Weekly roundup of what I’ve been listening to on streaming and new adds to the record collection.
As always, I’ll include the Spotify and Apple Music playlists at the bottom.
Streams
Moondoggy: Mad and Noisy
When I first heard this song I thought it was a 90’s ska track that I hadn’t heard before. It’d fit in nicely on a Moon Ska or Hellcat Records compilation.
They’re not a ska band though, this is as close as they get. Their style varies, but it’s all the kind of stuff you’d play on a patio in the summer. It’s catchy and addictive with a loose sound full of charisma. Standout tracks are Ramona, Passport and Don’t Let Me Go. The saxophone is put to great use — the songs are memorable and I’ve been going back to this album more and more in the last few weeks. They sound like they’d be a ton of fun live.
Wizards of Osgoode: Quabe
I came to these guys via some Instagram posts by The Get Alongs, I think.
It’s perfect sunny-weather driving music. A bit fuzzy, a bit psychedelic, but very groovy and bass-heavy. This album reminded me of late 90’s/early 00’s Canadian alt-rock in the best way — bands like Tricky Woo, Change of Heart, a touch of Tea Party psychedelic guitar. The track “What I Know” is a good place to start, my favourite might be “Why is Time So Short” for the opening lyric:
“They say the good die young. The good don’t die young. You just got older and became a dick.”
Warburton: Make it Better
They call themselves indie/country/folk music. The songs are slow, melancholy, and heartstoppingly beautiful. The two music videos are simple and brilliant. Make it Better was the song that hooked me, it’s more kinetic and has a bit of a downtempo punkt feel to it. The presence of Julie Meunier‘s vocals on a couple of tracks do a nice job of balancing the mood. I can’t wait to see what these guys do with a full album.
Dead Anyway – Partially Eaten by Animals
From Turn Up The Volume, the artist with the grimmest possible name/album title combination. I love it. When I saw it in the queue I was sure some death metal was on the way, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s weird and great.
These guys are fascinating — a fresh take on the late 90’s trip-hop style. The vocalist is deadpan, spoken-word, creepy, absurd, weird and fucking fascinating. Many of the instrumentals would stand on their own, like throwback Orbital or Sneaker Pimps.
It’s goth Dry Cleaning, to some degree. Some tracks reminded me of a modern, gender-swapped Spare Ass Annie. I don’t think I get it, but I keep coming back to it. It’s one of those albums that you know after about 40 seconds that you’re going to need to listen to a few times. It’s only 17 minutes long. Give it a go.
The Klittens – Butter EP
Upbeat indie rock with a sense of fun, maybe Wet Leg doing a Vampire Weekend goof. It’s got an early 2000’s vibe to it with a touch of irresistible charm and weirdness. I’ve probably listened to this more than any other single in the past week. Their EP comes out in a month, the first three tracks are out now.
Fizz: The Secret to Life
This song seems like the kind of song that Tilly and the Wall would perform with The Muppets. I can’t get it out of my head. Feelgood track of 2024 contender for sure.
Spins
Snapped Ankles – Forest of Your Problems
This band deserves a wider audience. They exist at the interseciton of Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and a rebellious, overcaffeinated punk rock marching band. The Evidence is an earworm for the ages, and it’s not the only one on the album. A friend called it the kind of album that would be playing in some strange Parkdale hipster bar during a day-drinking session in 2008, which, yep. I love this record.
SPRINTS – Letter to Self
This showed up on Wednesday and it’s glorious and flawless. Dusted had a nice writeup about it, and the interview that Karla Chubb did on KEXP adds depth to the songs, which often have sparse, somewhat nebulous lyrics. This album goes straight for the throat though. Chubb’s voice is so versatile, and even the quieter parts are nearly boiling with rage. It’s hard to imagine a better first record. I’ve listened to it relentlessly since its release, it’s nice to have the physical media.
The tour has kicked off (they’re not coming anywhere near me, jerks) and the Instagram stories look like they’ll be every bit as good live as they are on vinyl.
Conor Oberst – Ruminations
When he’s on, nobody is better. This was recorded over two days at an isolated cabin, and you can hear it. The recording and production is raw as hell, tracks often sound like they were recorded live, one-take. The lyrics are stop-you-cold Oberst classics, mixing political and personal, often vague enough to leave room for different interpretations, but not Neutral Milk Hotel-level nebulous.
This album is emotionally exhausting. Like spending a night drinking with a friend in crisis — you can’t look away for a second but at the end of it you need some fresh air and alone time. For years I thought that I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning would be the best thing he ever did, but this meets that bar easily.