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Q's Compilations
Vol #155 – April to
May 2024
Another
late one! No particular excuse because I’ve been enjoying this mix for a few
weeks at this point, but it’s the middle of June and I’ll have completed
another orbit around the sun on the 13th and I’m still somehow
keeping most of the grey hairs away. Almost everything here is entirely new so
I hope you find something to love. Oxford United also managed to get promoted
to the championship for the first time this millennium so things are going ok!
01)
Nada Surf – In Front of Me Now: It still feels a little alien, but Nada Surf
have signed to a new record label and will release new album, Moon Mirror, in
September via New West Records following a long run on Barsuk. This lead single
has their classic sound and I’m looking forward to seeing them in October, it’s
been three years since they played NYC which seems crazy.
02)
Supercrush - Lost my Head: Seattle power-pop trio Supercrush have featured on a
couple of qcomps previously and this track is featured on a new compilation
called From Far It All Seems Small which is a collection of Seattle
underground tracks.
03)
Pile of Love - Happy to Hide: I think I heard this track on a random spotify
mix, sometimes the algo has a direct hit! This LA quintet have put out a record
and two Eps since 2021, with the most recent being Super Sometimes from
December 2023 on which this track appears.
04)
The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Rare Night (Don't Say Goodbye): In typical
Glenn Donaldson fashion, he released a digital-only record weeks after the last
“proper” album, Unwishing Well, which was released in April (and
naturally had a song on the previous mix). He’s currently on tour in the UK and
Europe but has yet to play NYC but surely it can’t be too long before he plays
a show here! This track is from the aforementioned This is Adult Art School that
came out on bandcamp on the 1st of May. B-sides don’t really exist
anymore which is a shame because he’d be the king of them.
05)
A Country Western - The Dreamer: Philly quartet A Country Western released
their latest record, Life on the Lawn, in March, and it’s a great low
key record with elements of americana, slowcore and indie rock. Primarily
recorded live in their practice space with a few overdubs, it’ll be one of
those records that probably gets forgotten about during the best of year
roundups but totally deserves to be in the conversation.
06)
Quivers – Apparition: Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Quivers have just
signed to Merge Records to release new album Oyster Cuts on the 9th
of August. I own and like their two previous albums so am happy to see them
getting the Merge treatment! This has one of those earworm choruses that will
creep up on you.
07)
Why Bonnie - Dotted Line: Newly signed to Fire Talk, which meant this track ended
up in my bandcamp collection as I’m a digital subscriber, it felt like an
instant win and I ended up going back and listening to previous record 90 In
November from 2022 which I have since picked up on vinyl. Self-coined as Shoegazeicana
which feels apt for this track, which I’m hoping is a sign that a full
album is on the way.
08)
Parks, Squares and Alleys – Shadows: I can’t remember how I came about this
record (Zero Division Error) that was released in July 2023, or even
that much about the artist at this point other than their bandcamp page lists
them as from Tbilisi, Georgia. It feels weird to say this sounds like a
throwback but this does hark back to when I first moved to New York when you
had bands like Diiv making waves, I can totally see this band on stage at
Glasslands (RIP).
09)
Milly - Drip from the Fountain: If it hasn’t been hammered down your throat
enough times already, shoegaze is back, and I’m fine with that! Keen listeners
may remember the track Illuminate from my October 2022 mix (of course
you do…), their follow up record, Your Own Becoming is coming out on the
28th of June and this is about as classic a shoegaze sound as you
can get.
10)
Majesty Crush - No.1 Fan: The only re-issue/old track on this mix is, almost
inevitably, was re-issued by Numero, with the career spanning Butterflies
Don’t Go Away in March 2024. This was originally on their only album, Love
15 from 1993 and the quartet were active from 1990 to 1995. In 2017,
frontman David Stroughter was killed by LA police officers while wielding an
axe, he had been diagnosed as schizophrenic with bipolar disorder many years
prior.
11)
Thou - I Feel Nothing When You Cry: Baton Rouge metal greats Thou just released
new album Umbilical via Sacred Bones Records, and while it’s their first
full length album since 2018’s Magus, they’ve released numerous Eps and
collaborations in that time.
12)
Ride - Portland Rocks: Oxford legends Ride have been on a nice run since
reforming in 2014 and just released their third record since getting back
together, Interplay was released on the 29th of March and
while the band have said it was a difficult one to record and put together, it
doesn’t really feel that way as a listener.
13)
Vago Sagrado - K is Kool: It wouldn’t be a qcomp without a Chilean psych track
(spoiler alert, you’ve got another one coming) and so I’ve dipped back into
2019 with this track fomr the band’s Vol. III album (this is the opening
tune).
14)
Special Cases – Believe: Here’s your two-fer Chilean psych selection this time
around. Special Cases is fronted by former Follakzoid bassist/vocalist Juan
Pablo Rodriguez and very much leans into the Spiritualized and britpop sound
that crops up in the Chilean scene a lot.
15)
Mdou Moctar – Imouhar: Funeral for Justice was just released on Matador
Records on the 3rd of May and sees Mahamadou Souleymane (aka Mdou
Moctar) absolutely shredding on a few tracks, this one in particular.
16)
The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick - April 25: I was a couple of years
late on this band’s debut album Ways of Hearing, which came out in 2020
and featured a track on my Feb 2022 mix, but they just released new record The
Iliad and the Odyssey on the 25th of April no less (much like
the title of this song!), via Count Your Lucky Stars records. I liked their
debut a lot but this album feels like a step up in songwriting and confidence.
17)
Sour Widows – Cherish: I loved this band’s 2021 EP Crossing Over and I’m
slightly amazed I didn’t use a track from it… but they recently signed to
Exploding in Sound Records who are always good value and their new album, Revival
of a Friend will come out on the 28th of June.
18)
Royal Headache - So Low (live): Australia’s Royal Headache burned bright for a
short few years, seemingly threatening to break up at any given moment, it
seems a small miracle I was able to see the band twice (2015/2016) and I’m
grateful they announced a live record Live in America that will come out
this month.
19)
Julian Velard - Money, I'm in Love With You: Singer songwriter Julian Velard
just released his seventh album, In the Middle of Something, which as
the title might suggest, centres around mid-life crisis. Seeing him live felt
like a semi-regular occurrence while he (a native New Yorker) lived here but
it’s more of a rare treat these days now that he lives in LA, but I managed to
see him in April and heartily recommend catching him perform if you ever can.
20)
Fastball - Rather Be My More Than You: Like many people at the time, I had a
softspot for The Way when it came out but truth be told I was a big fan
of their follow-up record, The Harsh Light of Day from 2000, I’d never
seen them live before so jumped at the chance when they announced a date at the
Mercury Lounge this April. This song is from their upcoming record Sonic
Ranch which comes out in June.
As
always, Peace and Love - Q
