FRECKLE, FRECKLE

What do you get when you bring together two great guitarists and musicians with leanings toward '60s and '70s psychedelic rock and shared California roots? In the case of Ty Segall and Color Green's Corey Madden, you get their new collaborative project, Freckle. Their self-titled debut blends fuzzed-out guitars, sunlit harmonies, and freewheeling jams into a sound that’s both nostalgic and fresh. Tracks like Paranoid and For the Last Time balance heavy, riff-driven grooves with reverb-soaked melodies. Segall’s raw energy and Madden’s fluid guitar work complement each other effortlessly, making Freckle a cool trip through modern psychedelia.

 

ROSE CITY BAND, SOL Y SOMBRA

Five years and five albums in, guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson and his Rose City Band continue to impress. On their latest album, Sol y Sombra, the band maintains their signature laid-back vibe while exploring a fresh approach to production. Drawing inspiration from the raw, intimate essence of private press records from the early '70s, Johnson, along with pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker, keyboardist Paul Hasenberg, and drummer John Jeffrey, embraced minimalist production to create a warm, organic sound. The result is an album that captures the timeless charm and emotional honesty often found in these rare, handcrafted recordings—a perfect match for Rose City Band's easygoing style.

 

TEN 2024 ALBUMS THAT DIDN'T GET THEIR DUE

On most weeks throughout the year, I write about stand-out albums that really grabbed me. But for every album that I write about, there are so many others that never get featured here on Sonic Subway. To right a wrong as the year comes to a close, here are are my top ten of those albums.

 

10. John Moreland, Visitor

John Moreland's Visitor is another standout album that reflects the Oklahoma singer-songwriter's introspection while exploring new sonic textures with atmospheric and electronic elements. 

9. Michael Kiwanuka, Small Changes

I’ve been a big fan of Michael Kiwanuka since I first heard his 2016 album, Love & Hate. It was and continues to be one of my favorite albums over the past decade. Kiwanuka’s latest album, Small Changes, once again highlights the British singer-songwriter’s soulful artistry, blending his rich vocals and warm instrumentation. 

8. English Teacher, This Could Be Texas

English Teacher’s This Could Be Texas delivers sharp, witty lyrics and great post-punk instrumentation, showcasing the band’s knack for blending humor with social commentary. Hailing from Leeds, the rising quartet has gained recognition for their energy and thought-provoking approach to modern indie music.

7. Maggie Rose, No One Gets Out Alive 

Maggie Rose's fourth album, No One Get's Out Alive, seamlessly blends Americana, soul, rock, pop, and folk into a contemporary sounding album that showcases Rose's skillful storytelling and powerful voice.

6. Jessie Murph, That Ain't No Man that's The Devil

Jessie Murph’s Ain't No Man That’s The Devil shows off her strong, fierce, and captivating voice, unfiltered storytelling, and a blending of some cool haunting melodies with a contemporary pop edge. Crazy that Murph is only twenty years old.

5. Leif Vollebekk, Revelation

Canadian singer-songwriter Leif Vollebekk's fifth album, Revelation, wonderfully blends narrative lyrics with cinematic arrangements, reflecting Vollebekk's spiritual explorations and dreams during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

4. Been Stellar, Scream From New York, NY 

Been Stellar has been getting quite a bit of attention in the NY City music scene and rightfully so. Their indie rock sound feels like the channeling of the restless energy of the city. And it's greatly showcased on their debut album Scream From New York, NY.  

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3. Yard Act, Where's My Utopia

Leeds, UK, Post-Punk band, Yard Act's debut album, The Overload, was a top ten album for me in 2022. Two years later they have return with Where's My Utopia? Co-produced with Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr., the album marks a stylistic shift incorporating diverse musical influences including disco (really). It's a great step forward for the band and a great album.

2. Vampire Weekend, Only God Was Above Us

Ezra Koenig has done it again. Only God Was Above Us, Vampire Weekend's fifth album, finds Koenig once again fusing pop, baroque pop, Afro-pop, and classical to perfection create a sound scape that can only be of his making.  

1. MJ Lenderman, Manning Fireworks

MJ Lenderman's distinctive blend of alt-country and indie rock provides the perfect backing for the 25 year old singer-songwriter's candid, off-beat, and insightful lyrics. 

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2024

2024 was a fantastic year for new music. One of the best in recent memory. With this, here are my top ten albums of the year.

10. Phosphorescent, Revelator

I have been a big fan of Matthew Houk, aka Phosphorescent, for many years. He's a fantastic songwriter, singer, and musician and has this uncanny way of digging deep into the human condition, pulling up truths most of us try to keep buried. A highlight for me was his 2013 album, Muchacho. With Revelator, his eighth studio album and first in six years, Houk turns inwards to explore the “gravity of navigating home, partnership, and family, contemplating the dark sides bubbling beneath one's seemingly idyllic life." 

 

Houk's albums are always contemplative and heavy, but the instrumentation on Revelator creates a more dreamlike state than on past albums. It has a calming effect that is welcomed while pondering Houk's sharp introspection and the heavy truths he unearths. By the time the closing track quietly admits, "To get it right is hard to do," Houck has already shown how beautifully he’s managed to do just that. This may be my favorite Phosphorescent album to date.

9. Hurray For The Riff Raff, The Past Is Still Alive

Segarra, raised in the Puerto Rican section of the Bronx, left home at 17 to ride the rails and hitchhike across the country, eventually finding community and creative inspiration in New Orleans. This journey led to the formation of Hurray for the Riff Raff, where Segarra channeled their experiences into powerful, narrative-driven music. 

Their 2017 album The Navigator was a high point, a concept album about Navita, a 16-year-old navigating an over-gentrified city. It masterfully captured the challenges of cultural erasure and the fight to reclaim identity, blending storytelling and activism with stunning artistry. 

Segarra’s latest album, The Past Is Still Alive, delves even deeper, reflecting on their years on the road. Through vivid, autobiographical lyrics, the album explores themes of friendship, loss, identity, and the search for a true sense of home in an increasingly fractured world. Segarra’s Americana-infused indie-rock sound perfectly complements their introspective storytelling, creating a poignant and classic album.

This deeply personal album stands as a love letter to the people and places that shaped Segarra’s journey and is a reminder why of why they are one of the most compelling artists around today. The Past Is Still Alive is another wonderful album by Segarra.

8. Oisín Leech, Cold Sea

Irish singer-songwriter Oisín Leech, known for his expressive songwriting as one-half of The Lost Brothers, ventures into new territory with his debut solo album, Cold Sea. After 15 years and seven acclaimed albums with the duo, Leech delivers heartfelt storytelling and soulful melodies in a project that feels both personal and universal. While The Lost Brothers’ sound leaned on harmony and collaboration, Cold Sea embraces solitude, offering an introspective journey shaped by Donegal, Ireland's rugged landscapes and the quiet influence of poets like Seamus Heaney.

Cold Sea is a stunning exploration of space and emotion, blending sparse instrumentation with Leech’s unguarded voice. It evokes the introspective beauty of Nick Drake, balancing melancholy and hope. Produced by Steve Gunn, the album is enriched by contributions from musicians like Tony Garnier and M. Ward, giving its textured sound depth and intimacy. Tracks feel less like songs and more like streams of consciousness, touching on themes of healing, connection, and renewal.

With Cold Sea, Leech has crafted an album that lingers in the mind and heart long after the final note fades. Rich in atmosphere and emotion, Cold Sea feels timeless and is one of the year’s most memorable releases.

7. Kid Kapichi, There Goes The Neighbourhood

Hastings, UK band, Kid Kapichi, has been on quite a ride over the past five years. With their social commentary on daily life in Britain, these self-proclaimed "beat punks," have grown in popularity and stature. On their third album, There Goes The Neighbourhood, the band leans further into spotlighting the political landscape that has impacted that daily life. 

“Three terms and a potential fourth of Tory rule is enough to ‘inspire’ any band. Brexit has been the icing on the cake, and touring through it has been an experience. Seeing how our police and others around the world have protected those in power and behaved with impunity, as the right-wing legislations of our governments have become more and more radical and common, has been pretty shocking. To see how we’ve let this happen and given up our civil liberties, it is honestly scary. A lot of these thoughts have inspired the album.” -Jack Wilson, Frontman-

Kid Kapichi's rough, punk sound and catchy songs are the perfect package to deliver their acid-tongued lyrics and biting commentary. The album pulses with energy, blending gritty guitars and relentless drums with anthemic hooks that make their messages impossible to ignore. Tracks like Artillery and 999 channel raw frustration, but beneath the anger lies a defiant call for unity and resistance. The neighbourhood may be going down, but this band is clearly on their way up.

6. Color Green, Fools Parade

"All of us are fans of all types of music. We like to wear our influences on our sleeves, but we try to keep our eye on timelessness and originality within the process. We try not to be too obvious about where we’re pulling from, but rather aim to pay respect to the legends that have shaped our musical taste." -Corey Maden, Guitarist-

On their sophomore album, Fools Parade, California-based quartet Color Green straddle '70's psychedelic and southern rock as well as '60's SoCal folk-rock and '80's underground rock to great success. As soon as I started listening to it, I felt like I was revisiting a great forgotten album. 

But the real magic of Fools Parade lies in its ability to feel familiar without falling into nostalgia's trap. There’s a subtle edge throughout, as Color Green balances homage with some raw contemporary energy. Sun-drenched harmonies, wandering guitars lines, and steady rhythms evoking both the breezy charm of Laurel Canyon and the gritty allure of CBGB’s. It’s a love letter to rock’s golden eras for sure, but one written with fresh ink and a knowing wink, making it feel timeless yet undeniably of the moment. Perhaps someday I will forget about this album, but not anytime soon. 

5. Amyl And The Sniffers, Cartoon Darkness

Amyl And The Sniffers are back, and they really want you to fuck off. No, seriously—don’t even try to get comfortable. From the first note of Cartoon Darkness, frontwoman Amy Taylor greets us with a venomous spit: “You’re a dumb c**t, You’re an asshole, Every time you talk you mumble, grumble, Need to wipe your mouth after you speak cuz it’s an asshole.” After that intro, you’re either going to be shocked and/or offended and stop listening or submit to this Aussie band's brash and bodaciousness and hang on tight for the next 35 minutes. Either way, the band is not bothered. They’ve already moved on.

Cartoon Darkness is an album that doesn’t beg for your attention. It doesn't soften its edges. It's still got that relentless punk energy that made them notorious. But musically, Guitarist Declan Mehrtens has said he wanted to try and get a cleaner, less aggressive sound than what they've done in the past and experiment with some more nuanced sounds. That intentionality elevates the band's music to new heights while Taylor’s uncompromising wit still never dips below razor-sharp with her lyrics. The more you dig into Cartoon Darkness, the more you realize this is a band’s final word on anything resembling compromise. They’re unapologetic, untouchable, and undeniably one of the most exciting acts around right now.

Take them or leave them, the band really doesn't care. As Taylor has said, "If you don't like us, then that's on you." What's also on you is choosing not listening to Cartoon Darkness, and missing out on one of the best albums of the year. The ball's in your court.

 

4. Father John Misty, Mahashmashana

Let me get this out of the way: I’m not a Father John Misty fan. Since Josh Tillman stepped away from Fleet Foxes and adopted the FJM persona as a way to “spring free his sense of humor, absurdity, and playfulness,” I’ve found his music self-indulgent and pretentious. Yet, each time he releases an album, I can’t help but acknowledge his talent and the craftsmanship of his work. It’s incredibly frustrating.

Frustrating is not a word I'd use to describe FJM's sixth album, Mahashmashana. It's a fantastic work of art. Taking its title from the Sanskrit word for ‘great cremation ground,’ the album picks up where his last album, Chloë and the Next 20th Century left off, with themes of death and self-erasure. Tillman has said this is a record about removing himself entirely, which raises the question: is this the death of his FJM persona or a deeper dissolution of identity? The album’s sprawling sound ranging from lush orchestration to surreal sonic textures, creates a disorienting but powerful atmosphere, feeling more like an experience than a conventional album.

In Mahashmashana's complexity, Tillman reveals some vulnerability. As his persona steps back, the album dives into deep existential themes with more open and conflicting emotions. The playful absurdity of his earlier work is replaced by a reflective and a more fragile tone. If this truly marks the end of the FJM project, as Tillman has suggested, it feels like a powerful farewell—an elegy to a self that was never fully real.

3. Charlie Crockett, $10 Cowboy

Charlie Crockett's output of studio albums since 2015 has been prolific. Twelve in all. For me, 2022's The Man from Waco was a highlight. But his latest album, $10 Cowboy, is in a league by itself. 

“America is a place where the casino that is America is rigged in favour of the house, but you can still win. Every American knows and believes that, on some level. That’s very much what makes us American. Travelling the world, you see the darkness and the beauty in it. There’s a lot of darkness. The fact that we even get to roll the dice, I know there’s a great amount of privilege that comes at the expense of a lot of the world that we just deal with or that I’m aware of as a traveller”.

-Charlie Crockett-

Crockett is a singular storyteller, and on $10 Cowboy, he weaves stories of this America. They are ones filled with characters who are struggling and succeeding, winning and losing, but hopeful and resilient. There’s a timelessness to his approach, as though these tales could have been told over campfires or in smoky backrooms of roadside bars today. Crockett’s ability to balance the grit of hard truths with the glimmer of hope feels uniquely his own. Backed by a stellar band, with horns that dance and strings that ache, Crockett has simply never sounded better. His voice, a mixture of weariness and determination, grounds each track with authenticity. A $10 cowboy…he is not, but he sure knows how to tell their stories.

2. Laura Marling, Patterns In Repeat

"Everything you want is in your reach right now

And anything that's not I have to teach somehow

Everything about you is intuitive

So those who miss the point might rush right through it

'Cause it's fine

But I don't want to miss it, child of mine"

Laura Marling is long from the young age of sixteen when she joined her older sister in London to pursue music. Now 34, Marling is a celebrated artists who has been recognized for her art with multiple Mercury Prize, Brit Award, and Grammy nominations. Most recently for her 2020 album, Songs Of Our Daughter, which Marling described as being written to an imaginary child.

Four years later, Marling is now a mother and has written and recorded a new collection of songs on which she celebrates her daughter and finds her ruminating about motherhood, the passage of time, and all the things that we inherit from our parents and the cycles we repeat. Recorded in her living room with her four month old daughter in the room, Patterns In Repeat, Marling's eight album, is an 'open-hearted' and intimate affair. Marling has never been more captivating. Patterns In Repeat is simply one of the most beautiful albums that I have heard in years and I found myself hanging on her every word, guitar note, chord, and strum.

1. The Cure, Songs For A Lost World

In 1988, nearing the age of 30, The Cure's Robert Smith was struggling with depression, the not-so-great parting of ways with his band's co-founder, coping with the band's increased popularity, and the pressure he felt to produce their next great album. It was a dark period of time, but rather than try to escape it, Smith embraced it and used it as the source to create the band's 1989 masterpiece, Disintegration. 

Thirty five years on, at the age of 65, mourning the loss of his parents and brother, and watching his band mates loose loved ones, Smith is acutely aware of the passage of time and his own mortality. And that awareness has washed away any of the romanticizing of death and dying that he felt or sang about in his youth. And once again, rather than try to escape what is real, Smith embraces it. 

On Songs Of A Lost World, the band's first new album in 16 years, Smith sings "I know, I know that my world has grown old and nothing is forever." It's a theme that stretches out across eight epic songs that ends with Endsong on which Smith sings, "And I'm outside in the dark staring at the blood red moon. Remembering the hopes and dreams I had and all I had to do. And wondering what became of that boy and world he called his own. I'm outside in the dark wondering how I got so old." It's powerful self-reflection that captures the weight of a lifetime's experiences, woven into a hauntingly beautiful meditation of loss, memory, and the passage of time.

With its brooding and atmospheric soundscape, Songs Of A Lost World feels like a natural successor to Disintegration. The album's lush melancholic aesthetic serves the perfect backdrop for Smith's lyrics and a welcomed return to form. This is the band's best album in 35 years and their second masterpiece.

DAVID GILMOUR, LUCK AND STRANGE

David Gilmour released his first solo album in 1978. Now 78 years young, Gilmour has released just his fifth studio album, Luck and Stranger.  Beyond the fact that Gilmour is still making music at his stage in life, what's amazing to me is just how good he sounds 46 years on...both his voice and his guitar playing. Both are vintage Gilmour. 

What is different is the tone and tenor of Gilmour's lyrics. There’s no escaping time and on Luck and Strange, Gilmour spends much of his time ruminating on the finiteness of life's journey. Combining Gilmour's lyrics with his vocals and guitar and you get something that is truly special. Luck and Strange is an elegant and dignified album that stands apart from his past albums. I don't know if this is Gilmour's last album or not, but if it is, it's a fitting ending to a storied career as an artist.

COLOR GREEN, FOOLS PARADE

"All of us are fans of all types of music. We like to wear our influences on our sleeves, but we try to keep our eye on timelessness and originality within the process. We try not to be too obvious about where we’re pulling from, but rather aim to pay respect to the legends that have shaped our musical taste." Corey Maden, Guitarist

On their sophomore album, Fools Parade, California-based quartet Color Green straddle '70's psychedelic and classic rock as well as '60's SoCal folk-rock and '80's underground rock to great success. As soon as I started listening to it, I felt like I was revisiting a great old album that I had forgotten about. 

But the real magic of Fools Parade lies in its ability to feel familiar without falling into nostalgia's trap. There’s a subtle edge throughout, as Color Green balances homage with some raw, contemporary energy. Sun-drenched harmonies with jangly guitars, evoking both the breezy charm of Laurel Canyon and the gritty allure of CBGB’s. It’s a love letter to rock’s golden eras for sure, but one written with fresh ink and a knowing wink, making it feel timeless yet undeniably of the moment. Perhaps someday I will forget about this album, but not anytime soon. 

GOODBYE JUNE, DEEP IN TROUBLE

"You Know, you put a Les Paul through an old Marshall and you crank it up and you get the sound that doesn't go stale." 

Tyler Baker, lead guitarist, Goodbye June

A classic rock revival is well underway over the past few years and Goodbye June is definitely helping lead the way. Fans of nasty, dirty rock 'n'roll, the band has said that they set out to take a lot of changes and swings on their fourth album, Deep In Trouble. And boy did they. This is a highly charged album with loud guitars and a hard hitting rhythm section to match. And it just plain rocks.

KINGS OF LEON, CAN WE PLEASE HAVE FUN

I remember so clearly the thrill of listening to Kings Of Leon's debut album, Youth and Young Manhood, way back in 2003. It was a hotrod of an album with songs that just exploded with energy, rawness, and swagger. Then the band started 'maturing.' I was with it through Because of the Times. Then the band lost me for a few albums and years. With 2013's Mechanical Bull, the band returned somewhat to their earlier form, but I had to finally acknowledge that this was who the band was now. Fast forward eleven years and three albums, and the band seems to have found a nice balance between what was and what is with their latest album Can We Please Have Fun. I've been enjoying it a lot and glad to see that Kings Of Leon still have some edge.

CREEPER, SANGUIVORE

Love, life, death, and vampires. Is there anything more appropriate for a Friday the 13th in October? Leave it to Creeper to put it all together. More theatrical and over the top than either of their previous two studio albums, Sanguivore is a kind of Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Bat Out of Hell mashup on steroids. But make no mistake, this Southhampton band is not trying to be cheeky or cute. They are a deadly serious about their intentionality and craft. They fully own their space and what they do and there is simply not another band doing it better today.

Sanguivore is just about the most fun that I have experienced listening to an album this year. Bravo to Creeper for their album and music and for ringing in Halloween a few weeks earlier this year.

STEVEN WILSON, THE HARMONY CODEX

What can one say or write about Steven Wilson that has not been said or written about already? Guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer, audio engineer, producer, Wilson is and has been one of the most prolific and influential musicians of his generation. With a scope and body of work spanning thirty years, his journey and career is really unparalleled. 

For many, Wilson's band Porcupine Tree has been the entry point to all things Wilson. From there, it was on to his other bands, collaborations, and solo projects. Each one occupying a unique musical space with its own sound and point of view. There is just so much to list and share here that I'm not even going to start. What I am going to do is jump to Wilson's new solo album,The Harmony Codex.

In Wilson's recently published autobiography, he includes a short story called...The Harmony Codex. It's a self-described piece of dystopian sci fi. Dystopian in the sense that it’s a science fiction story, but it takes place in a world that Wilson says is just about recognizable as our own yet it's very surreal. Like a lot of dystopian sci fi, Wilson says, its metaphor for the world we live in today. And in this case, the central metaphor is the never-ending staircase.

Wilson points to a direct relationship between his short story and his new album that shares the same name. While there are some songs that Wilson has drawn on from the story's characters and situations, there are others that are more 'obliquely related to the subject matter' in the sense that they relate to this idea of “it’s about the journey, it’s not about the destination.” But where does one start such a journey muscially speaking?

In an interview Wilson said that when he started writing this record he had nothing. No agenda. He just sat down and started making music for the sake and for the pleasure of experimenting with sound, and experimenting with songs in the context of experimental sound. That experimentation has augmented Wilson's musical DNA. While certainly still familiar to past albums and works, there is something different going on here. Spatially and sonically this is a newly formed space and soundscape and its next level. I could go on, but I will stop here as this is not a never-ending blog post. 

The Harmony Codex truly is about the journey and it's a journey that we should all be taking in its entirety...all at once. So my suggest is that you put on your headphones, sit back, and let yourself experience this remarkable album. You will be rewarded for it. 

THE MOMMYHEADS, CONEY ISLAND KID

Every few years I 'discover' a band that seems to have been around for decades and I'm left scratching my head wondering how I'd never heard of them or heard their music. Such is the case with The Mommyheads. Reading reviews of the band's many albums, the common theme is that this is a band that has been getting better and better with time and age. I can't yet speak to that since I haven't listened to their back catalog of 14 albums that span 34 years going back to 1989. What I can say is that their 15th album, Coney Island Kid, is absolutely fantastic. 

Fusing pop, prog, indie and psychedelic rock, into a swirling kaleidoscope of curious and slightly idiosyncratic music, The Mommheads have similar underpinnings to XTC and Motorpycho (especially 2020's The All Is One). I was drawn into Coney Island Kid right from the ambient synth opening of title track which uses Coney Island as a backdrop to convey 'themes of desperation and soul-searching'. Honestly, it's been a minute since I was this intrigued with a band or album. 

Top 10 Albums of 2022

2022 was a different year for me. Personal issues pulled me in mulitiple directions and ultimately away from one of my true loves...Sonic Subway...and writing about the music that I have listened to and love throughout the year. With this said, the year would just not be complete without me at the very least sharing/posting my top ten albums of year. Because while I may not have been writing all year...I certainly have been listening! So without further ado...here they are, my top 10 albums of 2022

10. Regina Spektor, Home, before and after

I am not a big Regina Spektor fan. There, I said it. But, I have become a really big fan of Spektor's first album in six years, Home, before and after. While Spektor has no trouble pondering big, weighty questions and ideas on her eighth album, each of her ten songs find a wonderfully tuned balance between ambition, headiness, and light heartedness. Home, before and after just feels like a classic album in the making.

9. Goose, Dripfield

Watching Goose's growth in popularity over the past few years has been eyebrow raising to be sure. This quintet from Connecticut has gone from playing small clubs to selling out multi-day gigs at major music venues across the country. Their amazing live jamming performances are certainly exciting to experience, but the kind of growth that the band has experienced does not come without great songwriting, music, and musicianship. And this band has it all.

The challenge with any jam band when it comes to studio album recording is the ability to capture the essence of the band and what makes them so special when playing live while working in a very structured and limiting format. What Makes Goose's second studio album so good is their ability to do just that. While a listener will not find any long improvisation on Dripfield, they will hear every essential piece of the band that makes Goose so great. 

8. Butch Walker...As Glenn

Billy Joel, Boz Scaggs, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, a little John Melloncamp...'Glen' channels them all as he plays to what appears to be a full house at a local piano bar. That's the concept of Butch Walker's latest album, As... Glenn. Technically, this album came out last year, but it's wide release comes this month so here I am. At first glance, I expected this album to be a fairly cheezy one, but that is not the case. Walker's songwriting is simply fantastic and this collection of singalong songs had me feeling nostalgic for my favorite '70's piano playing singers and albums. Since I'm not sitting at that bar able to applaud with some clapping, I will just say 'Well done, Mr. Walker...um, Glenn, Well done.'  

7. Broken Bells, Into The Blue

James Mercer and Danger Mouse first came together to form Broken Bells in 2010. I thought that it was an odd pairing at the time. But they delivered two strong albums in 2010 and 2014. Eight years later, they're back with Into The Blue. Playing with space and textures in new and intriguing ways, their sound feels fully realized for the first time and make this their strongest and best album to date. Into The Blue has been on high rotation for me all year and has become a favorite of mine.

6. Yard Act, The Overload 

In just 18 months, Yard Act went from an unknown post-punk band from Leeds, UK to being a major label recorded band with debut album that entered the UK charts at number one back in February. Not too bad. 

Since the band released their first single, Fixer Upper, there had been a great buzz around them. Yard Act seemed to have struck a nerve as lead singer James Smith and the band confronted everyday life in a post-Brexit Britain with their acid tongue lyrics and post-punk funk sound. 

So, in a little less then two years since their formation, Yard Act gave the people much more of what they wanted; a full length album of blunt, bruising, compassionate, and witty songs that touched on class identity, gentrification, consumerism, cancel culture, and general discontentment. Combined with their 'skittery-but-muscular post-punk funk' sound: 'punchy disco drums, stabbing, guitar, and melodies driven by the bass that tend to resolve into memorable choruses' (The Guardian), the band landed a one-two punch. The Overload is a super debut album that I have been thoroughly enjoying and it is one that should set Yard Act on a trajectory to great success. 

 

5. The Mysterines, Reeling

Finding its way into the top ten of UK charts in its first week, The Mysterines debut album Reeling has been getting a lot of attention...and rightfully so. It's well deserved. Ask me to pick out one stand-out song and I would be hard pressed to do so. One is just better than the next. Recorded live in the studio without any overdubbing or instrument adding after the fact, Reeling captures the raw energy, intensity, and brooding resting state of the band. This albums goes for the jugular and is just a thrilling listen. 

4. Tears For Fears, The Tipping Point

They're back! It's been 17 years since one of my all-time favorite bands released an album. Asked in an interview why now, after so many years? Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith said, "because we have something to say." 

Both at the age of 61, Orzabal and Smith have done a lot of living. "When we started off..."said Orzabl, "we were adolescents who blamed our parents for everything. And now having been through this as parents, I realize that you can’t cure life, that a large part of life IS tragic, but what you can do is connect, and it’s through that connection you find 99 percent of the answers."It's Orzabal and Smith's searching for answers..on the death of Ozrabal's wife, the pandemic, toxic masculinity, and much of what the world has experienced over the past few years, that has pushed their creative process and music forward.

Forward thinking, moving, and sounding is often challenging for bands that have been together as long as Tears For Fears. But almost forty years on, the band sounds and feels as strong and amazingly relevant as ever.

3. King Hannah, I'm Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me

Quite a few debut albums caught my ear this year. None more than King Hannah's I'm Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me. On it, Liverpool duo Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle have created a dark and doleful space and mood that's mesmerizing and seductive. 

While there are no intentional themes to the album, Merrick and Whittle have said that childhood and memories and the warmth they bring drove the direction of many of the songs on the album. I guess. Feelings of Nostalgia and sentiment may live in these songs, but they are swirling around in dark waters with strong undercurrents. Perhaps not the best waters to swim in, but waters that I found myself wanting to dive into again and again.

2. Spoon, Lucifer On The Sofa

Michael Hann, who writes for The Guardian, said it best; "There aren't really bad Spoon albums. There are really good Spoon albums and there are excellent Spoon albums."Spoon's tenth album, Lucifer On The Sofa, not only falls into the 'excellent' category, it may be one of their best. 

In an interview with Consequence of Sound, Britt Daniel said that with Lucifer On The Sofa, the band was aiming to break away from the sounds of their recent albums by reconnecting with the identity and culture" of the city that birthed them....Austin, TX. Feeding off the dynamism of the city and honing back in on their live sound, the band has recaptured a level of energy and 'rollicking form' not felt since recording Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga in Austin years earlier. This, says Daniel, is by design. "What I wanted was to make a record that felt good to listen to, that felt right on, that felt kick ass....Post-pandemic, I think the world needs that even more, the record that feels good blasting outta your radio." Yep.

1. Sandre Lerche, Avatars Of Love

For twenty years, Sandre Lerche has been surprising just about anyone who has been listening to his music, as he takes right and left turns with just about everything that he does. Eleven albums in, Lerche has said that Avatars Of Love is without a doubt the biggest, boldest, and most complex thing that he's ever done. I could not agree more. Lerche is one of the best songwriters of his generation, and he has simply never been better than here on Avatars of Love. Clocking in at 85 minutes, this is definitely a sprawling and ambitious album....and it delivers in the very best ways. A brilliant album.