Okay, I’m going to return to this theme for a bit to see if it sticks. I’ve been doing a lot more connecting with the music I’ve been acquiring, and so far it’s been working well. I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff from the latter half of 2023 and what’s new this past month, and there’s a lot of good stuff out there. So without further ado…

SPRINTS, Letter to Self, 5 January. I’m digging the old-school punk sound of this band — they remind me a lot of IDLES, another all-caps punk band I love. You don’t always need to play fast to play messy and gritty.

Lemongrass, Mirror of Life, 5 January. This one-man project has been around since the mid-90s playing essentially low-key ambient electronic music, and I stumbled upon them a few years back and find them fascinating. He’s constantly putting out albums (he’ll do like three or four a year like Guided By Voices) and they’re always a pleasure to listen to.

The Fauns, How Lost, 19 January. Echoey downtempo shoegaze? Yes please! This kind of stuff has always been my jam so I’m down with this album big time. It’s the perfect writing session music for me.

Green Day, Saviors, 19 January. Their first work with producer Rob Cavallo in ages, it really does feel like they’ve returned back to their Dookie roots, via the long route of maturity and better songwriting, heh. It’s an album where they’re once again doing what they’ve always done best: short and sharp punk.

The Umbrellas, Fairweather Friend, 26 January. This super-local band (like the Reds, Pinks and Purples, they live in my neighborhood!) once again shows they loves them some Beat Happening with summery poppy grooves and awkward-yet-perfect low-pitched vocals. The critics are eating this one up, and it’s definitely worth all the attention it’s been getting.

Future Islands, People Who Aren’t There Anymore, 26 January. I love how this band can feel both cheerful and downbeat at the same time, often within the same song. This album feels a bit quieter and more bedroom-pop than their previous work, but that’s not a minus here.

Ty Segall, Three Bells, 26 January. He’s definitely one of those musical weirdos that you either love or hate, and KEXP definitely got me hooked on him. This one actually has a lot of songs that make him sound downright normal, to be honest!

The Smile, Wall of Eyes, 26 January. The latest Thom Yorke/Jonny Greenwood/Tom Skinner release feels a bit more like a quiet Radiohead album here, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I particularly like the moodiness of this album, which fits right in with my usual writing session soundtracks.

Torres, What an enormous room, 26 January. This one’s my favorite of the month! She’s a sort of mix between synthwave and 90s alt-rock but definitely new and unique. “Collect” is one of those songs that’s sort of like Phantogram meets Metric and it gets into your head and stays there for ages.

*

More to come!