 by Derek Moore
It appears another week has passed, LI$TNERS. Let’s skip the formalities and dive right into this tantalizing tracklist.
• Like I mentioned in last week’s LI$T, Gardens & Villa is a personal favorite, and they have a new album out February 4th (which is actually streaming here). “Colony Glen†is the second official release we’ve heard from Dunes thus far, and it keeps up the promising trend of tunes from the forthcoming LP with vivacious synth-driven tenacity.
• “Country Sleep,” the debut album from Night Beds, is a gem. If you haven’t heard it yet, do yourself a favor and listen to it. Fair warning: you might feel some serious feelings during this process. That said, singer/songwriter Winston Yellen has one of the silkiest, most emotive voices I’ve ever heard, so I felt it necessary to include “Head for the Hills†on this LI$T, as it is the first we’ve heard from Night Beds since the aforementioned album.
• Lanterns on the Lake is a new band to me, but their recently released album “Until the Colours Run” hit me hard. It’s captivating, moving and heavy. “Elodie†is the first track on the album, and if you enjoy it, I’d highly recommend letting the entire LP play.
• Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings play legitimate 1960’s soul. Their recently released “Give the People What They Want” was delayed from its initial due date of last August on the grounds that Jones was diagnosed with cancer. Happily, after a successful operation and ongoing treatment, she’s made her way back to the limelight, and the album is fantastic.
• The next two groups are new to me as well, so you’ll have to forgive me for the lack of interesting accompanying information:
o Shy Boys is an indie group out of Kansas City, which is unexpected, given their lo-fi surf sound. They just released their self-titled debut LP January 21st.
o Shifting sonic gears for a moment, we land in the deep, textural gulley of Clifflight. Frankly, I just enjoyed this song and wanted to share it with you.
• Warpaint also just released a self-titled LP. It shares the hypnotic, dreamy-yet-intentional characteristics of their last album, but this time the production has more of a slick sound. Take that as you will.
• You might’ve noticed OKC.NET’s talk of I Break Horses in previous weeks when we linked to their new album “Chiaroscuro,” which was streaming in full at the time. As would be reasonably expected, I felt it necessary to include a mention in my LI$T since the album is simply put, a great listen.
• Concluding this LI$T is James Vincent McMorrow. “Cavalier†is pensive electro R&B; sweepingly beautiful falsetto vocals float above an undercurrent of pulsating percussion in this track. His newest album, which came out January 13th, is strangely and somehow appropriately titled Post Tropical. You’ll get that statement after you listen to it. Personally I think it sounds like a sun setting over the beach of a temperate island while the temperature shifts from a balmy, enjoyable state to a darkened, chilling cold, but that’s just me.
Nine tracks later, this LI$T is drawn to an end. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have, and I hope you’ll check back next Tuesday when I’ll return with another batch of music for your listening entertainment. Ciao for now.