Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance: My favorite thing about Abrams is the fragile vulnerability of her voice, and it’s so much more present here than it is on The Secret of Us. I’ve only made it through the first four songs of the extended release, and I’m looking forward to slowly unwrapping this gift.
The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar: “Whirring” introduced me to The Joy Formidable a few years back, so when a social post about songs with long instrumental outros mentioned it, I had to pull this one out. Such a great song. Such a powerful album.
Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women): I’m also slowly unwrapping For Melancholy Brunettes. “Honey Water” is more sultry than “Whirring” but it stretches out with the same kind of intensity. It’s emerging as my favorite track. “Orlando in Love,” the single, isn’t faring so well in my ears, and is the first song I’m regularly skipping.
Chaos in the CBD – fabric Presents Chaos in the CBD: For some reason, I thought this was going to be the kind of big beat pop techno that I hate. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I should’ve had more faith in Fabric. I listened twice this week and barely scratched surface of all the joy this record contains.
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd: I’ve never listened to this. The way the drums open “I Ain’t the One” and then the guitars kick in … man, it’s just transcendent. Within minutes, my mind was reinventing a road trip through the Carolinas a long time ago and making this the soundtrack.
Jimmy Eat World – Clarity: That list of songs with long outros reminded me of “Goodbye Sky Harbor,” a track I always wanted to like but found boring. I heard it differently this time, though, and I discovered a nuanced journey that I’ve never heard before.
Laufey – Bewitched: After listening to the new track that Laufey released this week (“Silver Lining”), I was reminded how this record has gotten under my skin.
Grateful Dead –Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City NJ, 8/6/1974: The way their voices harmonize in the breakdown on “He’s Gone” is absolutely my favorite thing from this show so far.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Sarah McLachlan: Solace; Grateful Dead: American Beauty
Record store finds this week: I haven’t listened to Joe Walsh in decades but my perception of him is far less tainted than my perception of many of his peers, especially The Eagles. I found There Goes the Neighborhood for five bucks, so I figure it’s time to give Joe another listen.