Q#152 - October to November 2023

 

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/pa0wr2z7j4zhegg/Q%2523152.zip/file 

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT.COM 

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Q's Compilations

Vol #152 – October to November 2023

 

It completely passed me by that Q#151 was the 20^th anniversary of the first Qcomp! Back when they were monthly and purely on burned CD-Rs with printed notes and artwork… a lot has changed for the better and I’m very thankful for my current circumstances. It has been a busy couple of months with a work trip to Toronto (first time in 21 years I had been there), a quick jaunt back home and even a reasonable amount of shows lately. As always, I hope there’s something for everyone here.

 

01) Weakened Friends – Awkward: I’ve been a fan of Portland, Maine trio Weakened Friends since their 2018 debut Common Blah and managed to see them open for Laura Jane Grace in the summer. They haven’t released an album since 2018’s Quitter but this single was just released, which is supposed to be an upbeat/joyful song by comparison to their other work!

 

02) Rodeo Boys - Feel the Same: Home Movies was released back in June but I only just recently noticed it in my bandcamp library from Don Giovanni Records. This song opens the record and has some fun guitar licks including a spaghetti western riff in parts and a killer solo.

 

03) Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Ultimate Hammer (live): Probably the best stoner rock band around at the moment. I recently got to see Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs at Elsewhere, but I also saw them at Mercury Lounge earlier in the year which just got released as a live album, which is obviously where this is taken from.

 

04) The Holydrug Couple - Light or Night (live): One of the Chilean psych-rock heavyweights, the band (which is for the best part, a solo project of Ives Sepulved) followed up 2018’s Hyper Super Mega with a couple of soundtracks and lo-fi records, just released a live record from Berlin, recorded in August which is pretty great. This track originally appears on 2015’s Moonlust.

 

05) Squirrel Flower - Full Time Job: Ella Williams aka Squirrel Flower released her new album, Tomorrow’s Fire, on Polyvinyl Records, and her current run of full length albums (2020’s I Was Born Swimming, 2021’s Planet (i) and now this one) is outstanding. It’s a bit strange that she’s often advertised as a folk/acoustic singer, but a lot of her recorded work is filled with scorching, almost volcanic sounding guitars like this one.

 

06) Leaving Time – End: There are a few shoegaze tracks on the mix (that’s probably true of most mixes), I recently ordered this I + II on bandcamp, which as the name somewhat suggests, is a collection of two Eps (you guessed it, I and II, released in 2020 and 2022 respectively). This track is from the second EP.

 

07) Rocket - Pipe Dream: Another recent bandcamp purchase, which happens to be the LA act’s debut EP, and that’s about all the info I have!

 

08) The Beths - Watching the Credits: A fairly recent pet peeve is when bands release deluxe editions of albums a short while after the normal album is released, and it slightly pains me when bands I love do it. I almost always pre-order the “deluxe” or otherwise limited releases when a new record is released, which I did for Expert in a Dying Field, purchasing the Rough Trade exclusive that came with a flexi disc. Less than a year later the band released a version with an entire record’s worth of demos and extra tracks, which of course I had to buy…

 

09) Ducks Ltd - The Main Thing: One of the best jangle pop bands of the last few years, Toronto’s Ducks Ltd just announced new album, Harm’s Way, which will come out in February. I don’t have anything insightful to say about this, it just sounds like joy to me.  

 

10) Small Crush – 5: This track came up on Emily’s daily spotify mix one time, and then wouldn’t stop playing. This song is featured on their second album, Penelope, which was released in September.

 

11) Tennis Courts - Yellow Lays: This Brooklyn quartet put out their debut album, You Won’t Find It On Your Own, in September and while I haven’t properly digested it, this track got in my head a lot in the last couple of months.

 

12) Gigolo Aunts - Mrs Washington: File among bands I never thought I’d get to see live, I was slightly amazed to read that power-pop greats Gigolo Aunts were opening for Letters to Cleo. Flippin’ Out was a staple record for me in the 90s and the band played an amazing set (to me, anyway!). I try not to re-use songs on Qcomps and I’m almost certain that I used Where I Find My Heaven probably on an early mix (if I do a power-pop specific mix I may re-use it!). They did open their set with this tune.

 

13) Ron Gallo - Foreground Music: Ron Gallo is one of those artists I’ve conspired to miss a few times, including one of the rare times I’ve been persuaded with the “we don’t know who the opener is, let’s have another beer before the show instead” argument, and is a great reason why you should never do that. Anyway, I finally got to see Ron Gallo in November and Brooklyn Made in support of his most recent record, Foreground Music, which was released in March this year and where you’ll also hear this song.

 

14) Hotline TNT - I Thought You'd Change: Sometimes records end up in my bandcamp wishlist and I honestly couldn’t tell you how they got there. That’s true of Brooklyn’s Hotline TNT, who released their third album, Cartwheel, last month.

 

15) Oceanator - The Last Summer: When bulking out an order on Polyvinyl for Squirrel Flower’s latest record, I threw in Oceanator’s two records for good measure (well, I wanted the free shipping, which is how they get you). This is taken from the most recent record, 2022’s Nothing’s Ever Fine.

 

16) Snarls - Big Fish: Columbus, Ohio act Snarls released one of my favourite records in 2020 (Burst), and followed up with an EP (What About Flowers) in late 2021, and they seem to be gearing up to a new album with the release of this song that was released in October.

 

17) Occult X – Dead: I really don’t have much information on this Nashville artist aside from the dozen or so individual tracks on Bandcamp that are all pretty delightful bedroom pop ranging from March 2020 to September 2023 (which is when this song was released).

 

18) Josh Ritter - Bright Smile: We recently caught Josh Ritter in London while spending a few days in the UK, he’s currently on tour celebrating the 20^th anniversary of his third album, Hello Starling, and he played the album in full. I’d have used Snow is Gone on the mix but for time constraints so you get the album opener. Originally he didn’t have any US dates but since announced shows in February, so we’ll see him do the record again!

 

19) The Reds, Pinks and Purples - Build Love: I feel like I use a Reds, Pinks and Purples track on every mix, such is the rate at which Glenn Donaldson has released albums and Eps lately, but it turns out I don’t, so I should really rectify that! This is the title track from a four song EP that was released in September and has more of an acoustic/slowcore/sadcore vibe than most of his releases, and I’m absolutely here for it.

 

20) Helena Deland - Saying Something: Montreal singer/songwriter Helena Deland just released her second album, Goodnight Summerland, on the 13^th of October, following up her low-key but beautiful debut, Someone New from 2020. The record should appeal to fans of Big Thief’s early work and folk side.

 

21) Deathcrash – Unwind: March feels like an age ago when Deathcrash released Less, their second album (I closed out Q#149 with Dead, Crashed). At the time, their debut album, Return, from 2022 was out of print already but I managed to snag a repress a couple of months ago, and so here’s a track from it! 

 

22) REM – Parakeet: It’s hard to think that REM haven’t been a band for 12 years at this point… Their eleventh studio record, and first without drummer Bill Berry, Up, is celebrating a 25^th anniversary. I’ve always loved it, although it’s pretty hard for me to objectively think about REM albums, and it’s been gratifying to revisit.

 

This is the last normal mix of the year. The next one will be a roundup of my favourite releases of 2023. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a great time over the holiday season.

 

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#151 - August to September 2023

 

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/yp5xr9aubug670z/Q%2523151.zip/file

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT.COM 

Spotify link at end of notes, follow/subscribe to playlists here 

Q's Compilations

Vol #151 – August to September 2023

 

I’m late again but that was inevitable after being a month late with the last mix! What is time anyway… we’re officially in Autumn now which is a great time to be in New York. This mix maybe isn’t as filled with completely brand new tracks as usual, but it’s still mostly brand new.

 

01) Margaret Glaspy - Act Natural: I saw Margaret Glaspy play in 2017 and enjoyed her set, I’m sure I gave 2020’s Devotion a cursory listen but it didn’t stick. However, new album Echo the Diamond is a bit of a triumph. Released on the 18^th of August, this album opener in particular is, as the kids say, a banger and the album as a whole is definitely her strongest to date (at least to these ears).

 

02) Cory Hanson – Housefly: Western Cum is Cory Hanson’s third solo record, and the most like his regular band, Wand, with the first two records being more acoustic affairs. The similarity isn’t a bad thing by any measure, it’s an excellent album.

 

03) OMAT – Knot: OMAT are a new band to me, a quartet based in Brooklyn, this song ended up in my bandcamp from Fire Talk Records (who just opened up a store in Greenpoint I need to check out). I am certainly not mad at the number of shoegaze acts around these days

 

04) Pom Pom Squad - Head Cheerleader: I saw Pom Pom Squad open for Nada Surf in 2021 and I’d been enjoying their album Death of a Cheerleader already by that point. Singer Mia Barren even joined the band to sing Popular in the encore, but then went one further with the song, recording a cover and releasing a shot-for-shot recreation of the video (including a cameo from Matthew Caws). It took a while, but I recently bought the vinyl which brought it back into my rotation.

 

05) Helpful People - Protection Energy: I honestly thought I’d put a song by The Reds Pinks and Purples on every mix this year… but it turns out I haven’t used anything by Glenn Donaldson since March (he’s released a few Eps since then). Anyway, Helpful People is a new band featuring Donaldson and Carly Putnam and they just released Brokenblossom Threats and it’s obviously very good because I’m not sure there’s a universe that exists where he can conjure a bad song.

 

06) The Mountain Goats - Clean Slate: Some people might have been worried that The Mountain Goats hadn’t released a record this year… fear not, the band’s… 22^nd (?) album, Jenny From Thebes will be released on Merge Records on the 27^th of October. This track opens the record and is one of three singles so far.

 

07) Maura Weaver - As If Your Love: I Was Due a Heartache is the new album from Maura Weaver, released on Don Giovanni Records and mostly flits between delightful fuzzy indie-rockers like this and a few acoustic ballads with an alt-country underpin.

 

08) Liz Phair - Never Said: Liz Phair is about to tour in celebration of the 30^th anniversary of Exile In Guyville, also stopping at Kings Theatre, bringing an opener I like to the show (Blondshell). Despite all these basically perfect things, I haven’t bought a ticket yet (the show is the day after thanksgiving to be fair)! Anyway, obviously this song is on Guyville and you all probably know it already.

 

09) Everyone Asked About You - It's Days Like This Make Me Wish The Summer Would Last Forever: The Numero Group have been unearthing underappreciated 90s acts. Paper Airplanes Paper Hearts compiles the band’s entire recorded works.

 

10) The Belair Lip Bombs - Say My Name: Melbourne quartet The Belair Lip Bombs just released Lush Life on the 25^th of August via Cousin Will Records and I have to confess I don’t remember where I heard about this band. Pretty sure it was an artist I follow on Instagram that recommended them but that’s about all I’ve got!

 

11) Native Nod – Bread: Going back to the Numero Group’s 90s reissue series, the label has compiled the band’s recorded output and released This Can’t Exist. Obviously every band can’t “make it”, but I’m surprised this track isn’t on just about every 90s post-hardcore compilation.

 

12) Film School - Tape Rewind: LA shoegaze act Film School have been around since 1998, with a hiatus between 2011-2014. I think if you could AI generate a shoegaze song, it might sound like this, which opens their latest record, Field.

 

13) Follakzoid – II: Chilean greats Follakzoid is essentially a solo venture of Domingæ, have ventured into more trance-territory since the third record, and the recently released V (you guessed it, their fifth album) is fully entrenched at this point. That might put some people off, but stick with it, there’s a hypnotic element to the four tracks (that all clock in over ten minutes) that is hard to pull away from. Keep doing what you’re doing Domingæ.

 

14) Chaos Peversion - Absorbtion Ascension Under the Vampiric Connection: I’ve had this 10” EP on my wishlist for a few years but bought it on the last bandcamp Friday. Petrified Against the Emanation was originally released in 2019 but got a remaster and reissue in 2022. I should add, the band are from Chile, which originally peaked my interest, and other than that, I basically have no information about them…

 

15) Apostasy - Intro / Death: When I ordered the above record from Sentient Ruin, I trawled through other releases wondering if they had any other Chilean bands and eventually stumbled on this band and record (Death Return), so I ordered it! This is a classic thrash record released in 2021, which is their most recent record after Sunset of the End (released in 1991) and The Sign of Darkness (2018).

 

16) Emma Anderson - Bend the Round: Shoegaze/Britpop fans will recognise Emma Anderson from Lush, and her debut solo album, Pearlies, will be released on the 20^th of October via Sonic Cathedral. This song has a nice floaty quality to it that makes a lot of sense knowing her background but is clearly pretty far from Lush at the same time.

 

17) Ibex Clone - There is No Light: Memphis trio Ibex Clone include former members of Ex-Cult and Nots, and I should say Hash Reactor, but all of Ibex Clone were/are also in Hash Reactor… regardless you probably wouldn’t think they’d be this jangly based on their collective CVs, but Ibex Clone are all the better for it. Their record, All Channels Clear was released on Goner Records back in February.

 

18) Mini Snap - Leave it to You: A record I thought was new but actually came out, but Bounce Around was released in 2007 and passed me by at the time, it just happened to get a re-press in the US on Tall Texan, which I purchased at the same time as the Helpful People record featured earlier. Mini Snap is the side project of The Bats guitarist Kaye Woodward, and while it kinda sounds like The Bats, that’s obviously not a bad thing at all!

 

19) Madder Rose - Mystery Date: NYC indie vets Madder Rose had a 20 year hiatus between 1999 and 2019 when they released To Be Beautiful, and they just followed that up with new album No One Gets Hurt Ever which was released at the beginning of August. Despite the recent records, the band hadn’t played live in 24 years before a surprise performance in September.

 

20) Queen of Jeans - Get Lost: Philly trio Queen of Jeans’ last release was 2022’s EP Hiding In Place, but this opens their 2019 record If You’re Not Afraid, I’m Not Afraid, which I loved at the time and there’s no reason for its inclusion other than it’s been stuck in my head for months.

 

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#150 - June to July 2023

 

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/v2vql64k69b3i71/Q#150.zip/file 

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT.COM 

Spotify link at end of notes, follow/subscribe to playlists here 

Q's Compilations

Vol #150 – June to July 2023

 

Well another late mix, sorry about that, maybe the latest it’s ever been (if I’m lucky I’ll upload this on the 29^th of August). It has been a very busy time! We bought and moved into our new apartment in July and that coincides with a busy time at work, I’ve also re-learned to drive having never done so in the US and just passed my test. Anyway, here are some tunes, hopefully you find something to like! I took the cover photo is from early June when NYC felt post apocalyptic following wildfires in Canada.

01) Longings - Expensive Grave: This Western Mass band are completely new to me but since I am a Don Giovanni subscriber on bandcamp I receive every release digitally, and my interests were pricked when I read the band includes Cole Lanier of California X on drums. Dreams in Red is the bands second record, following up on their self-titled from 2015.

02) M.A.G.S. – Destroyer: I used a M.A.G.S. track back on Q#146 after seeing them open for Oso Oso at Warsaw, and the band have just released their third album, Destroyer, which came out on the 4^th of August, this is obviously the title track.

03) Sparks - The Girl is Crying in her Latte: Everyone’s favourite new band! The power of a good documentary can do wonders for a band’s reputation. I’ve been a fan of Sparks for a long time but can’t confess to keeping up with their releases and they’ve very much been a band I dip in and out of over the years. I’d never seen them live, however, and managed to rectify that at the end of June when they played the Beacon Theatre.

04) Worriers - Trust Your Gut: Worriers’ are set to release their fifth album (this is the title track), but second of 2023 following Warm Blanket that was released in April. The record features Atom Willard on drums.

05) Hurry - Begging For You: Philly have been producing great bands for a number of years now but nobody captures the pure joy of jangle quite like Hurry. New album Don’t Look Back comes out on the 11^th of August.

06) Ratboys - It's Alive!: Chicago quartet Ratboys have are just about to release their fifth record, The Window, on the 25^th of August, which is the first album they’ve recorded outside of Chicago. The album was recorded by Chris Walla, whose productio credits (as well as being a member of Death Cab for Cutie until 2014) include Nada Surf and The Decemberists.

07) The Hazmats - Skewed View: I don’t really know anything about this band other than liking the couple of songs that are available on bandcamp. Excellent power pop, maybe destined to appear on some kind of great-great-grandchildren-of-nuggets type compilation.

08) The Beaches - Blame Brett: Another band I don’t know too much about other than this track was recommended by Beach Bunny, maybe there’s something about the name… anyway, this is a fun track and will be on their second album, called Blame My Ex, which comes out in September.

09) Obits - You Gotta Lose: I was shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Rick Froberg, aged just 55, at the beginning of July. Rick possessed a great rock and roll voice and I was fortunate enough to see most of his bands over the years – Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and Obits. This is from Obit’s second record, Moody, Standard and Poor, they were the band that got the least attention but they were also amazing.

10) Mandy, Indiana - Injury Detail: I’ve Seen a Way, the debut record from Manchester (England) quartet Mandy, Indiana, is a difficult record to put your finger one. While the band are from England, singer Valentine Caulfield is from Paris and sings in French. They’re dancey and clubby in places like this song, for the most part there’s an industrial/noise quality to the record that is truly compelling and I keep going back for more.

11) Fat Tony - Gambling Man: Fat Tony has cropped up on a handful of Q-Comps over the years, this is on his 2020 record Exotica, which was his most recent until I Will Make a Baby in this Damn Economy was released at the end of August.

12) Sprain - Man, Propose, God Disposes: LA quartet Sprain have released two excellent slowcore records, but are just about to unleash their third album, The Lamb as Effigy on the 1^st of September. Having just received the record this week ahead of its release, it may well be an album of the year contender. Their previous two records (2020’s As Lost Through Collision and 2018’s self-titled) have also been spectacular, the debut with a wistful slowcore and the the follow-up adding some post-hardcore influences and even nothing the BPM significantly on a couple of songs, but it still revelled in its codeine-esque glacial moments. The new album has unleashed all the shackles and the band have so much confidence in their art, it’s hard to remember a band growing so much between records.

13) Vanishing Twin - Afternoon X: While it’s not being released until October, Vanishing Twin’s third album, Afternoon X, is hotly anticipated, and while this title track does feel like it could have slotted onto the previous album seamlessly, that’s not a bad thing to me. There’s something hypnotic about drummer Valentina Magaletti’s style that I could listen to all day.

14) Deeper - Build a Bridge: It always feels a bit of a shame when a band moves on from a label you follow closely (Fire Talk), although in the case of Deeper, they’ve signed to Sub Pop, and are about to release new album Careful! on the 8^th of September. This track opens the record.

15) Squid - Green Light: Having released my favourite album of 2021 with Bright Green Field (and also played two incredible NYC shows), expectations were always going to be astronomical for the follow-up. O Monolith was released in June once again on Warp Records and even after a couple of months I feel like I’m still digesting it, but this track is one of those immediate and high-octane tracks that they do so well.

16) Dusk - Pissing in a Wishing Well: Five years after their self-titled debut, Dusk are about to release Glass Pastures on the 20^th of October via Don Giovanni Records. Amos Pitsch is one of those guys who can seemingly do just about anything and do it well. Whether it’s the country/honky tonk of Dusk or the pure anthemic fist-bumping rock and roll of Tenement, to film and TV scores, I consider him one of the most underrated musicians in the country.

17) Julia Jacklin - You Were Right: I’d conspired to miss Julia Jacklin play a few times since I became a fan in 2019, but thankfully got to see her play a free show in Central Park this summer and I just felt like putting the song on this mix as a result. This track is from her second record, Crushing.

18) Del Amitri - Gone in a Second: I was fortunate enough to catch a headline show out in Red Bank, NJ during Del Amitri’s tour opening for Barenaked Ladies. When I’ve seen a band a number of times I tend to judge shows based on the number of songs I haven’t heard live before, or for a long time. This song is on the “b-sides” release of the last, so it was a thrill to hear live for the first time album (there aren’t b-sides anymore but Del Amitri are the best b-side band of all time). I can say, having seen my four favourite bands (Del Amitri, Rush, Nada Surf, REM) almost 60 times between them and never before as an opening act, it was a strange feeling experiencing that a few days after seeing the headline show…

19) Current Joys - My Shadow Life: I became a big Current Joys fan when A Different Age was released in 2018, it was one of those records that was a lo-fi masterpiece, so sad and downbeat that it was truly beautiful while follow-up Voyager in 2021 was highly produced by comparison but also an excellent record. New album LOVE + POP was just released at the beginning of August and while it harkens back to the first few lo-fi records, it almost feels like a collection of throwaway tracks that aren’t quite fully realised. I like this tune, for example, but it’s also 90 seconds long, which isn’t much shorter than the average track length.

20) Pot Valiant - Nugget Killer: I probably can’t make a mix without adding something that Numero have just re-issued and this time around it’s Berkeley’s Pot Valiant who released a couple of Eps and an album in 1993/94. Number compile their discography on a re-issue called Never Return.

21) Squirrel Flower - When a Plant is Dying: One of my favourite acts of the last few years is Ella Williams AKA Squirrel Flower, who is about to release her third album, Tomorrow’s Fire, in October. This track features some of the same smouldering guitar that was so brilliantly used on previous record Planet (i), and the album is being billed as a rock record to listen to loudly. Suffice to say I have high hopes that I’m sure will be surpassed! “There must be more to life than being on time”

22) Clearbody – Cordelia: Heavy shoegaze trio Clearbody released their second EP Bend Into a Blur back in June (though that depends if you consider debut release One More Day as an album or an EP…). This track closes out the release but I could have easily used any of the five tracks. I usually end on a downbeat track but we’re rocking out this time. 

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#149 - April to May 2023

 

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/d1a17xegg6ehv3x/Q#149.zip/file

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT.COM 

Spotify link at end of notes, follow/subscribe to playlists here 

Q's Compilations

Vol #149 – April to May 2023

 

Another mix, and possibly the latest one in terms of missing a deadline! There are some mitigating circumstances… we went to Africa for a couple of weeks (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana) and for the most part had a great time! We also just bought an apartment and closed on that a few days after we got back from holiday, so it’s been go-go-go. Anyway, ultimately this got thrown together pretty quickly but I think it’s a decent mix, I hope there’s something for you to like.

 

01) The Dirty Nil - Nicer Guy: Canadian power-trio The Dirty Nil just released their fourth studio album, Free Rein to Passions on the 26^th of May. It’s choc-full of riffs and anthemic choruses that they specialise in and they’re definitely one of my favourite bands that I have somehow continued to miss live, thankfully I’ll rectify that at Bowery Ballroom on the 8^th of July. This is the lead single from the record.

 

02) Cloud Nothings - Internal World: I went through a Cloud Nothings kick recently, mostly because I thought Carpark Records were having an amazing sale on bandcamp and all their albums on vinyl were listed at $5 each, so I bought every one, only to find out they had made an error. Still, they’re in my bandcamp collection now… this is from 2017’s Life Without Sound record.

 

03) Bully - Days Move Slow: Lucky For You, the fourth Bully Album, essentially the solo work of Alicia Bognanno, just came out on the 2^nd of June (Bognanno also produced The Mountain Goats’ last album, Bleed Out). This is the lead single and probably stand-out track from the record, which I need to spend a little more time with, but does transport you nicely back to the heady alt-rock days of the early-to-mid 90s.

 

04) Easy Star All Stars - Moonage Daydream: I loved Easy Star All Stars’ Dub Side of the Moon (2003) and Radiodread (2006), but completely missed Lonely Hearts Dub Band (2009) and Thrillah (2012), which was their last record until they put out a reggae version of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, calling it Ziggy Stardub. This track even features Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson so I had to choose it for the mix.

 

05) Joseph – Fireworks: Released on the 28^th of April, The Sun is Joseph’s third studio album. Having seen the three sisters perform as an acoustic trio, it’s still a little jarring to hear their recorded output produced with all the bells and whistles, some of the charm is lost. However, this is a good pop banger.

 

06) Puppy Angst – TKO: This single fell into my lap because I subscribe to the label Fire Talk on Bandcamp, there are some big Cure vibes on this song and obviously that’s a good thing. Their bandcamp is usually what I’m looking for in a nutshell “it's like puppy love but a lil more sad 🐕 shoegazy/dreamy fuzz pop; kind of fun kind of a bummer”. I’m looking forward to digging into the discography.

 

07) Glow in the Dark Flowers - On the Marble: Chicago duo Jessee Rose Crane and Philip Lesicko have been making jangly reverb-heavy, sometimes noisey indie rock music together for some time now under the name The Funs. However, they decided that the new material was different enough to warrant a new name and Glow in the Dark Flowers were born, the music is a little darker, but the essence is still there for me. Released via Born Yesterday Records on the 14^th of April, this track immediately drew me in.

 

08) Human Barbie – Empty: Thanks to my buddy Felix for sending this track to me back in January, which is from a 2022 EP called No Worries. Felix is one of my most trusted musical comrades, and this track is probably a good summation of his laid back California vibe. If I used too many of the tracks he sends me, you might as well listen to his mixes!

 

09) Stuck - The Punisher: Another Born Yesterday band, I used Do Not Reply back on Q#146 hoping that it was a preview of an upcoming album, and that has thankfully come true with the release of Freak Frequency that was released on the 26^th of May. Do Not Reply closes the record, and this track opens the album, so if you’re paying attention you have the album bookmarked! Stuck are just another example of the great bands coming out of Chicago in the last few years.

 

10) Sweeping Promises – Eraser: I had to pinch myself that it’s been three years since Sweeping Promises’ debut album Hunger for a Way Out was released. On Q#133 I noted they were a Boston band but their bandcamp bio notes they’re now based in Lawrence, Kansas. New record Good Living Is Coming For You comes out on the 30^th of June and at the time of writing this is the lead and only track from the record, which hints at a continuation of the lo-fi production values.

 

11) Asian Glow - Sneezing Seasonal Creators: I’ve used a couple of Parannoul tracks and mentioned the burgeoning bedroom-shoegaze from South Korea, as prominent is Asian Glow. This is from Asian Glow’s most recent record, Stalled Glues, means, which came out on the 13^th of June 2022 (a good day!). 

 

12) Fruit Bats - It All Comes Back: The latest Fruit Bats record, A River Running To Your Heart, is largely a low-key affair that I’m still getting to grips with. After a string of near-perfect records, it’s always jarring when something isn’t an immediate banger, but the record is a grower and I was lucky to see them on 4/20 for the second year in a row (if nothing else, perhaps every 4/20 should feature a Fruit Bats show in NYC).

 

13) American Grandma - Stone Cross: Band names don’t really raise an eyebrow anymore, which is probably a good thing for Denver, Colorado duo American Grandma. When it comes to immaculately produced slowcore, Rare Knives of Light (released the 7^th of April this year) is too good to worry about questionable monikers.

 

14) Public Interest – Undone: I really miss Girls Names from Belfast (2009-2018) and it’s a little unfair to perhaps look for direct replacements but Oakland’s Public Interest do seem to perfectly scratch that itch with Spiritual Pollution which was released on the 7^th of April.

 

15) Eyelids - I Can't Be Told: Portland, Oregan’s Eyelids are one of those bands that are the sum of their parts, and often one of those parts includes REM’s Peter Buck, be it producing, playing guitar, or performing live from time to time. Even a sprinkle of REM-magic can transcend most bands and it’s perhaps a little unfair of Eyelids to mention Buck’s involvement because the songs and quality of the records speak for themselves, what I’m getting at is that if you enjoy REM’s IRS years you should love Eyelids.

 

16) Doe St - Blue & White: Australian band Doe St were featured on the previous compilation (Chasing the Scream on Q#148 from their self-titled record of February 2022), they’ve since released new album Stepping Stones that just came out on the 11^th of May, which continues the good work they’ve put up so far.

 

17) Grumpy - Davy Jones: I can’t quite remember how I heard about this Queens, NY act but this record (Loser) was released in March 2020 and this track opens the album and while you can’t hear everything all the time, I’m surprised it took three years for it to come onto my radar!

 

18) Girl Puppy - I Wish: When I’m Alone is the debut album of Atlanta, Georgia’s Becca Harvey, aka Girlpuppy, and was released on the 28^th of October 2022 via Royal Mountain Records. This track was the lead single from the album and if you’re whimsical indie-pop then you’re in the right place.

 

19) Indigo De Souza - Parking Lot: One of my favourite discoveries from 2022, Indigo De Souza just released her third record, All of This Will End, on Saddle Creek on the 28^th of May. I’ve conspired to miss her shows to date but she is playing a free show in Prospect Park in August.

 

20) Local Weatherman – Guns: I think this was another “well you liked this on bandcamp, try this band” algorithm, the Pavement tones here are pretty apparent but I’m a sucker for some good slacker. Their self-titled debut album came out in January.

 

21) Horse Jumper of Love - Heartbreak Rules: Essentially a solo record from vocalist/guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos, Heartbreak Rules still justifies being a HJoL record by name given the quality of the songs. We’re still very much in slowcore territory, but the songs are more sparse and acoustic driven.

 

22) Deathcrash – Dead, Crashed: Slowcore / post-rock, maybe even a little emo at times, the London band’s second record, Less, was released in March and has US distribution via Fire Talk, which is how I heard of the band in the first place. This track closes out the record and felt like a good mix closer too.

 

I’ll try not to be so late next time!

 

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#148 - February to March 2023

 

                                     Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT.COM 

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/z3nw8l1cwj62l2f/Q#148.zip/file

Spotify link at end of notes, follow/subscribe to playlists here 

Q's Compilations

Vol #148 – February to March 2023

 

Happy Spring! The year has started quite nicely, with a trip to Puerto Rico and some great concerts in the book already (Unwound (three shows!), Codeine, The Beths and White Reaper). The first “normal” mix of the year usually has quite a few stragglers from the previous year that didn’t quite make the “best of” cut, but this mix is almost entirely songs released this year. I hope there’s plenty to enjoy!

 

01) White Reaper - Fog Machine: Asking For a Ride was released on the 27^th of January, although as is fairly typical these days, the vinyl release is lagging behind (my pre-order should come in April). The band’s first album since 2019’s You Deserve Love, the riffs come thick and fast with guitar solos aplenty as you’d expect. I caught their recent show at Irving Plaza which was pure entertainment. “When my phone rings, Can't wait to hear what you say”

 

02) Screaming Females – Ornament: New Brunswick’s finest just released their eighth studio album, Desire Pathway, once again on Don Giovanni Records. The trio have also just completed a short tour of Alaska which means they’ve played in every state in the US, quite the achievement! The new record is filled with all the signature Screaming Females power trio elements and I can’t wait to see them at Elsewhere in April, which will be my 13^th time seeing them, but it feels like an age since I last saw them in 2019.

 

03) Purling Hiss - Yer All In My Dreams: Another great power trio, Philly’s Purling Hiss put out their new record, Drag on Girard on the 24^th of March (just in time to make it on the mix). This track opens the record and really sets the tone for singer/guitarist Mike Polizze to do what he does best, shred.

 

04) Hannah Jadagu - What You Did: First featured two years ago on Q#137 with bedroom pop anthem “Think Too Much” when she was unsigned at the time, now she’s about to release debut album Aperture via Sub Pop Records in May. There’s definitely some higher production values as you’d expect, but the three songs released so far still have all the charm of the early songs.

 

05) Gum – Stallion: I can’t quite remember how I heard of this Brooklyn quartet but they just put out their debut album, You’ll Never Know Yourself, in January, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a long lost 90s gem. The record mostly splits between Pavement-ish slacker rock and punchy numbers like this one.

 

06) Blondshell – Joiner: Half of Blondshell’s  (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum) self-titled debut album has been spoonfed as singles since June last year, so there won’t be too many new songs to digest by the time the record is released on the 7^th of April, but it might end up low-key being one of the albums of the year.

 

07) Samia – Honey: This is probably the song I most struggle to get out of my head lately. Samia’s second record, Honey, was released at the end of January and is definitely more on the pop side than the indie charm of The Baby, but it seems like a natural progression.

 

08) Parannoul - We Shine at Night: There’s a pretty cool bedroom/DIY shoegaze scene from South Korea at the moment which I’ve barely touched, but I’m a big fan of everything Parannoul has put out since his 2020 debut Let's Walk on the Path of a Blue Cat. New album After the Magic just came out at the end of January, his first available on vinyl I believe (though I’m not expecting that until July…).

 

09) bdrmmm - It's Just a Bit of Blood: You don’t hear about many bands from Hull! I was a big fan of debut album Bedroom from 2020 so I’ve high hopes for I Don’t Know which comes out on the 3^rd of May.

 

10) The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Life in the Void: I feel like The Reds, Pinks & Purples have been on more mixes than not in the last couple of years, which speaks to both the quality of the music and how prolific Glenn Donaldson has been. New album The Town That Cursed Your Name, which features a few songs with a fuzzier sound than their signature tone. I feel like The Reds, Pinks & Purples are one of those bands that you run out of things to say about but that doesn’t mean I don’t love the music dearly.

 

11) Doe St. - Chasing the Scream: A few seconds into this tune and you could probably guess they’re an Australian band (from Melbourne, to be precise), this is from their self-titled debut and was released in February 2022.

 

12) Connections - In Space: Columbus Ohio indie vets Connections released new album Cool Change on the 24^th of March on Trouble In Mind Records and you shouldn’t really look too much further if you want some pure Guided By Voices / REM college radio rock.

 

13) R. Ring – Hug: A tale of two Dayton’s, R. Ring sees Kelley Deal (of The Breeders) from Dayton Ohio, and Mike Montgomery (of Ampline), who lives in Dayton KY. Their new album War Poems, We Rested was released on Don Giovanni Records at the end of January and you could probably fool someone that this was a Breeders song (that is to say, it’s fantastic).

 

14) Noble Rot - Casting No Light: Two of the best Canadians bands of this millennium are Holy Fuck and METZ, so I was pretty excited to hear about Noble Rot, which puts Alex Edkins (METZ) and Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) together. It’s definitely more on the Holy Fuck side of the two, which is fine by me.

 

15) FACS - When You Say: Chicago trio FACS’ latest album Still Life in Decay comes out on the 7^th of April, and if this lead single is anything to go by then it’ll be another triumph. FACS are at their best when drummer Noah Leger and bassist Alianna Kalaba are creating a racket (since playing on the record, Alianna has since amicably left the band to be replaced by founding member Jonathan Van Herik), while Brian Chase adds textures as much as melody.

 

16) Kraus – Want: I think this was a bandcamp led “if you like this band, you might like this band” discography, this album, Eye Escapes is a pay-what-you-want download and turns out to be a collection of songs that didn’t make it on a couple of their records. The record is a little disjointed which is what you’d expect, but there are some highlights like this heavy shoegaze tune.

 

17) Codeine – D: The only tune that isn’t recent, but I was overjoyed to be able to see slowcore legends Codeine recently at Union Pool before they took part of Numero’s 20^th anniversary show in LA. They’ve since announced shows across the rest of the US, UK and Europe. The show I went to was their first gig in ten years and they’re truly a band I didn’t think I’d get to see. This might be the obvious Codeine song to put on a mix, but it also essentially defines an entire genre, and not many bands can say that.

 

18) Hydrodate - Early Reflections: This song ended up in my bandcamp collection because I subscribe to Fire Talk Records and while I still don’t really know much about the band other than they’re from Chicago and aside from this tune have an EP under their belt from 2022.

 

19) Deary – Fairground: For having only released this one song to date, there’s a little hyperbole around this London duo. This is almost too perfectly put together for Cocteau Twins fans, but it’s hard not to fall for how beautiful these almost four minutes are.

 

20) Cindy - A Trumpet on the Hillside: San Francisco quarter Cindy’s new album Why Not Now? Is out on the 14^th of April via Mount Saint Mountain. I used them on Q#140 with a song called My Friend from previous record 1:2 and while it’s hard to describe their music as enthralling, there is some kind of comforting warmth that pulls you in for a hug, even if everything sounds so down.

 

21) Waveform – Lonely: If you thought things were going to pick up as the mix came to a close, you’d be wrong. Connecticut’s Waveform will release new album Antarctica on the 12^th of May, with this song opening the record.

 

Despite being a little late, I’m really pleased with this mix and hope you found something to like too!

 

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#147 - December 2022 to January 2023

                                     Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT 

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/22mapsai3drcmvo/Q%2523147.zip/file

Spotify link at end of notes, follow/subscribe to playlists here 

Q's Compilations

Vol #147 – December 2022 to January 2023

 

Happy new year! I hope everyone had a nice time over the holiday season. I feel a little guilty saying this but 2022 was an excellent and milestone year for me – I got married, turned 40, got a promotion and travelled well. Music-wise it was pretty good too, I even got to see Del Amitri three times on their first US tour in over 20 years. It felt like a bit of a legacy/nostalgic year for live shows, seeing the likes of Supergrass, Rage Against the Machine, Porcupine Tree, Jimmy Eat World, Pavement, Sigur Ros and Manic Street Preachers all for the first time in years, decades for some, as well as seeing the likes of Elton John, Tori Amos and the Lemonheads for the first time. I promise I also saw a bunch of new acts!

 

01) Thus Love – Repetitioner: I used Inamoto on the previous mix so if you have been paying attention this Vermont trio should sound familiar! This track opens their debut album Memorial that came out in October via Captured Tracks and really nails that 80s goth/post-punk mix. 

02) Gladie - Born Yesterday: Another band that featured on the previous mix, the band’s latest record, Don't Know What You're In Until You're Out, was released on the 18^th of November and features some of Augusta Koch’s best songwriting. “Now the floodgates are open. The way I feel I could fill the ocean. The way I feel I could fill the ocean, on my own”

03) Weird Nightmare – Lusitania: METZ frontman Alex Edkins released his debut solo record under the moniker Weird Nightmare in May via Sub Pop. I used Searching For You back on Q#142 (Feb/March), it merits being a solo album by sounding different enough from METZ, but that’s probably more from a production point of view, the bones of METZ songs still seem like they’re there – but I love METZ so there’s nothing to complain about!

04) Beach Bunny – Oxygen: Beach Bunny can do no wrong, releasing second full-length album Emotional Creature in July on Mom+Pop Records (Gone featured on Q#144) and I was fortunate enough to see them at Brooklyn Steel in the summer. Oxygen was the lead single from the album but I could have picked any track. “Suddenly, everything is easy. I've never felt something so deeply. 'Cause with you, with you, I breathe again. Baby, you're my oxygen” 

05) Horsegirl - Anti-Glory: Maybe the indie-success story of 2022 was Horsegirl’s album Versions of Modern Performance that came out in June, this track opens the record. I’ll take a smug hipster tap of my hat by featuring them in 2021 when they only had three tracks on their bandcamp page.

06) Kids on a Crime Spree - Karl Kardel Building: Nine years after releasing a handful of singles, Kids on a Crime Spree released their debut record Fall In Love Not In Line, 10 tracks zip by in under half an hour and it’s filled with all that lovely Slumberland Records jangle and fuzz.

07) Black Country, New Road - Chaos Space Marine: Black Country, New Road released my favourite album of 2021 (For the First Time) and followed it up with Ants From Up There in February 2022. Unfortunately, vocalist/guitarist Isaac Wood quit the band days before the album was released and while the band are continuing, it’s proven a little difficult to have much emotional connection with this release. It’s an excellent album, so that’s a shame, and I’m excited about what they’ll do in the future - they’ve so far said they won’t play any songs live from this or the previous album, however, so this just feels like a weird time capsule in some ways.

08) Matt Kivel – Blush: bend reality ~ like a wave was released in October (I used Find Love on the previous mix) and I’d describe it as a Sunday afternoon record, incredibly soothing.

09) The Mountain Goats - Make You Suffer: The 21^st Mountain Goats Record! Bleed Out was released in August via Merge Records and was produced by Bully’s Alicia Bognanno. I think it’s their best album since 2015’s Beat the Champ (I also used Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome in Q#144). “Let your yes be yes, and your no come from deep in your belly. I'm going to make you suffer”

10) The Beths - Head in the Clouds: New Zealand’s current finest, The Beths released their third album, Expert in a Dying Field in September (Silence is Golden featured on Q#144). They also played a great show in February and I have tickets to see them at Brooklyn Steel in March. The show in February completed an excellent trio of shows that is always amazing to experience in New York, seeing them growing venue sizes from Mercury Lounge, to Music Hall of Williamsburg, to Webster Hall. It was hard to pick a track for this mix but it was probably the ripping guitar solo that sealed the deal.

11) Oso Oso - Computer Exploder: Sore Thumb took me a number of plays for it to really start clicking as well as 2019’s Basking in the Glow, but it was a record I just started coming back to over and over again. I also used Describe You on Q#143.

12) Young Guv - It's Only Dancing: Released three months apart, Guv III and Guv IV are a little hard to tell apart as records and I had to check which track this was on (for the record, it’s III). Ben Cook writes powerpop hooks as good as anyone. “Baby I just gotta move, but I’m forbidden to go outside, I got a brand-new pair of boots and a shirt so loud I wanna show the world how I can slide. It’s only dancing.”

13) DEHD - Empty In My Mind: This is the Chicago trio’s fifth Q-comp appearance since first appearing on Q#127. Latest record Blue Skies was released on Fat Possum Records (previous albums had all been on Fire Talk) and continues their upward trajectory.

14) The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Pour the Light In: Glenn Donaldson had a prolific year that was a little hard to keep up with, though strictly speaking I think this record, Summer at Land’s End was the only full-length album (I also bought the version that came with a bonus instrumental album), but there have also been a string of Eps and expanded reissues. “all this time spent, learning how to swim, through open clouds, pour the light in” 

15) Pet Fox - It Won't Last: Boston trio Pet Fox and feature members of Ovlov and Palehound/Grass is Green, but I think they might be better than all those bands. After a few Eps, they released debut record A Face in Your Life on Exploding In Sound records in June.

16) The Smile - We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings: I felt very fortunate to get to see The Smile at King’s Theatre towards the end of the year, which was one of the best shows I saw. Radiohead’s existence is murky at the moment, but if Thom and Johnny continue to release records as good as A Light for Attracting Attention then, I won’t saw I wouldn’t miss them, but I could get used to it, it’s better than a few Radiohead albums, I think!

17) Plates of Cake – Nickel: And the award for best song that sounds exactly like Television goes to Plates of Cake! That isn’t mean as a slight, I love this song and finding eight and a half minutes for it on the mix should say it all. The band released Got a Feeling that I Live Here in September and this feels like the centre-piece.

18) The Ganjas - Space Trees: Chilean psych greats The Ganjas returned with their first studio album in eight years with Generation, released of course on the finest label, BYM Records. The album sounds like they’ve never been away.

19) Fliege - Sight for the Snowblind: It can be a little hard to sound objective when two of your best friends release records, but Fliege’s new album One Day They'll Wonder What Happened Here, retelling of John Carpenter’s The Thing (which celebrated a 40^th anniversary last year) demanded to be on this mix. This song perhaps encapsulates everything about the duo, with more guitar licks than most bands fit onto a single album, the whole record is an ambitious triumph.

20) Erasers - Constant Connection: I used You See on Q#143 and this is the title track from the Aussie duo’s third album. They often sound like they could do a great soundtrack to an Italian horror movie.

21) Julia Jacklin - Be Careful With Yourself: A record that really grew on me towards the end of the year was Julia Jacklin’s Pre Pleasure. The album is very laid back and low key but slowly pulls you in. “I've seen enough now to know that this is special. So I'm just asking politely if you'd just try and be careful with yourself”

And there you go, some of my favourites from 2022, I hope 2023 treats you as well as last year treated me. If you ever discover anything from these mixes, I do love to hear from you, let me know!

As always, Peace and Love - Q