Say Sue Me - 10. This is an odd one - a Korean band who sounds like they should be a California surf rock band. Sounds like Alvvays or Best Coast - something in that vein with a fuzzy, shoegazey guitar-driven rock sound and a demure female vocalist over the top. No clue where I found this, but their Spotify bio says that The Beths are fans, which is enough of a selling point for me. It has a nice purity to it that is really appealing. Top track is the first one - I suspect that people are trying it out and then moving on - this is "Season of the Shark," with 93k streams.
Almost an 80's vibe in there, not something I can put my finger on, but maybe it is the bassline that sort of sounds like Psychedelic Furrs or The Cure or something. Just a pretty song, feels head-noddingly poppy while also feeling longing. I don't know where the band name came from, I'm guessing it relates to the singer's name being Sumi, but I couldn't figure it out in 30 seconds of research. Good stuff!
Elijah Wolf - Brighter Lightning. This dude was a late add to the ACL poster last year, and so I gave him a shot and came away impressed. It is a quieter style of rock and roll - I hear echoes of George Harrison, The Black Keys, and Jose Gonzalez at different times throughout this disc. It is really enjoyable stuff. It is almost 100% under-the-radar too, as none of the tunes on here have more than 100k streams. "The Point of Trying" sounds like The War on Drugs. "Brighter Lightning" sort of sounds like Conor Oberst. But the top track on here is one that pulls out a lot of the Harrison guitar moves. "Like This, Anymore," has 78k streams.
Dig it. I think this whole album is really well-done and pleasant to listen to. I could dig adding some of these into playlists to enjoy for a long time.
YG - I GOT ISSUES. There was a time when I thought YG had something to say, but that time is long gone. This album is boring and uninteresting and entirely forgettable. It has rotated through my queue a handful of times by now, and each time I just want it to be over so I can hear something better. Boring beats. Boring flow. Boring lyrics. The top track is one featuring J Cole and Moneybagg Yo, called "Scared Money." 56.7 million streams.
Yaaaawn. "Half-a-Milly on my neck" is so boring. Definitely a better track than some of these, but its not because of the lyrics. Nopedy nope to this one.
Alvvays - Blue Rev. I have always enjoyed me some Alvvays. Such bright and sunny pop rock that always makes me pleased. That "Archie, Marry Me" tune is lovely greatness. So this one doesn't seem to have any immediate ear worm bangers like that one, but it still sounds really nice. Loads of fuzzed up guitars and soaring vocals. The first song gets the most streams, but I vote we go deeper because I think it is just people checking out the album and then moving on. The second-place streamer is "After the Earthquake," with 5.8 million streams.
Twigs all of my pleasure centers in my brain. 80's vibes for sure, especially when the chorus kicks in. Seems like I'm hearing the 80's in all of the indie pop rock today! I wonder why. The abrupt switch in the middle to the quiet synth bit it very weird in that tune though. You're cruising along and enjoying the soaring joy of the tune, and then you just suddenly get wrapped in bubbles for 20 seconds. Another solid disc.
No comments:
Post a Comment