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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 29th 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 4th 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 11th of August.
06) Ratboys - It's Alive!: Chicago quartet Ratboys have are just about to release their fifth record, The Window, on the 25th 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 1st 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 8th 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 20th 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
