Since the album Muchacho, Matthew Houck fell in love, got married, moved from New York City to Nashville, became a father, nearly died in a bout with meningitis and built his own studio, by hand, from the ground up. That’s a lot of major life events to pack into a half-decade, so it’s no surprise that he sounds like a different man on his new album C’est La Vie. His fine-grit tenor is still perfectly raspy, and his songs still hang effortlessly near the border between barstool country and warm-glow pop, with Houck’s experimental streak interloping into both territories. This is still Phosphorescent. It’s just that the man behind the wheel is older and a little bit wiser these days. “There From Here” wraps the revelation of clarity in a gentle sway of burbling organs. “Around the Horn” is hazy and hopeful, and it stands out thanks to its fuzzy motorik groove and sumptuous coda. “My Beautiful Boy” is a sweet love song for Houck’s son, streaked with pedal steel guitar and textured with hand percussion. And on “New Birth in New England,” Houck’s band, which includes wife Jo Schornikow, showcases its gospel-pop-rock chops as its leader takes a few minutes to unwind with some lines about the miracles of beer and childbirth. Houck sounds bemused but happy, like a man still learning to navigate and appreciate a whole new existence. No doubt, his beautiful and affecting music will grow with him—and help guide him.
‘New Birth in New England’ from Phosphorescent’s new album ‘C’est La Vie’, out October 5th on Dead Oceans Records.
The Wisconsin based Dusk’s self-titled full-length debut is nothing short of spectacular, a record that combines folk and country music with a slacker pop drawl and a dusty nuance of Americana storytelling. It sounds modern with a call-back to the easy going days of folk music’s roots, a collection of songs that would sound as great being sung around a campfire as they do on your headphones walking through a crowded city. Dusk can transport you from where you are to where you wish you were; the open air, endless freedom, and thick harmonies of a better life. Traveling from red barns to monster trucks, bolo ties to bald eagles, this one plays up their surroundings with gorgeous images and the band’s slow-dripped twang in impeccably lackadaisical form
“People are complicated, and I am no exception!” This was the crux of multi-instrumentalist Haley McCallum’s statement in regards to her latest album, Pleasureland an expectation-bucking, all-instrumental release she felt moved to do after the success of 2016’s Impossible Dream. A composer, producer, writer, guitarist, keyboard player, pianist, teacher, and mother, McCallum—formerly known to the music world as Haley Bonar—decided to shine a light on other aspects of her artistry, leaving the power-pop and barbed, lyrical observations she has become known for, behind. Stark, melodic, layered, and emotion-filled, Pleasureland feels like a step-out of time a meditation—a moment taken for oneself to reflect. As you listen to the inherent beauty of her piano-based compositions, your own thoughts and interior world feel reflected back at you as you drift from track to track. Even in Pleasureland’s most idyllic moments, a layer of subconscious unease remains the one exception being the drop-dead gorgeous “Next Time (For C)” which is beauty and romanticism and its finest. Trickling, agile piano reminiscent of the most poignant works of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou—mixes with strings and air for the most romantic, lilting, and light moment of the album.
Pleasureland is an unexpected turn for McCallum, but an interesting exercise in autonomy and expectations. The result is a slight 27 minutes that manages to contain worlds—of emotion, texture, and feeling.
The concept of Pleasureland began while driving on I-94 east of Minneapolis, MN, passing an RV Sales park with the same namesake. Hundreds of giant RVs glistened on the hot pavement, awaiting a purchaser to indulge the dream of comfort and leisure. There was something hollow about the number of enormous vehicles built for the concept of adventure and pleasure, yet the lot was devoid of human life. I began writing songs that echoed my sentiments on capitalism, consumerism, racism, feminism, and violence- the true landscape of the so-called American Dream. All is not lost- but I was personally lost for words in dark times. I found it difficult to portray anything more than a feeling without a lyrical narrative. Behind all of these concepts is the pulse of the human heart- humanity prevails and goodness exists, despite relentless news that states otherwise. I wanted to convey simultaneously the power and violence that silence creates. The deconstruction of the American Dream as we know it creates room for new growth and definition. But the destructiveness in its path is real, revealing a war within the self- silence to others suffering is no longer under the surface. I created the videos in order to present a visual interpretation for the auditory concept. Happening upon footage of a pre-9/11 America while scrolling developed unmarked tapes from my dad’s basement, I found a version of our nation before everything changed- almost like a window back in time. The television selling the narrative of consumerism as success and poverty as failure is still eerily relevant. Personal family footage was used in order to echo the aforementioned sentiments of humanity which we are born to love and conditioned to forget. These videos are intentionally low budget and DIY, using gritty VHS, iphone, and manipulated found footage, almost antagonizing the purpose of visual commodity in music. This is not to say that I am necessarily against music videos- in fact, I love and respect many directors who make a living doing this. For me, creating something raw, unstable, and lacking self-seriousness more appropriately aligned with these compositions.
After releasing two EP’s—2015’s Strange Darling and 2017’s Give It To Me Los Angeles singer-songwriter MiyaFolick has shared her debut album in the form of the starkly titled Premonitions, which is characterized by her jaw-dropping vocal range. Her larger than life vocals derive, in part, from her classical training, but she also has the kind of pipes that just don’t seem teachable. On songs like “Stock Image” and “Thingamajig,” she exhibits an otherworldly, operatic beauty, while on “Freak Out” and “Cost Your Love,” there’s a bouncy, sugary and simple joy marked by frenetic synths, grounding guitars and spry percussion. Even the largest songs have a clear sense of intimacy while introspective tracks like “Baby Girl” and “What We’ve Made” are distinctly grand. A lyric from “What We’ve Made” is a perfect metaphor for the album. She sings, “We make tiny happinesses in each moment,” which is exactly what this record feels like.
She handcrafts everyday situations into something angelic yet relatable and celebratory yet poignant. Her appeal extends well beyond the realms of pop as there’s a distinct, developed lyrical voice and a dynamic, extraordinary literal voice that makes 2018 feel much less scary and isolating and much more pure and magical.
Adrianne Lenker has been writing songs since she was ten years old. Her “back story” has been well documented in various interviews and profiles for Big Thief over the last three years. Despite, or more likely because of the constant touring and studio work, the last few years have been some of the most prolific for Lenker as a writer. Songs pop out at soundcheck. They pop out on late night drives between cities. They pop out in green rooms, hotel stairwells, gardens, and kitchens around the world. In the hands of Lenker songwriting is not an old dead craft. It is alive. It is vital. With little regard for standard album cycle practice or the idea of resting at all, Lenker set out to make a document. Songs can be slippery and following a 2+ years on the road with Big Thief, Lenker felt a growing need to document this particular time in her life in an intimate, immediate way. The result is her new album, abysskiss.
The Big Thief singer Adrianne Lenker excels by tapping into the core of the human soul in the most tender, gentle and vivid way possible and her new solo LP, absysskiss, is no exception. Through just vocals, acoustic guitar and intermittent keyboards, Lenker conjures up something magical and weighty with so few elements. The 10 songs that make up abysskiss toggle from intoxicating love to somber grief and it spans many feelings in between. Lenker uses nature metaphors to tackle heavy subject matters like mortality, love, birth, friendship and youth, but she doesn’t hide behind these metaphors. She uses them to boil down complex topics into something familiar, immediate and sentimental.
The album’s two singles, “Cradle” and “Symbol,” are highlights with the candid, understated beauty of the former and the haunting, hypnotic mysticism of the latter. Fans of Big Thief should latch on to this record as Lenker’s evocative storytelling, oneness with nature, unique vocal tones and her ability to arouse grandeur from the mundane are all apparent on this record. Lenker has proved herself to be one of the most captivating songwriters, not just in indie-folk, but of the present day. Providing newfound comfort and warm familiarity, abysskiss is a record that will quickly find its way into your heart and slowly caress your soul.
This is among one of the year’s best albums, Anna McClellan’s voice is utterly incredible, a natural presence that’s so strong yet fragile, emulating the grandiosity of the singers from the 50’s and 60’s, but the earnest cracks and trills are explicitly modern (and expressively personal). Her analysis of anxiety and relationships mixed with the mundane and scattershot thoughts is brilliant, effective, and easy to relate to. We all have a galaxy of thoughts in our heads, only a fraction of which we ever choose to articulate, but throughout Yes And No, McClellan lets us into her mind, pulling at sentimental moments with a deadpan sense of humor. I don’t often keep tabs on my favorite songs of the year, but “Nail Biting Song” is an undeniable minor classic, a sweeping calamity of anxious energy set to staggering brilliance. Except no substitutes, Anna McClellan forever.
‘Faces’ is the first new music from HOLY HOLY since the release of their second album Paint early last year. The track is the first release to promote their third album and sees the band try some new musical environment. They stray away from their well-known catchy guitar riffs and veer into the territory of sampled vocal tracks and synthesised bass-lines put on top of layers of electronic and live beats. The vocal line hooks you in right from the start and will drive you along all the way through this experimental and bouncy track. If you weren’t a fan of HOLY HOLY before, I’m sure you will be now.
Band Members
Timothy Carroll, Oscar Dawson, Ryan Strathie (and special guests Graham Ritchie & Matt Redlich)
Caroline Sallee’s whisper takes many forms across “No Fool Like An Old Fool”, her sophomore album as Caroline Says. Layered atop a smoky bossa nova beat, it conjures the alluring hum of a lounge singer. It sways with a jangly guitar, breathing new perspective into familiar indie rock. Submerged in padded synth, it sounds weathered and knowing.
The LP finds Sallee reflecting on her Alabama hometown, where she recorded her first album. Her whisper, now deliberate and adventurous, is guided by an acknowledgment of decay. She likens the arid setting to her aging body: “I used to love this town…I was born and will be buried.” Time passes and she remains an “Old Fool,” but wise in understanding her naiveté.
No Fool Like An Old Fool is the sophomore LP from Austin via Alabama musician, Caroline Sallee, aka Caroline Says. Moving beyond the surf-folk foundations of her debut, on No Fool… Sallee loosens her earthly tether, allowing her songs to float to ever higher altitudes on clouds of loops, immaculate melodies, and hypnotic harmonies, as she sings about aging, the daily grind, and hometown stymie. Moving to Austin in 2013 gave her a new perspective on her hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, which informed the overall vibe of the album. “I think leaving my fairly small hometown and then going back to visit it inspired the feeling I went for on this album. I observed that so many people I knew were content doing basically nothing. Or that they were scared to try to do anything or leave town, like they felt stuck there.”
a phenomenal album from start to end. her voice, strings and words are able to capture a certain kind of matured reflection that’s rare to find, released March 16th, 2018
Written, Performed, and Recorded by: Caroline Sallee
The ever-prolific Ty Segallhasreleased two albums in October, taking him up to five in total for the year. “Class War,” a cover of The Dils original, is proof of why Segall heads never tire of him flooding them with new music.
Take a tour through Ty Segall’s musical psyche with his new solo album, Fudge Sandwich, a collection of Segall’s take on eleven songs that were originally done by other people. These aren’t just cover versions. Cover versions happen at weddings and high school band battles. The songs here are what happens when someone loves a song so much, they need to get inside it and let it propagate and transform into what it would have been if they had actually written it. Equal parts reverence and reimagination, this album shows Segall inhabiting the world of a song’s intent, filtering it through the muse that drove this year’s exceptional Freedom’s Goblin. Cluttered, passionate and inspired, the songs are barely recognizable, irresistible and by album’s end, present a cohesive collection that stands proudly alongside the best of Segall’s considerable output. Covers album includes songs by War, The Spencer Davis Group, John Lennon, Funkadelic, The Dils, Neil Young, Gong, Amon Düül, Rudimentary Peni, The Grateful Dead, and Sparks.
Fudge Sandwich out 10/26 on In The Red Recordings.
Grace Vonderkuhn is a rock musician based out of Wilmington, DE. Her music combines psych and garage rock aesthetics with a sharp pop sensibility. Vonderkuhn oscillates between heavy riffs and driving melodies drawing influences from bands such as The Breeders, T-Rex, and Autolux. Since releasing her debut EP, which landed a premiere on Noisey and mentions on Pitchfork, she and her band have been playing up and down the east coast, sharing the stage with the likes of Titus Andronicus, Lower Dens, Sheer Mag, Alice Bag and more.
