Q#144 - June to July 2022

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Q's Compilations

Vol #144 – June to July 2022

 

It has been a busy couple of months… and this mix is obviously late, and could have been even later given that I didn’t even start compiling and mixing this until the 2^nd of August. Why so late? Well, I turned 40 in June, and then just had a lovely jaunt around Europe, going to Amsterdam, Prague, Berlin, and then back to the fine town of Bicester to see friends and family. These notes will naturally be brief as I don’t want this to be depressingly late (even if I'm the only one that reads them!).

 

01) The Beths - Silence is Golden: New Zealand’s finest, The Beths, will release their third album, Expert In a Dying Field, on the 16^th of September via Car Park Records. It was inevitable I’d miss some great shows in New York while traveling, but missing The Beths play a free show in Prospect Park was not part of the deal!

 

02) The Mountain Goats - Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome: It has felt like John Darnielle and co were due a more rocking album and new album Bleed Out is going to deliver based on the songs that have been shuffled out so far (released on the 19^th of August via Merge Records). This will be the 20^th Mountain Goats album, I think!

 

03) Cusp - I Know: Fire Talk’s stellar record with Chicago artists continues with Cusp, this is a stand-alone single released in June. Hopefully there’s a full record in the works – the quartet have an EP and a couple of singles in their discography to date.

 

04) Lifeguard - I Know I Know: I know, I know, I know, I didn’t have to follow up a song called I Know with a song called I Know I Know, but here we are. Lifeguard are another band from Chicago, though this time on the equally great Born Yesterday record label. This song is from their EP Crowd Can Talk, released on the 5^th of August. I’m looking forward to seeing them open for Horsegirl soon.

 

05) Soccer Mommy – Shotgun: Sometimes, Forever is Alison Regina Allison’s third record as Soccer Mommy and I was excited to see that Daniel Lopatin produced the record, since I love his work as OPN, without realising he’s a hugely in demand record producer thanks to his work with The Weekend.  The record isn’t as weird as I was imaging as a result, but that’s fine! This is the highlight of the record for me.

 

06) Beach Bunny – Gone: The best band of the last couple of years, Beach Bunny just released their/her second full length record, Emotional Creature, on the 22^nd of July via Mom+Pop records. It’s inevitably a triumph and there isn’t a better indie rock band around right now.

 

07) Momma - Speeding 72: Now signed to Polyvinyl records, Momma just released their third album, Household Name, on the 1^st of July and the record leans into the title, with strong 90s choruses that suggest if this was released 30 years ago they would be household names!

 

08) Dirt Devil - Garbage Night: I wish I could remember how I came across this band. I’m pretty sure one or two of the members are in another act I like that mentioned this single on bandcamp but I cannot remember! The quartet are from Western Mass and released a self-titled debut in 2017, this song was released on my birthday this year.

 

09) Jimmy Eat World - Something Loud: Finding themselves without a record label at the moment, Jimmy Eat World self-released this anthemic single in June. We have tickets to see them in September and I’m really looking forward to it, the only time I’ve seen them live was opening for Green Day in 2005! This song has everything you want from them.

 

10) Unwound - What Was Wound: It’s hard to put into words my surprise an excitement upon hearing that Unwound were reuniting to play some shows for the first time in 20 years. I have tickets to see them three nights in a row in March as I really never thought this would happen (especially so after bassist Vern Rumsey sadly died in 2020). This song is from their second record, New Plastic Ideas from 1994.

 

11) Frail Body - Your Death Makes Me Wish Heaven Was Real: This Screamo trio from Illinois just came onto my radar from looking over some show listings, though this album (A Brief Memoriam) came out in 2019. The whole record is great and jumps around all over the place.

 

12) Porcupine Tree - Rates Return: Closure / Continuation, the band’s first record since 2009, just came out and I’m really glad the band is back. The band had gotten into a bit of a rut with their last few albums if you ask me (though they’re still very good) and they sound fresh on this release, it’s definitely a 2022 version of the band. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of setlist they put together when I see them in September.  I’m still digesting the record, it’s a strange experience when a band you were obsessed with but kinda moved on from come back after so long.

 

13) Yoo Doo Right - Say Less, Do More: Krautrock-y, progg-y, shoegaze-y Montreal trio Yoo Doo Right put out A Murmur, Boundless to the East, in June and it’s a real triumph. Mostly instrumental with a few vocals cropping up here and there, it’s a record you can easily get swept away with the groove before the come crashing with some intense passages.

 

14) Greta Morgan - Bitter Better: You’ll hopefully recognise the name Greta Morgan from past mixes over the years, especially as Springtime Carnivore. Greta has been through the ringer in recent years, being diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, she has had to relearn how to use her voice and her first two songs that have just been released are beautiful (the other track on her 2-track release is the title track Vanishing Path).

 

15) Tchotchke - Wish You Were a Girl: NYC trio just released their self-titled debut album, and it’s one of those infectiously sunny sounding records that is hard not to love.

 

16) Young Guv - Too Far Gone: Young Guv is in a particular purple patch right now, releasing his III album in March, new record, remarkably called IV, came out in June. IV is a little more subtle than previous records, although this track would fit on any of the releases.

 

17) Mamalarky - Mythical Bonds: Another Fire Talk act, Mamalarky’s second album, Pocket Fantasy, comes out on the 30^th of September. This lead single locks into a great groove and I love the guitars in particular.

 

18) The Zells – Mankey: Pittsburgh quintet The Zells let their GBV-influences shine brightly on second album, Ant Farm, that came out in June.

 

19) Mike Johnson – Circle: Mark Lanegan’s death in February struck me harder than I though and I’ve since read his brutal memoir, Sing Backwards and Weep, which is an extraordinary read… but it got me digging a little deeper into his career and collaborations which led me to Mike Johnson, who produced and played on some of his early solo records, but has a body of work in his own right that Lanegan crops up on from time to time. This song is from Johnson’s second solo album, Year of Mondays, from 1996 (and features J Macsis on drums).

 

20) Friendship - Ugly Little Victory: Now signed to Merge Records, Friendship just released Love the Stranger on the 29^th of July, and this was the lead single before the record came out. The record hits some lovely country notes with the odd up-tempo folk number like this one for good measure.

 

21) Will Sheff - Estrangement Zone: Okkervil River has always struck me as a Will Sheff and friends endeavour so it was a little surprising to see him announce a solo record called Nothing Special via ATO records under his own name. The album comes out on the 7^th of October and while there’s a slight style shift from Okkervil River, I’ll be interested to hear what the whole record sounds like.

 

Ok that’s really all the notes I have time for if I’m going to get this released in a not-too-late fashion. 

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#143 - April to May 2022

 

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

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/maofdyhqmkjzxq2/Q%2523143.zip/file

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

Q's Compilations

Vol #143 – April to May 2022

Happy summer everyone. This mix had to come about fairly quickly since I didn’t even get mixing the tracks together until the last weekend of May, but sometimes these are the most fulfilling ones to compile. As usual, these are mostly new songs with a few 2021 stragglers still coming to my attention, and a couple of older tunes thrown in for specific reasons. It has been a busy couple of months, with a trip to California to see Del Amitri, who I also saw in Philadelphia and a show here in New York, a holiday in New Orleans that we’d talked about taking for years, a couple of weddings in the Boston area, and I even managed to catch covid as well eventually (aside from a fever one day and a residual cough for a while, it was fine, and I’m grateful to have been vaccinated and boosted). I’ll turn 40 in a couple of weeks which for some reason is almost comforting at this point.

01) Pet Fox - Checked Out: The trio of Theo Hartlett (Ovlov), Morgan Luzzi (Ovlov), and Jesse Weiss (ex-Palehound, Grass Is Green) have already released a couple of albums and EPs, and are set to release their first album on Exploding in Sound Records in June called A Face In Your Life.

02) Oso Oso - Describe You: I was a big fan of Oso Oso’s 2019 record, Basking in the Glow, so was delighted when this record, Sore Thumb, seemed to come out of nowhere back in March. It didn’t grab me quite as much on first listen and I didn’t think about it for a month or so, but I’ve kept coming back to it for most of May. Recorded in early 2021, tragedy struck when guitarist Tavish Maloney died a month after the sessions, leaving the album in limbo for some time.

03) The Stroppies - Up to My Elbows: Aussie quartet The Stroppies put out their latest album, Levity, at the start of May. Australia excels at jangle-pop and maybe The Stroppies are the best they have right now. Whilst this is a fairly straightforward indie-rocker, the record jumps around a little bit and rewards multiple listens.

04) Lawn – Down: New Orleans’ Lawn are releasing a new EP in July called Bigger Sprout via Born Yesterday Records. I’m a subscriber to the label’s bandcamp page which is a great way to hear new bands I otherwise probably wouldn’t, now I not only have this EP to look forward to but a couple of albums in the back catalogue to discover.

05) Lou Barlow - Only Fading: The latest release from Lou Barlow sees him fronting a 4-piece band for the first time, with Western Mass trio Eat Fire Spring as the backing band. So far they have just released two songs via bandcamp but hopefully there’s an album to come.

06) Don McGlashan - Go Back In: New Zealand’s finest songwriter, Don McGlashan (The Mutton Birds, Blam Blam Blam), is not the most prolific writer in the world, Bright November Morning is his fourth solo record since 2006 and was released in February. McGlashan’s style is effortless as usual and rarely gets out of second gear, but when the middle lane is this comforting sometimes you never want to leave.

07) Nina Nastasia - Just Stay in Bed: Riderless Horse will be Nina Nastasia’s seventh album but first since 2010’s Outlaster, and she has been dearly missed. The record deals with her disfunctional and abusive relationship with long term partner and manager Kennan Gudjonsson, who committed suicide in 2020, the day after they broke up.

08) Mark Lanegan - The River Rise: Mark Lanegan sadly died in February of this year at the age of 57, perhaps a big surprise that he lived as long as he did. I never really got into Screaming Trees all that much at the time but always liked his solo work, and then Bubblegum came out in 2004 and I was hooked ever since. His death hit me pretty hard and led me read his memoir, Sing Backwards and Weep that came out in 2020. It’s a gripping book, and he does a great job of just hitting home how intense his drug addiction was, like a real-life Naked Lunch at times. This is from his second solo album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, which took three years to complete and was released in 1994, but almost never was, as he mentions in the memoir, Lanegan was seconds away from tossing all the master tapes into a nearby river in frustration, only to be stopped by producer Mike Johnson at the last second.

09) Rex - Ride Home: 90s Brooklyn act Rex were not quite your typical slowcore band of the time, though large chunks of C are as classic slowcore as you can get, there are smatterings of folk, chamber music, a little grunge, and on this tune, what could have been a 90s alternative hit 

10) Sidney Gish - Sin Triangle: I had tickets to see Beach Bunny in May but singer Lili Trifilio came down with covid so the show got pushed to August, I mention this because one of the openers (Wednesday, see Q#131 for Handsome Man) got replaced with Sidney Gish, whose 2017 album No Dogs Allowed is a delightful bedroom pop record.

11) Horse Jumper of Love - I Poured Sugar In Your Shoes: Boston trio Horse Jumper of Love are releasing their third record, Natural Part via Run for Cover Records on the 17^th of June. The band have been flying the slowcore flag since their self-titled debut in 2016, and this is probably their most high-tempo song to date and I can’t wait to hear what the rest of the album is like.

12) Spacemoth - Pipe and Pistol: Spacemoth is the moniker for bay area musician/producer Maryam Qudus, who is releasing her debut album, No Past No Future on the 22^nd of July. There have been two singles released so far and if the record is as full of classic synths and pop beats like this track then it should be a triumph.

13) Pop Zeus - If You Were Mine Tonight: Mikey Hodges was the first musician I had the courage to say hi to at a gig to say I was a fan of his music and saw Pop Zeus a number of times between. The self-titled Pop Zeus album from 2012 was tragically his only full length album before getting hit by a car in late 2014. Somehow, I only just found out that twosyllable records compiled his unreleased demos and pressed them to vinyl called This Doesn’t Feel Like Home, so I immediately bought a copy. 100% of the proceeds from this record go to the Michael T Hodges Instrument Endowment Fund which supplies instruments to students in Lebanon, IN, so please do pick up a copy if you like what you hear.

14) The Holydrug Couple - Time Bazaar: Chilean heavyweights The Holydrug Couple have released a couple of soundtracks, singles and demos in the last couple of years but not a full record since 2018’s Hyper Super Mega. This tune just came out as a digital single at the beginning of April and sounds like it could have been on the last record, which continues the bands path from Pink Floyd style psych-rock to almost John Carpenter-esque synth heavy pieces.

15) The Smile - Thin Thing: The Smile consist of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead plus Tom Skinner from Sons of Kermet. Their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention is very good and while one could criticise that it basically sounds like Radiohead, for me that’s not a bad thing at all, I almost wish this was a Radiohead album.

16) Just Mustard - I Am You: Ireland’s Just Mustard released their second album on the 27^th of May, Heart Under, this track was first released back in November. The record is pretty dark and abrasive for the most part, reminds me a lot of FACS (see Q#141 and Q#139).

17) 50 Foot Wave - Staring Into the Sun: Kristen Hersh’s power-trio side project 50 Foot Wave have released a number of Eps since 2005 debut Golden Ocean, but Black Pearl was released in April and is finally the band’s second full-length. The record is missing a few BPM compared to the debut but it hits just as hard.

18) Cloakroom - Lost Meaning: I saw Cloakroom in San Francisco in 2016 and they’ve released two records since then, with the most recent being Dissolution Wave which came out in January and is a bit of a space-rock concept record which this track opens. The record has a lot more delicate moments than this song would suggest, but I felt like I wanted something heavy at this part of the mix 

19) Somerset Thrower - Harbor (Virteous Humor): I was going through the showlistings in New York and noticed that his band was opening for a powerpop act I really like (Supercrush) and that usually is enough for me to check someone out. This single came out in February and you can see why they are sharing the stage with Supercrush. The band are from New York and have two full length record I still need to listen to, 2020’s Paint My Memory and 2018’s Godspeed.

20) Kiwi Jr - Night Vision: Torontonians Kiwi Jr sound like they got bored of the constant Pavement comparisons with this lead single for their third album, Chopper, which is coming out in August via SubPop. For the record, I enjoyed their first two albums very much!

21) Erasers - You See: This duo from Perth, Australia, just released their third album, Constant Connection, on Fire Talk Records. You almost get surprised when there are vocals given how much the record has a classic, wavey ambient quality to it, like it should be a movie soundtrack, but when the vocals do come in and out they elevate the material.

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#142 - February to March 2022

 

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

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

Q's Compilations

Vol #142 – February to March 2022

 

Happy Spring! A lot has happened since the last compilation was released, I got married, spent some time in New Orleans, have managed to catch a few shows, and will also have a trip to California to catch Del Amitri (plus also seeing them in Philly and NYC). Full steam ahead. As is typical for the first “normal” mix of the year, it mostly consists of brand new songs plus a bunch of stuff that didn’t make it onto the “best of 2021” mix. I took the cover image walking back to work over the Brooklyn Bridge after a jury summons (which amounted to sitting in a room for most of the day without anything happening), it’s very easy to love this city.

01) Current Joys - American Honey: On Q#124 I used Fear from Current Joys’ 2018 album, Fear, which I really enjoyed, but for one reason or another, he fell off my radar until I saw the current release, Voyager, in a sale. Released May 2021, it’s a double record that would certainly have been on my best-of mix if I’d heard it in time. The production has gone up a few notches between releases but there’s also a new found confidence in the delivery as well as the recording.

02) Anna Fox Rochinski - Party Lines: Another 2021 record that didn’t quite make it onto the last mix, Cherry is the kind of alt-pop album that should have been a hit with the critics. There’s enough of a psych-tinge from her former band (she fronted an act called Quilt who I saw a bunch before their break-up), but has the focus of a solo alt-pop album.

03) Indigo De Souza - Pretty Pictures: I was looking over the concert listings last month and noticed a name I didn’t recognise because the openers were Horse Jumper of Love, who I really like, so gave a few tracks a spin and I think Any Shape You Take is probably the album I’ve listened to the most since. Released last August on Saddle Creek, the album is a low-key masterpiece for those who like pop as much as scuzzy guitars, a great follow-up to debut album I Love My Mom from 2018.

04) HOORSEES - Weekend at Bernie's: This time last year I used Overdry from this Paris quartet’s debut album, and they just put out a couple of songs for their next album, A Superior Athlete, that comes out in April. There’s just something endearing about this somewhat nonsensical indie-pop anthem, I love it.

05) Kids on a Crime Spree - When Can I See You Again: Kids on a Crime Spree certainly take their time, following a few singles since 2013, the band have just released their debut album, which races through ten tracks in about twenty-five minutes (old-school me queries if 25-minutes qualifies as an album). You could probably guess this is released on Slumberland Records within 10 seconds. The band is fronted by Mario Hernandez, who will crop up again a bit later. “When can I see you before our world ends, when can I see you again?”

06) Ex-Void – Churchyard: Ex-Void features a couple of former Joanna Gruesome members (guitarist Owen Williams also released a pretty good EP with his band, The Tubs, last year). It’s more jangle than fuzz, but it feels like the same band in many respects. The album comes out on the 25^th of March (Bigger than Before) via Don Giovanni records.

07) Bliss Fields – Away: Another returning band, I used What Kills You a couple of mixes back from their self-titled EP, and the Toronto shoe-gazers haven’t wasted much time in getting out their debut album, Slowly Forever was released in January. It’s hard to ignore the Ride influence here but since I love Ride and this sound in general, I will happily devour it.

08) Horsegirl – Billy: Chicago trio Horsegirl were also featured fairly recently (Q#139) and have since announced a debut album, Versions of Modern Performance which will come out in June. This track closes the record (but is only one of two songs released so far) and I love the scuzzy but soaring guitars.

09) DEHD - Bad Love: Another Chicago band, DEHD have been one of my favourite acts of the last few years (featuring on Q#127, #132 and #135), they just announced a new album and a change of record label, Blue Skies will be released in May on Fat Possum Records, who are an excellent label, but it feels odd for them not to be on Fire Talk. This is the only song released so far and is obviously excellent, without straying from the vibe of the last couple of records. They’re playing a couple of shows at Bowery Ballroom in May and I’m hoping to go since I’ve yet to see them. “I was a bad love, now I can get some, I got a heart full of, I got a heart full of R-r-r-redemption”

10) Fawning – Wait: 2021 saw my end up buying a lot of Appleseed Cast vinyl, which brought me to Graveface Records and Curiousities in Savannah, Georgia, for a few releases, at which point I randomly browsed most of the other acts and stumbled on a few I really liked, one of which was this record, Illusions of Control, released February 2021.

11) Howless – Levels: I can’t remember how I came about this act from Mexico City but it turned out to be an album I pre-ordered well ahead of its release after hearing this song and was then pleasantly reminded when it popped into my Bandcamp collection when it finally came out.

12) Young Prisms - Self Love: I subscribe to a bunch of labels on bandcamp which means I end up with more releases than I can keep up with, but I like the idea of giving some labels money each month regardless and Fire Talk always put out excellent music even if I can’t stay on track with them. Drifter will be the band’s first album in a decade when it comes out at the end of this month.

13) Weird Nightmare - Searching for You: If you thought there was a bit of a METZ vibe to this song then that’s because it’s the solo project of singer Alex Edkins, it’s a little more sugary than METZ, but the intensity is still there (in this song at least). The self-titled debut is getting released on the 20^th of May via Sub Pop.

14) The Sad Tomorrows - Long Vibration: Jeffrey Schroeck fronts the criminally underrated New Jersey punk band Black Wine, who sadly haven’t released a record since 2014’s Yell Boss, so I was delighted to hear his new band, The Sad Tomorrows, who released a self-titled EP in January. More please!

15) Artsick – Despise: Another Bay-area Slumberland artist, featuring Kids on a Crime Spree’s Mario Hernandez on drums. This is the lead single from the record, Fingers Crossed, which came out in January.

16) Young Guv - Only Wanna See U Tonight: Ben Cook has been on a bit of a roll with his Young Guv project since debut album Ripe 4 Luv came out in 2015. In 2020, as with I suspect a lot of touring musicians, his band became somewhat stranded while on tour (in their case, New Mexico), and ended up creating two albums worth of songs, the first set of which came out on the 11^th of March (Guv III). 

17) Springtime Carnivore - Keep Confessing: I’ve been a big fan of Greta Morgan since first seeing Springtime Carnivore in 2014, and love her two records (self titled in 2014 and Midnight Room from 2016). She was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia last Autumn so I don’t know what her future holds as a singer but I hope that she continues to release material. This song is from her debut album and I just wanted to have one of her songs on this mix, I love them all. “I want the dizzy freedom, Float above the ground, All my life. I want to ride the landslide, Don't want to wait around, Or be left behind. I saw paradise in your lonely eyes, And if I only get to see it once, Better be enough, better be fine”

18) Superchunk - On the Floor: Superchunk’s twelfth album, Wild Loneliness, just came out at the end of February (via their own Merge Records, of course). It’s a lower-key record than most of their second wave releases, with acoustic guitars featuring heavily, as well as a slew of high profile (in indie circles at least) guests. This song features the one and only Mike Mills of REM.

19) Lee Bains + The Glory Fires - God's a Workin, Man: Old Time Folks, the new album from Lee Bains, won’t be released until August, but this is a nice leading single. The kind of 7 minute jam that doesn’t feel that long at all. Of course, god’s not a workin’ at all since god doesn’t exist, but it’s hard to resist a southern folk drawl.

20) The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick - An Olive Coat: One of those bandcamp “if you bought X you might like Y” recommendations that cropped up was this six-piece from Philly, and it was a hard band name to resist. This song opens Ways of Hearing that was released October 2020 (that seems SO long ago!), and is a lovely slowcore album, a genre that is low-key having an excellent revival. “Found the socks you lost, Wool and flecked with gold, But I traded them, For an olive coat, At least this way one of us is warm”

21) Squirrel Flower - Live Wire: I’ve waxed lyrical about Squirrel Flower on Q#137, 139 and 141 and Ella Williams just released Planet EP, a companion piece to one of 2021’s best albums, Planet i. I had the pleasure of catching a live show at Mercury Lounge in February which was also magical.

22) Karate - There are Ghosts: Numero have been working their reissue magic with the Karate discography lately, just putting out their third album, 1998’s The Bed is in the Ocean. A reissue campaign for a great band is not super surprising, but the band reforming to play some shows this summer certainly was and I can’t wait to see them at Music Hall Williamsburg in July (their first tour in 17 years).

23) Black Country, New Road - The Place Where He Inserted the Blade: I was so happy that Black Country New Road followed up my favourite album of 2021, For the First Time, with a new album so quickly with Ants from Up Here, that just came out in February. Sadly, vocalist/guitarist Isaac Wood announced he was leaving the band just before the album was released – the band will continue, though the show I had tickets for got cancelled, I’m intrigued by where they will go from here. The record is very good and I still feel like I’m digesting it (I also bought the 4LP version that came with a bonus live version, a lot to take in!).

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#141 - December 2021 to January 2022

 

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

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/4cnamx32qoirylb/Q#141.zip/file

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

Q's Compilations

Vol #141 – December 2021 to January 2022

 

Happy new year! It’s fair to say that 2021 was not one for the ages and 2022 has made an ominous start. Still, I’m trying to remain positive and I hope these mixes have proved useful to anyone who listens to them (putting them together always help me get through a year). In good news, Emily and I are getting married at the end of the month! The 4^th of January also marked 10 years in NYC for me, a lot has changed… Anyway, these are some of my favourite things from the last 12 months.

01) Del Amitri - You Can't Go Back: For all 2021 took away, it did bring Del Amitri’s first album in 19 years, Fatal Mistakes. Recording finished the day before the first UK lockdown and it was finally released in May 2021, reaching number 5 in the UK album charts. It’s hard to be truly objective about Del Amitri but for me the album is a triumph, this track opens the album and while there might be songs I prefer, this one gets into my head all the time. Also see Q#136 (It’s Feelings) and Q#138 (I’m So Scared of Dying). I was fortunate enough to get back to the UK for the first time in two years in October to coincide with a show at the London Palladium, which was certainly an improbable highlight of the year. Lyrically this song is typically masterful from Justin Currie and there are so many beautiful guitar flurries in this song I keep coming back for more. “They can't destroy us, we put the seal on it, so be joyous 'cause once the fuse is lit, you can't go back”

02) Beach Bunny - Good Girls Don't Get Used: Beach Bunny’s Blame Game EP was released on the 15^th of January 2021 and the title track also appears on Q#136. I was lucky enough to see the band twice in 2021 and have tickets to see them again in May when they will hopefully have a new album (new song Oxygen was released as a single in October).  

03) The Dirty Nil - Blunt Force Concussion: Canadian power-trio The Dirty Nil released their third album, Fuck Art, on the 8^th of January and it’s another triumph of anthemic and crunching pop-punk, the album is consistently good to the point it’s hard to pick individual tracks. I also used Doom Boy on Q#136.

04) Parannoul - 아름다운 세상 (Beautiful World): Thanks to Pete for telling me about this record, To See the Next Part of the Dream, earlier in the year (it was released in February). Parannoul is a solo artist from South Korea and has to date produced two albums in a DIY fashion, the production values have that perfect and impressive charm that leaves you wondering how it would sound with a huge budget but also not wanting to change a thing.

05) FACS - General Public: Chicago trio FACS have a pretty impressive trajectory, although that shouldn’t be surprising given the calibre of the band, fronted by Brian Case (formerly of The Ponys). Present Tense is the band’s fourth album since their formation in 2017 and they keep getting better. I used album highlight Strawberry Coughs on Q#139 but the whole album is excellent, drummer Noah Leger and bassist Alianna Kalaba form one of those powerhouses of a rhythm section that perhaps aren’t flashy on first impression but the more you listen the more they pull you in.

06) Curtis Harding - I Won't Let You Down: It’s fair to say that Curtis Harding doesn’t rush things, If Words Were Flowers is his third studio album in seven years and was released on the 5^th of November. The record is effortlessly cool with a perfect blend of breezy soul awash with call and response vocals and accompanying brass. It’s a mystery that he isn’t selling millions of records. I had tickets to see him at Bowery Ballroom this month which was understandably been postponed 

07) Squirrel Flower - Flames and Flat Tires: My discovery of 2021 is probably Squirrel Flower, certainly between 2020’s I Was Born Swimming and this year’s Planet (i). Another record that was very difficult to pick a song for the mix (I used Hurt a Fly on Q#137 plus the cover of So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings on Q#139). This song has a smouldering bassline and slowcore guitar parts that just melt my heart. “But I'm getting back on track soon enough, and you better watch out for me, flying down the road in flames and flat tires, baby, flames and flat tires”

08) Dark Tea – Deanna: One of the great things about doing “best-of-the-year” compilations is it makes you think of the low-key records that you maybe didn’t immediately think “this is a great record” but you just kept coming back to and Dark Tea’s April 2021 self-titled record is possibly the best example of that. The kind of Sunday morning, relaxed listen that rarely gets out of second gear but you discover nuances each time you play it.

09) Squid – Narrator: It has been really gratifying to hear two debut albums from British bands that are so good and, for want of a better term, arty, with Squid and Black Country, New Road (who follow this track). Both albums are probably tied for my favourite release of the year. I used Pamphlets on Q#137 but the whole record (Bright Green Field) works so well as a complete album it’s a bit of a shame having to pry out a single track. As I type the notes listening to this song I’m nodding in agreement that this is indeed the best album of the year, I suspect I’ll be doing the same on the next track.

10) Black Country, New Road – Opus: As stated above, it’s hard for me to separate Squid and Black Country, New Road for best album/band of 2021, and I’ve just spent this entire song nodding along thinking that this (For the First Time) is the best album of the year (Sunglasses appeared on Q#136). Where they have stolen a march is recording a new album, Ants from Up There, which is set to be released in February. I have tickets to see them next month which at the time of writing is still going ahead…

11) The Reds, Pinks & Purples - I Hope I Never Fall in Love: Felt like it was time for a little respite after that one-two punch… Uncommon Weather was released back in April and is one of those gloriously downbeat jamgle-pop records, really there’s not a whole lot of respite on the entire album but despite that it’s so utterly, utterly beautiful (The Record Player and the Damage Done appeared on Q#136).

12) Hurry - Where You Go, I Go: Continuing that forlorn jangle, Philly act Hurry released their sixth album, Fake Ideas, in June. Hurry don’t stray from their lane and sometimes that’s all you want, especially when that lane is like an affectionate hug. I also used It’s Dangerous on Q#137.

13) Moontype - About You: Chicago trio Moontype released their debut album, Bodies of Water in April via Born Yesterday Records, I fell in love with the song Ferry (that is featured on Q#137), and I suspect if I had the stats, I’d be surprised by how much I ended up listening to the record. “When you said "I love you" it caught me off-guard, You taught me to love so fierce and so hard, Fighting for the feeling like a healing charge, Burning like the gas of the only star”

14) Bat Fangs - Talk Tough: If you want unabashed, anthemic 80s hair metal then Bat Fangs’ second record, Queen of My World is the record of 2021 for you (the title track also appears on Q#139). “I act like I don't care but I don't wanna dance alone”

15) Mondaze – Concrete: Anyone wanting a Hum-esque heavy shoegaze album could do a lot worse than Italian act Mondaze, who snuck in their debut album, Late Bloom in December. I used Words Undone on Q#139 and the record as a whole has a nice mix of slow and brooding rockers like this with some higher BPM tracks.

16) Chime School - Wait Your Turn: San Francisco act Chime School probably got the wildcard slot on this mix, competing with a dozen or so other records that I loved but had to cut for time constraints. Their debut self-titled debut came out on the 5^th of November and is flush with unabashed English-inspired jangle. “Staring up into the sky, Waiting for the sun to shine, Winter's cold all of the time”

17) Bnny – August: Chicago had another excellent year and Bnny’s debut album, Everything, was released on Fire Talk Records in August. The album is yet another example of the kind of low-key album that keeps pulling you in for more.

18) Fruit Bats - Gullwing Doors: Certainly one of my favourite songs of the year is Balcony (which appeared on Q#136), Pet Parade was released in March and is a great addition to the FB discography. I miss the days when I knew albums by heart front to back and this is one of those songs I was almost surprised by each time I listened to, but couldn’t remember which track it was (this happens a lot to albums I don’t own a physical copy of, which I’ve since rectified for Pet Parade…). A country drive out in the Poconos during the fall sealed the deal for the song to be on the mix.

19) Samia - Show Up: Speaking of connecting with artists more when you finally get around to buying physical media, I’ve dipped into Samia’s music in and out for at least two years, love it, then forget about it, rinse and repeat every three or four months… when Scout came out in July the same thing almost happened again but on a recent shopping spree I picked this up along with The Baby and Before the Baby, so I think Samia and I are here to stay at this point.

20) Arushi Jain - My People Have Deep Roots: I love ambient music but dropped the ball a little on the genre this year, I tried to rectify this a bit late in the game trying to find some records that landed and was stumbled upon Under the Lilac Sky by Arushi Jain. The record is astounding, and I’d have preferred to have used a few other tracks but for time constraints. Any vinyl lover knows keenly about the supply side issues right now, and my vinyl copy is not expected until around July this year, it’ll be worth the wait!

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#140 - October to November 2021

 

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

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/795p5rmtjplk5dd/Q#140.zip/file

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

Q's Compilations

Vol #140 – October to November 2021

 

Happy thanksgiving for those it effects, I’m finishing these notes up on the 30^th so they’ll be brief because I hate missing arbitrary deadlines for these mixes. All but two of these songs have been released in 2021 and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. The next mix will be the usual “best of” the year’s music.

01) Bliss Fields - What Kills You: This Toronto quintet were formerly known as Iris (albeit with a slightly different line-up, which led to the name change for a clean slate), put out a wonderful shoegaze EP back in August (this is the title track), this was another discovery during a bandcamp Friday spending spree (“oh you bought so-and-so, check out this band”, Bandcamp is pretty good at this…). They’ve since signed to Acrobat Unstable and are set to release a full LP called Slowly Forever.

02) Taraka – Pyschocastle: Former Princa Rama frontwoman Taraka Larson just put out her debut solo record, Paradise Lost in October and it’s a bit of a low-key triumph, I can’t quite place which of the now sadly departed NYC DIY venues I can most imagine seeing this live but there’s something about the record that transports me back to 2012-2014 in particular. This song in particular has some strong Deerhunter Microcastle-era vibes now I’m typing this.

03) Ducks Ltd - How Lonely Are You: Another band from Toronto to open the mix up, although the vibe is so rooted in that New Zealand / Flying Nun sound, which is only ever a good thing. The band’s debut album, Modern Fiction came out on the 1^st of October and if you dig this song then there’s plenty more like on the record.

04) Chime School - Taking Time to Tell You: You won’t be shocked to hear that this band is from San Francisco and signed to Slumberland Records, though there’s something very British about the album! Their self-titled debut album came out on the 5^th of November. “What are you gonna be now? Maybe you thought you would know, Maybe you thought the world would tell you so, But you're miles away”

05) Belaver - In the RL: I honestly can’t remember where this record, Lain Prone, which came out on the 22^nd of October, came my way, but there was something about the groove and laid-back mix that intrigued me straight away.

06) Fruit Bats - Rips Me Up: Part “best-of” and part “rarities/odds-and-sods” collection, Sometimes a Cloud Is Just a Cloud: Slow Growers, Sleeper Hits and Lost Songs is a double-LP collection that Merge records are releasing in January. This is a tune that didn’t make the cut for the last Fruit Bats album, Pet Parade that came out in March.

07) Vundabar - Devil for the Fire: Boston act Vundabar’s 2020 record Either Light was under-loved and surprisingly poppy on occasion, they just announced a new album, Devil for the Fire, of which this is obviously the title track and comes out on the 11^th of February.

08) Porcupine Tree – Harridan: Now here’s a track to unpack… Porcupine Tree have announced their first album since 2009’s The Incident, the new album is called Closure / Continuation and comes out in June. Porcupine Tree were incredibly dear to me from 2000 to when they disbanded. Indeed, I saw what is currently their last ever show at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010, though a new tour has been announced for 2022. I don’t know if I’m excited or not at the news, I think I am, although selfishly I wish this song didn’t sound like it could have been on any of their 2005-2009 releases, but I think that’s ultimately to be expected. Gavin Harrison’s drumming is robotically exemplary, and it’s nice to hear Richard Barbieri again, a lot of fans are making a stink that Colin Edwin isn’t involved but give me Colin Edwin on fretless bass or a stand-in will probably be fine. I suspect I will fall back in love with the band when the album drops and hopefully a New York show gets announced.

09) Cola - Blank Curtain: I was saddened to hear that one of my favourite bands in the last decade, Ought, broke up, but within the same announcement they gave news of a new band, Cola, comprised of Tim Darcy & Ben Stidworthy plus Evan Cartwright from US Girls. Signed to Fire Talk, this is their only recorded release so far but I can’t wait to hear more.

10) Pavement - Elevate Me Later: I was lucky enough to catch Pavement’s 2010 reunion tour at Brixton Academy (with The Clean opening), just looking over the setlist for that show is bringing back a lot of great memories and I was lucky enough to grab a ticket to their recently announced tour which also lucky for me, includes a stop at nearby King’s Theatre. This track is of course from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, which is probably the best Pavement album.

11) Guided By Voices - Black and White Eyes in a Prism: Just the two GBV albums for 2021, you could be forgiven for thinking Bob Pollard was slowing down but I’m pretty sure side-project Cub Scout Bowling Pins came out this year and who knows what else. Anyway, this song is from GBV’s 34^th (I think) record It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them! and they just keep on churning out excellent albums. I can’t really say anything about this one that I couldn’t say about most of the discography.

12) Pip Blom - You Don't Want This: Amsterdam quartet Pip Blom released their second album, Welcome Break, on the 12^th of November via Heavenly Records, and there’s something I’m drawn to with the vocals in particular; the verses remind of Robyn Hitchcock’s vocal delivery, and the choruses are punchy and anthemic. This song opens the record but one of the most difficult choices for this mix was picking just one song from the album. “You try and lie to become somebody, Inside, you still feel like you are nobody, You don't want to forget, You don't want to do”

13) The Reds, Pinks and Purples - Don't Come Home Too Soon: A new album from Glenn Donaldson, Summer at Land's End, will come out in February via Slumberland Records (the second album for the label). This is the only song released from it so far and is, well, definitely a Reds, Pinks and Purples song! As a Del Amitri fan, I did wonder for two seconds when I saw the title if he was covering their 1998 world cup song for the Scotland football team, though ultimately glad it wasn’t.

14) Marissa Paternoster - White Dove: Screaming Females virtuoso Marissa Paternoster has released albums under the project Noun, but Peace Meter, out on the 3^rd of December via Don Giovanni Records, is her first release under her name. This track opens the record and there’s something magnetic about the low-key guitars coupled with the slow and steady beat.

15) Dinner - Midnight In My Head: I was a fan of Dinner when he first hit the scene in 2012 and loved the first three Eps but have to confess that I stopped paying attention after that, for reasons I can’t think of. Anyway, Dream Work came out on Captured Tracks in October and it’s a satisfying listen, this track opens the record and features Charlie Hilton of Blouse.

16) Cindy - My Friend: I had not heard of this San Francisco band before the release of their latest album, 1:2, which came out in September. The album is full of, well, for want of a better term, sad songs, but there’s an inherent beauty to the record that makes it somehow uplifting most of the time. “Oh, I’m strange sometimes, you make me nervous as though you could read my mind, and oh, I wish you could my friend, then you could tell me what state my life is in.”

17) Eyelids - Slow it Goes (live): I frequently think “I shouldn’t buy so many physical records”, but the pandemic has really pulled on my heart-strings and when bands put out some limited release (300 pressings in this case) I feel slightly obliged to buy what I can! This song is originally on 2020’s The Accidental Falls.

18) The Great American Novel - Grabbin' a Slice: My friend Brian sent me this song in September and I’ll just re-use his words as I’m lazy! “WFUV does a daily-at-noon thing they call "New York Slice" where they play a random NYC artist right at noon.  Today's was -- hilariously -- named "Grabbin' A Slice"...and it's just perky silly '90s pop/rock fun”. A perfect description, the album, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Online, is chock full of “perky silly 90s pop/rock fun”.

19) Seam – Grain: I used Halo Redux on Q#134 and since then The Numero Group have continued doing their great re-releasing of underground acts, releasing Headsparks in September (just the other three records to re-release now, please).

20) Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Hot Stuff: Yes, this is a cover of the Donna Summer tune by doom experts Pigsx7. Hard to think that Viscerals was a 2020 release. Anyway, this cover was released in October and it seamlessly just sounds like one of their own songs.

21) Parquet Courts - Walking at a Downtown Pace: A band that seems a constant since I moved to New York is Parquet Courts, and they just released their seventh studio album Sympathy for Life on the 22^nd of October via Rough Trade. While there’s an undeniable dance quality to a few of the tunes on the record, it does very much sound like a Parquet Courts album, it’s always a good quality of a band to do something different but still sounding like yourself. “I'm making plans for the day all of this is through, Seeing my path there, hearing the song I'll sing, And food that I'll taste and all the drinks that I'll consume, Return the smile of an unmasked friend”

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#139 - August to September 2021

 

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

 Download mix from https://www.mediafire.com/file/ou1fp9hl77nzdge/Q#139.zip/file

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

Q's Compilations

Vol #139 – August to September 2021

 

We’re officially into Autumn! I’m struggling for time on these notes so basically no intro here, lots of new stuff, enjoy!

 

01) Squirrel Flower - So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings: One of my favourite records of the year is Planet (i), although I had to wait what seemed like an age to get the special edition version of the record that I’d pre-ordered… it came with a bonus disc of songs that included this cover of Caroline Polachek’s excellent pop-tune. Having said that, this is an example of a cover being better than the original (Waxahatchee has also done a nice acoustic cover). Anyway, go listen to Planet (i) and check out their 2022 tour dates (he says with a hint of optimism). “And I'm out at a party, they're playin' our song, I cry on the dance floor, it's so embarrassing, Don't send me photos, you're makin' it worse, 'Cause you're so hot, it's hurtin' my feelings”

 

02) Curtis Harding - Can't Hide It: Curtis’ third album, If Words Were Flowers, comes out on the 5^th of November and it has been a long four years waiting for a new record… I say the same thing about him every time but he’s really the only artist I can think of who has the essence of classic soul without sounding derivative.

 

03) Spearmint - Bundunyabba Blue: Spearmint’s ninth (I think?) record, Holland Park just came out at the end of September and as with all of their records, it has been released via their own label, hitBACK. The record has a smooth swagger to it for the most part, and is a loose concept album; telling the story of Shirley’s father’s prog band in the early 70s: “They never made it, and there’s nothing online about them, so it’s down to us to tell the story.”

 

04) Dean Wareham - Cashing In: Galaxie 500 / Luna frontman Dean Wareham is about to release just his second solo record, I Have Nothing to Say to the Mayor of LA, which is coming out on the 15^th of October. As with most of Wareham’s work, there’s a breezy quality to the track. “I’m not selling out I’m cashing in”.

 

05) Snarls - Fixed Gear: Burst was one of my favourite albums of 2020 and the Columbus, Ohio quartet are putting out a 5 song EP called What About Flowers in November, this is the lead single and seemingly continues their good form.

 

06) Wednesday - Handsome Man: I’ve so far been to two concerts this year, the second being Beach Bunny at Music Hall Williamsburg, it felt a bit weird being at an indoor show in all honesty, I double-masked but most the audience hadn’t bothered. At least shows here require proof of vaccination now… anyway, Wednesday were one of the openers and I liked them a lot and have enjoyed their record Twin Plagues that came out in August.

 

07) Horsegirl - Sea Life Sandwich Boy: Chicago trio Horsegirl only have a handful of songs out in the world (three on bandcamp right now) but I’m excited by what they’ve put together so far. There’s a lo-fi shoegaze quality to everything thus far.

 

08) Night Shop - Forever Night: Night Shop is the solo project of Justin Sullivan and this is the title track to his second full-length album which is coming out in December. I like the chugging but jangle vibe to this tune, simple but effective.

 

09) The Tubs – Illusion: Joanna Gruesome made a brief splash in the indie scene a few years ago before burning out, so I was pleased to read two of the band had formed The Tubs and just released their debut EP called Names. The vocals are perhaps a bit marmite for some people but I am into it.

 

10) Blunt Bangs – Decide: I can’t say I was familiar with Reggie Youngblood’s previous band, Black Kids, but his new project, Blunt Bangs just released their delightfully hook-laden debut album, Proper Smoker. Next time you just want a fun record without having to think too much, give this one a go. “I’m only asking because you’re weird, and I’m weird too, when I talk to myself you know I’m thinking of you”

 

11) The Umbrellas - She Buys Herself Flowers: You won’t be surprised to hear that this band is from the west coast (San Francisco, to be exact), and while jangle has always felt timeless to me, there is something inherently 80s-college-radio about their self-titled debut album. Captured Tracks recent put out a great 1983-1987 compilation called Strum and Thrum and this sounds like it could have been lifted directly from that.

 

12) The Beths - Whatever (live): Sticking with the jangle/power-pop twofer here, Kiwi act The Beths have released two immaculate records to date and just put out this live album Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 this month, a live album, with an actual audience released in 2020, who would have thought… The Beths can do little wrong to my ears and I’m excited for what they’ll release next. This song is from their debut record Future Me Hates Me from 2019 (though also opens their debut EP  Warm Blood from 2016).

 

13) Mondaze - Words Undone: This band are from Faenza, Italy, which I had to look up, it’s 50km south-east of Bologna and apparently known for their ceramics and almost every picture on google is of the piazza, I’m sure it’s lovely. The quartet are releasing their debut album, Late Bloom in December and based on this lead single fit squarely into the Hum-style of slow and heavy shoegaze.

 

14) Bat Fangs - Queen of My World: Led by Betsy Wright of Ex-Hex, Bat Fangs are following up their 2018 self-titled debut with Queen of My World on the 29^th of October and the title-track would suggest that they aren’t straying from their excellent formula of kick-arse anthemic classic rock.

 

15) Facs - Strawberry Coughs: Chicago trio Facs released Present Tense back in May and almost made it onto the last mix but for time constraints but I’m glad they found a home this time around. I should be seeing the band open for METZ and Preoccupations in December. Facs are a little hard to pigeonhole, focused on atmosphere and a forceful rhythm section with the guitar focused more on texture than your traditional sounds, indie fans may remember Brian Case from The Ponys.

 

16) F.S Blumm & Nils Frahm - Desert Mule: While not exactly prolific as the likes of Bob Bollard or Ty Segall, I still find it hard to keep up with Nils Frahms output and I even felt late to the game when the magnificent Spaces came out in 2013…, this is his fourth collaborative record with F.S. Blumm and they’ve really nailed dub on 2X1=4. Definitely one of the more enjoyably chill records for 2021, and maybe that’s just what we need this year.  

 

17) Hello Mary - Take Something: I have to confess that I can’t remember how I stumbled on this Brooklyn trio’s bandcamp page but the opening guitar riff and the cymbal work really drew me in to this track. As I’m typing these notes it just hit me that the obvious comparison here is Warpaint, but I’m going to keep this sentence anyway (and really, who is reading this anyway?).

 

18) Laura Stevenson - Don't Think About Me: I wonder how many solo artists get to their sixth album before releasing a self-titled album, but that’s what Laura Stevenson just did this August. The record seems like a combination of all her albums to date, maybe that’s a case of not straying too far from what she does, but she does it very well.

 

19) Freezing Cold - Stuck on Hold: I’m heading home next month, which is great, but it does mean I’ll miss a Screaming Females show at Saint Vitus, so while lamenting that (with the full realisation that I’m lucky to be able to lament missing a show of a band I’ve seen many, many times) I was checking out the openers, which happened to be this band. I don’t know a whole lot about them but they just put out two-songs on bandcamp, of which this is one… what do you even call that these days, it should just be a single? (there’s a full album from 2019 too).

 

20) Suzie True – Bailey: Unfortunately I have to also file this one among “I don’t know how I heard of this band…”, but since I’m rambling, I can’t be the only person who gets annoyed when people write about music who clearly don’t really know about the band they’re pretending to know about… so I’d rather just not pretend and say I dig this song and it ended up on the mix, so here we are. This LA trio released a record called Saddest Girl at the Party in November 2020, and it’s pretty good. “Leave the TV on just like a nightlight, Sleeping soundly listening to true crime, Brush your hair back on the beach in December, You said “Let’s freeze to death forever”

 

21) Mono – Riptide: Japanese post-rock band Mono just put out their 11^th studio album in what is now their 22^nd year as a band. Post-rock is a weird genre because while I adore it and have listened to hundreds of records/shows, etc, there’s a pattern that makes it hard for bands to sound distinct from each other, and I just must have some bias because while I struggle with some genres for that reason (blues…), it’s hard for me not to enjoy a post-rock band… Anyway, I enjoyed the fact that this is the kind of song I’d often open a mix with and the opening track is usually the kind I’d close with, and we’ve flipped that here.

 

As always, Peace and Love - Q