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Q's Compilations
Vol #154 – February
to March 2024
Ok
we’re a little late on this one… but it’s the first regular mix of the
year and almost every track is brand new.
01)
The Follies - I Idled: Fronted by Evan Radigan of Vanity (whose 2016 album Don’t
Be Shy is well worth checking out), The Follies have a little more jangle
to them and Permanent Present Tense, the band’s debut, came out on the
23rd of February via Feel It Records. I love all the little guitar
licks on this tune, which opens the record and felt like the perfect opener
here.
02)
Bollard - Montreal Donuts: I have to thank my buddy Felix for this track that
he sent me on a spotify mix. From Melbourne, Australia, this tune from their
album Lo that came out in October, really evokes the band Kitchens of
Distinction (truly one of the most under appreciated bands in history).
03)
Snarls - Heavy Drinker: Columbus Ohio band Snarls are gearing up to release
their second record, With Love, on the 3rd of May (their 2020
debut Burst was one of my favourite records of that year). This tune
features one of their signature big choruses and I’ll hopefully catch them on
their first headline tour this summer.
04)
Glass Beams – Mahal: Another Melbourne act, they have two Eps to date, this is
the title track to their March 22 release of this year and it’s a hypnotic,
groovy, psychedelic treat.
05)
Bad Bad Hats – TPA: Minneapolis’ Bad Bad Hats will release their latest album
(self-titled) on the 12th of April on Don Giovanni Records. I saw
the band open for The Beths in 2019 and enjoyed their deadpan humour in
addition to their quirky tunes.
06)
DEHD - Mood Ring: Chicago trio are releasing their fifth album, Poetry,
on Fat Possum Records on the 10th of May (it still feels a bit weird
they aren’t on Fire Talk Records, alas) and the two singles from the record
suggest they have another great record to add to the discography. There’s some
about that guitar tone that’s so beautiful.
07)
Cloud Nothings - Running Through Campus: Another Ohio band on the mix, Cloud
Nothings will release their eighth record, Final Summer, on the 19th
of April via Pure Noise Records. I haven’t seen the band in six years so feel
like I’m due to fix that! This song has their signature sound down to a tee.
08)
Porcelain – Disgrace: The surprise discovery of the year so far for me is
Porcelain’s self titled debut which came out in February on Portrayal of Guilt.
The Unwound influences seem like they are worn fully on their sleeves but
obviously for me that is a massive plus point for me and it’s my favourite
record of the year to date. I sadly had to miss their NYC show recently so I’m
hoping they come back soon!
09)
Frail Body – Refrain: Screamo trio Frail Body’s second album, Artificial
Bouquet just came out at the end of March, which is new enough that I
haven’t actually listened to the whole album yet. This was the lead single from
the album and if it’s half as good as their 2019 debut A Brief Momentum then
it’ll be one of the best of the year.
10)
METZ - Entwined (Street Light Buzz): Toronto trio METZ have released four
incredible albums since their 2012 self-titled debut and are one of the best
live bands I’ve ever experienced (seven times to date, soon to be eight). On
their fifth album, Up on Gravity Hill, which comes out on the 12th
of April via Sub Pop, the singles so far show a degree of subtlety and layers
of atmosphere that they’ve only hinted at on occasion.
11)
The Smile - Read the Room: I have to confess, I haven’t spent as much time with
The Smile’s second album, Wall of Eyes, as I dedicated to their debut, I
think that’s largely because the album was released in January while our
kitchen renovation was in full swing so I couldn’t play records (for better or
worse, I feel a bit weird about hearing an album digitally before the physical
release if I’ve paid for it).
12)
The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Your Worst Song is Your Greatest Hit: Glenn
Donaldson has been pretty prolific in the last five years, with numerous
records and Eps (I wish he’d compile the Eps into a physical release,
however!), and his latest record, Unwishing Well, is out on the 12th
of April. I’ve ran out of ways to describe The Reds, Pinks & Purples, but I
am starting to wonder if between this song, and having a tune called Don’t
Come Home Too Soon, that he might be a Del Amitri fan…
13)
Fruit Bats - On the Avalon Stairs (live): For the last couple of tours, Fruit
Bats have been recording shows where possible and they’re about to release a 20
song live collection called Starry-eyed, in Stereo, on the 10th
of May. So far this is just a digital release and this is the only tune that is
available on it, but I’m sure it’ll be good!
14)
Joyer - Drive All Night: Brooklyn band Joyer’s third album, Night Songs, comes
out on the 26th of April, their previous records were fairly
entrenched in slowcore (which is why I came on board!) and the new songs sound
a little more expansive, so I’m really intrigued to hear the full album.
15)
Asian Glow - Unwired Detour: The bedroom shoegaze scene from South Korea has
given us some great music, but one of the most prominent artists, Asian Glow,
has just released his fourth and final album as Asian Glow, Unwired Detour,
which came out on the 4th of February. It’s a typically ambitious
record which jumps around all over the place. Hopefully he (real name Shin
Gyeongwon) continues to make music in another name.
16)
The Polvos - In to the Space: If there are Chilean psych rock bands out there,
I will find them. The band are from Concepción and this is from their second
record, Floating, which was released in December. This track opens the
album and is a little faster than the rest of the record, which is a little
more space-rock/jammy.
17)
L.O.G. – Om: Another Chilean psych band! L.O.G. stands for Low Oniric Guidance,
and this track opens their self-titled (and only, to my knowledge) album which
was released in 2016.
18)
Torrey - No Matter How: With another thanks to Felix here who sent me this track,
I’d had this band on my bandcamp wishlist but had not gotten around to
listening to them before he sent me this track. This Oakland quintet just
released their self-titled album on the always reliable Slumberland Records.
19)
Jess Cornelius - People Move On: I heard about this artist via Mikal Cronin,
who plays on and produces her upcoming album, Care/Taking, which comes
out in June. Cronin himself is well overdue a record at this point with his
last full album being Seeker in 2019.
20)
Bnny - Good Stuff: Fire Talk artist Bnny’s second record One Million Love
Songs was released by Fire Talk on the 5th of April. I liked
debut album Everything (2021) a lot but on the first couple of listens,
this album seems to be more confident and I haven’t noticed it get many reviews
which is a shame.
21)
PACKS – Honey: Another Fire Talk artist, Madeline Link’s latest album as PACKS
is called Melt the Honey and is a pretty breezey garage rock record, it
kinda feels like it should have come out in the spring rather than January, but
what do I know?
22)
Arushi Jane - Imagine an Orchestra: I was utterly besotted by Arushi Jain’s
2021 masterpiece Under the Lilac Sky, so immediately pre-ordered her new
album Delight, and I just received the vinyl, which I haven’t had the
chance to play yet! Suffice to say, this felt like it had to close the record
out. She goes by the name Modular Princess, which really almost tells you all
you need to know.
Really
hope there’s plenty to like on here, please do let me know!
As
always, Peace and Love - Q
