Blackwater Holylight – Not Here Not Gone: The sludgy guitars on “How Will You Feel” pulled me in, and Sunny Faris’ vocals made me stay. Her voice alternates between ambivalence and resignation, sitting in the space between here and gone, light and darkness, while the music rages behind her. The record touches on shoegaze, grunge, doom, stoner rock, and metal, genres that hold little interest for me, but Blackwater Holylight brings them all together in a way that resonates.
Ratboys – Singin’ to an Empty Chair: Allmusic called this “a loose and moody approach to relationship grieving,” which immediately piqued my interest. Musically, it’s not my thing, and Julia Steiner’s voice mostly made me want to listen to Tanya Donelly…
Tanya Donelly – Beautysleep: … so I turned off Ratboys and put on Beautysleep. While I’ve listened to this record many, many times, somehow I needed to drive through a Friday night snowfall before I could truly hear the strange beauty of the opening track, “Life Is but a Dream.”
Oklou – Choke Enough: I started listening to her Tiny Desk Music performance, then quickly turned it off so I could hear the album first. I listened in the car three times, and the music and her voice are captivating. In many ways, it reminds me of Jay Som’s Belong, but with a narrower scope of sounds. I hope to spend time with the lyrics next week.
Kelly Moran – Don’t Trust Mirrors: The first time I listened, I focused on the different sounds of the treated piano and how she evolves her motifs. The second time, I couldn’t stop thinking how these are just a few BPMs and production twists away from In Sides-era Orbital. Those are both good reactions, and while I’m not sure this will make it into regular rotation for me, I’m glad I heard it.
Nils Frahm – Night & Day: It should be named “Day & Night” because the first six tracks make up the “day” set. Anyway. This reminds me of Keith Jarrett’s The Melody at Night, With You, in that the music is so sparse and simple that it’s easy to gloss over its specialness. I’m intrigued by Frahm’s recording process, presumably putting microphones by the pedals and other mechanical components of his piano, as well as in places where he would capture the background noise outside his studio. Like the audience on Bill Evans’ Sunday at the Village Vanguard, the emphasis on these ambient noises creates a sense of intimacy.
Brand New Heavies – “Midnight at the Oasis” | Maria Muldaur – “Midnight at the Oasis”: I somehow never heard Maria Muldaur’s version of this song from 1973, and while her vocal performance is sultry and sexy, the lyrics are laughably bad. I listened to Muldaur because I finally played the Brand New Heavies 12” and four of the five tracks are absolute jams. (The “Extended Version” fell flat for me.) This record has so much early ‘90s house energy that it’s hard to stay still, though the techno “Up North Mix” might be the best on the record because it eliminates all but the essential lyrics.
Mono – Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined: These songs tell stories, stories that possess a clear and powerful arc. The different approaches of the band and producer Steve Albini (this was the start of a 20+ year partnership) led to music that is simultaneously cinematic and reserved.
Zammuto – Anchor: I tried to give this a second listen and made it through three songs. This feels like a record that someone at a liberal arts college would make when they’re trying to prove how edgy they are. It’s not bad but it is clever, and clever is not my thing.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Alpha: Come From Heaven; Gracie Abrams: Good Riddance; Honey Dijon: DJ-Kicks;
Record store finds this week: I found a red translucent copy of the Bloodwater Holylight record in my local shop. It’s sold out on their Bandcamp page, so this felt like a huge discovery.