This finally feels like a normal Friday for new music, where I actually have to choose between attractive new albums that are out today, rather than digging around trying to find something that I think I might like. Here’s what I’ve found today:
Lizzie No — Halfsies. Thank you to 99 Percent Invisible for introducing me to her. Nice varied blend of singer-songwriter music. And it took me until 10:46pm tonight to finally see the wordplay in the title.
Ana Tijoux — Vida. Up tempo Spanish language pop that I enjoyed more than last week’s Kali Uchis, which is in a comparable lane.
Green Day — Saviors. I haven’t paid much attention to them recently [checks notes…American Idiot was 20 years ago? Yikes…], but this seemed like one to check out. Good catchy power pop music.
Sleater-Kinney — Little Rope. Honestly, I kind of hate the way Carrie Brownstein sings — the singing equivalent of ridiculous over-acting. But keeping an open mind, I gave this a try. Pretty good sound, but Brownstein’s voice still doesn’t do it for me.
Album Spotlight
I like to give myself a few weeks to drink in an album and decide what I think about it. Two weeks ago, two new albums dropped that got my attention and they are very yin-yang — different sounds and intriguing in different ways. Neither may make my favorites of 2024, but each is definitely worth listening to.
Sprints — Letter to Self. Debut album from a Dublin garage punk band. Their music is a little outside my comfort zone, but I totally appreciate their raw energy and they have some solid pop hooks behind their guitar-heavy sound. Lead singer Karla Chubb speak-sings her way through most of the songs in a voice that reminds me of Courtney Barnett and the band behind her are very good. On “Adore, Adore, Adore” they squeeze a catchy angsty chorus (“They never called me b-b-b-beautiful/They only called me insane”) and a nice driving bassline into a two and a half minute gem. On “Literary Mind,” another highlight, Chubb sings about the roller coaster emotions of falling in love. It’s very ear-wormy — the repeated lyric “She’s got a literary mind and a literary look” will be imprinted onto your brain. The climax moment comes when Chubb shouts “She’s played this game before/And she’s winning.” The album is bookended nicely two lines: the repeated “Am I alive?” in the first song “Ticking” and the concluding title track, containing the repeated answer “But I am alive.” That song ends the album, so full of angst, with a neat one minute coda with some hope: “I always had the willing/Now I’ll find the way/Any habit can be broken/Any night can become day.”
Hannah Kaminer — Heavy on the Vine. In contrast to Sprints, Kaminer is deeply in my comfort zone — country/folky/Americana-y female singer-songwriter with a fine voice. Her sound isn’t edgy, but she writes good songs with a gentle tone and excellent arrangements for her backup band. I’m used to albums like this that seem to always insert a delicious up-tempo song or two and Kaminer totally does that on the catchy “Irene (It's a Big Old World).” But the rest of the album is a steady blend of subtle solid songs. I think she at her best when she gets a little political — lamenting gentrification in “Asheville” and vowing to no longer be a quiet girl on “Childish Things.” If Country Music For People Who Don’t Like Country Music is an actual musical genre. then Kaminer has produced a fine CMFPWDLCM album.
Enjoyed listening this week to
Bill Ryder-Jones — Iechyd Da (2024)
Eilen Jewell — Get Behind the Wheel (2023)
Julia Holter — Have You in My Wilderness (2015)
Marika Hackman — Big Sigh (2024)
Next Week
There’s a good crop of new albums coming on January 26. I particularly have my eye on Blue Raspberry by Katy Kirby, Polaroid Lovers by Sarah Jarosz, Wall of Eyes by the Smile, What an Enormous Room by Torres, and People Who Aren't There Anymore by Future Islands. And I’m sure there will be something by an artist that’s totally new to me that will grab my attention.