy will be released in July.
04)
Halfsour - Blurred Camera: Even more 90s alt-rock influences on this track from
Massachusetts trio Halfsour. Sticky was
released in March via Fire Talk Records.
05)
JJUUJJUU – Camo: This act from LA is about as psych are you can get. I remember
buying their debut EP on vinyl about five years ago and getting hooked, but the
debut full length, Zionic Mud takes
things up a notch, with plenty of grooves and guitars that sound like they need
a fire truck to put them out.
06)
Nots - Woman Alone: I remember seeing Nots at Death By Audio’s penultimate
night and I’ve enjoyed everything they’ve done since. The band’s third album,
imaginatively titled 3, came out in
May on Goner Records.
07)
Mikal Cronin – Undertow: It has been four years since Mikal Cronin’s last
album, but he just put out a new 7” record and is touring later in the year, he
also has a new email list/fanclub you can sign up for. While there hasn’t been
any news of a new full length album yet, this track in particular is something
to savour.
08)
Night Shop - The One I Love: Emily recommended Night Shop to me and his record,
In the Break is a fantastic
folk/indie/rock mix. It’s possible you may remember Justin Sullivan as the
drummer in The Babies, and subsequent Kevin Morby solo albums. It shouldn’t
come as a surprise to anyone to learn that you can buy this on Woodsist.
09)
Kishi Bashi - Summer of 42: Kishi Bashi’s latest album, Omoiyari, is out on the 31st of May via Joyful Noise
Recordings and I’m looking forward to seeing him for the first time in June.
The playing and arrangement on this tune in particular are pretty inspiring.
10)
Anna Altman – Catcher: While going through gig listings I noticed that Anna
Altman is opening for Halfsour in an upcoming show, so I gave their debut
album, 2018’s Freghtliner a listen
and really dug it. This song is a little slow-core-y which I’m always on the
lookout for.
11)
Horse Jumper of Love - Airport Security: Speaking of slowcore… Boston trio
Horse Jumper of Love are about to release their second album, So Divine in June, and the couple of
tracks released so far might go some way to satisfying my pining for Red House
Painters.
12)
Meat Puppets – Warranty: The big news in the land of Meat Puppets is that
original drummer Derrick Bostrom is back in the band for the first time in
about 24 years, and they just released a new record to boot, Dusty Notes is a fairly low-key,
country-psych record, and that reflected their mood when I saw them live
recently too. Meat Puppets just do whatever the hell they like, which makes
them one of the most reliable and satisfying bands around.
13)
Chromatics - Time Rider: It’s so good to have Chromatics back, the band recently
played their first shows in five years and while this new single doesn’t tread
any new ground, that’s just fine with me.
14)
Grapetooth – Violent: This track from Chicago duo Grapetooth got under my skin
after a few listens and I didn’t realise that one half of the band is Clay
Frankel of Twin Peaks.
15)
Pile - Bruxist Grin: I was surprised when it dawned on me that I hadn’t seen
Pile live before this month, since I’ve been a fan for years and they’ve played
so many shows in New York. Alas, I fixed that, and the band have just released
another excellent record, Green and Gray,
once again on Exploding in Sound.
16)
Sinmara - Mephitic Haze: I saw Sinmara at Saint Vitus recently and was so
impressed by them that I assumed they were the headliners and almost left the
venue early. Hailing from Reykjavik,
Iceland, the band released their second album back in March.
17)
Blessed – Caribou: Vancouver’s Blessed are a little hard to describe, with
punchy post-punk tracks mixed in with slow psychedelic tunes and plenty of
other styles in between, this appears on their album Salt that was released in April.
Probably
my briefest set of notes, but I’m not sure anyone reads these anyway!
As
always, Peace and Love - Q
Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT
Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/cwfr1srlchp4q7n/Q125.zip/file
