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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 26th
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 8th
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 2nd 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 28th 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 14th
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 26th 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 30th 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 13th 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 7th 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 7th 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 11th 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 28th 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 28th 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
