Albums worth their weight in boxed chocolates
Caroline Rose, Year Of The Slug
Following a trend that is beginning to gain steam, Caroline Rose has decided to release their latest album in only two ways: through physical media in the form of a limited run of records and by way of Bandcamp. Year Of The Slug will have no representation on the streaming services we are all tethered to, and as far as I can see right now, it is not even on YouTube. The novel release certainly forced me to take a more attentive approach in how I listened to it. While it doesn’t cater to my new-found creature comforts of passive listening or slapping songs on playlists, it’s a welcomed return to how music was mostly consumed before we all had computers in our pockets. Equipped with a phone and GarageBand, there may have been a concern that this will be some sort of sleepy bedroom album, but this is not the case. If anything, this album just highlights how Caroline Rose can effortlessly craft beautiful songs that will poke at your bruised heart even though you thought it was all healed. I took great joy in hearing that little *click* of the stop recording button at the end of every song which made this recording that much more personal and intimate.
Check out Year Of The Slug on Bandcamp
Paris Texas, They Left Me With The Sword
Paris Texas returns with a fun little EP which showcases the strengths of the energetic duo. Sharp, punchy and with changes musically and tonally at the drop of a hat, it’s no wonder they caught the attention of someone such as Tyler, The Creator and will be given a spotlight to shine to larger audiences as they are the opening act of Tyler’s CHROMAKOPIA tour. The EP really shines on the back half when tracks like “Holy Spinal Fluid” and “El Camino” bring you back to the days of acts such as N*E*R*D* and the Cool Kids. I’m all for a Myspace-era hip hop revival, which is not to say Paris Texas are a throwback to that time, but I haven’t found a current act that totally captures that feeling and this EP is scratching that itch.
Sharon Van Etten, Sharon Van Etten And The Attachment Theory
Watching and listening to Sharon Van Etten’s steady growth as an artist has been a fun ride thus far. From the singer/songwriter age with earlier records like Epic and Tramp, to the mid-2010 where the sound took a more “alt-indie” sound (is that a thing? Am I just making up words?), Sharon Van Etten has always found ways to grow and explore their sound. Take for instance, 2019’s Remind Me Tomorrow, an absolute powerhouse of a release where Van Etten’s controlled, yet powerful vocals teamed up with vintage synthesizers giving the singer even more of an aural canvas to work with. This record, her first with a full band, further expands on that new world. The first few tracks are slow building swelling shoegaze exploring topics such as what awaits in the afterlife set the listener with a fairly hefty atmosphere to wade through. In what I feel equates to a live performance, the tempo and instrumentation picks up mid-record with “Indio”, and by that point you are hanging on to every note. . “I Can’t Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)” is a fun little head bopping three minutes that’ll worm its way into you hours after you hear it.
So-Do, Studio Works ’83-’85
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but my discovering of this band came from a targeted advertisement from Instagram. Usually I’m being sold a slew of goods and/or services at are dubious at best, however, while zipping through my stories this caught my ear. Thanks to Light In The Attic Records, a collected and reissued works of a Japanese band from the 80s previously lost to history has been released to the public. Since discovering the City Pop genre a few years ago, I’ve been more open and excited to explore more music from Japan, I was very eager to give this a spin. Only releasing a couple of 7 inches in their short career, this release is a neat time capsule of a band in a very specific time. To my ears hearing So-Do for the first time it’s cool to hear the band’s take of the blossoming post-punk sound of the time. If you ever wondered what art-rock legends Television and Talking Heads would sound like if they had ever collaborated, you’d likely get a song that would sound a lot like “Kakashi”. The final track, “Scrambled Eggs” sings the virtues of the breakfast staple and its brilliance and absurdity is made of things that’d keep David Byrne awake at night.
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