Thievery Corporation – “Suadade” (ESL Music)
With the group’s large genre-crossing discography, the D.C. duo Thievery Corporation is back again with a tribute to a long tradition of Bossa Nova music. “Suadade” features haunting, mind-enveloping vocals that transport the listener to a smoky, dimly lit lounge. The gentle guitars and thoughtful percussive elements to each of the tracks display how much care the artists put into this collection. Beginning with the gentle sway of “Decollage,” and ending with the jazzy “Depth of My Soul,” “Suadade’s” musical progression is meaningful, even if you do not speak Portuguese, the most prevalent language in the album. Thievery Corporation has been able to express many different styles and ideas through their discography, and this release is no exception.
-Jack Fitzpatrick
RIYL: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Sade, Etta James
Recommended tracks: 1, 2, 9, 13
Listen to Fitzpatrick’s show Soul Beat on Wednesdays 10-11 p.m.
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Band of Skulls – “Himalayan” (Electric Blues)
Band of Skulls, to me, represents somewhat of a dying breed of bands that were too edgy to make Top 40 radio. The band is exciting enough to make the now largely deceased (non-classic or active) rock radio, killed by the emergence of hey! folk and more electronically inclined “rock” groups like Foster the People and Bastille.
Right off the bat in its third album, it’s clear that the group is trying to score another mid-major hit like they did with “I Know What I Am.” While they don’t totally fail, it pretty much just goes through the typical “blues rock” motions. The hooks aren’t that hooky, and the guitars crunch but never totally bite down. The rest of the tracks on the album, however, reveal themselves as darker, more melodic and more engaging than these near misses. “Cold Sweat” is about as pained and longing a track this band ever wrote, and “Nightmares” almost sounds like a Cult cover. The negative space afforded by some of these slower songs lets the guitars and drums really pop, especially on the almost Queens of the Stone Age-esque “I Feel Like Ten Men, Nine Dead and One Dying.” It may not be an all-time classic, but “Himalayan” is a surprising record that will probably be overlooked, despite its ample amount of engaging and interesting tunes.
-Michael Lovito
RIYL: Queens of the Stone Age, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The White Stripes
Recommended tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9
Listen to Lovito’s show Truth, Justice, and the American Way on Mondays from 2-3 p.m.
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Future Loves Past — “Our Solar System” EP
On their newest EP, Future Loves Past paints a picture far beyond Earth, all the way to the solar system and universe surrounding it. The album is deep and spacey, with melodic interludes and upbeat electronic choruses. The opening track even includes a jazzy horns section, which is just one of the many ways Future Loves Past crosses genre boundaries on this album. Many of the songs on the EP give a dance-y, club vibe with their rolling basslines and electro-pop background riffs. Some of the long, slow, instrumental songs get a little hard to swallow, but the rest of the tracks make up for it. One highlight of the album is “Cupid,” a relaxed, soulful indie track. Overall, this album takes the listener on a pleasant journey into musical space and blends genres and moods to be as mystifying as the solar system.
-Anna Walsh
RIYL: Flaming Lips, Foals, My Morning Jacket
Recommended tracks: 1, 5, 7, 9
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Your Friend – “Jekyll/Hyde” (Domino)
Taryn Blake Miller’s, who goes by the stage name Your Friend, debut album is captivating. The core of the album lies in the lyrics. Miller is a true poet who has the ability to make her experiences come to life and spark a chord within anyone who listens to her music. All of the lyrical content is purely based off her life and personal stories told by those around her making each of the six songs unbelievably relatable. The songs were originally written for the vocals and guitar. Adding bass, drums and the keyboard only seems to enhance Miller’s artistry. “Peach” is a raw tune, giving off a very Angel Olsen-esque feel. As she softly sings, “You held my arms as if they were yours,” a gentle pain will slowly grow in your chest. “Pallet” and “Bangs” inflict very similar reactions. It’s a beautiful and mesmerizing experience when an artist comes along unexpectedly and takes your breath away; this is exactly what Your Friend does.
-Katie Cheyne
RIYL: Sharon Van Etten, Cate Le Bon, Angel Olsen
Recommended tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4
Listen to Cheyne’s show Amor Fati on Mondays 8-10 p.m.
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The Spits — “Kill the Kool” (In the Red)
The Spits hail from the great city of Seattle and seem proud to release “Kill the Kool,” its first non-self-titled album (as opposed to the five precluding it). It’s a relief to hear some noise that doesn’t need an attached hyphen to further qualify it as punk-rock, pop-punk, garage-punk or any further convolution. Enjoy the quality of lyrics yelling what sounds like, “This is how we eat out kicks” off what sounds like an eight-track. There’s not a sickly amount of distortion throughout the album but enough to remind you that taking pride in your work isn’t very punk and that The Spits make music for themselves, man. The twenty-two track album seems to draw most of its influence from classic ‘70s punk, keeping lyrical themes hedonistic and live. In its entirely, “Kill the Kool” pays adequate homage to its predecessors and holds an undistinguished distinctive tone throughout the album, mostly to remind you that you will never be a true punk.
-Barbara Martinez
RIYL: The Ramones, Bad Sports, Mean Jeans
Recommended tracks: 2, 7, 17
Listen to Martinez’s show Juiceless Orange on Wednesdays 1-3 p.m.
