Derek Moore
Greetings once again, LI$TNRS. My how time flies. Though it’s only been a mere two week absence, there’s already an admirable amount of amazing music to discuss. And due to the fact that I’ve got another yet another music festival to play this weekend (if you live in Oklahoma, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be at Schwarzstock too), I’m going to go ahead and dive right in to this week’s LI$T.
- I hadn’t heard of any activity from Hooray for Earth since 2011, and I was worried they’d gone belly-up. Turns out they were just taking a break, and that break paid off. “Keys†is one of my favorite songs to come out in the last few months, and it’s perfectly suited for the summer season we’re approaching with its good-time, fun-having, feel-good vibes.
- Shriek, the latest from Wye Oak, is worth a full listen. Vocalist Jenn Wasner has dropped the guitar in exchange for a bass, and the transition in sound works well, demonstrating fluidity in the band’s ability to change sonic palettes.
- tUnE-yArDs’ newest album, on the other hand, isn’t much of a departure from previous releases. If you like their old material, you’ll like this one too. The only difference I notice is a bit more noise throughout the songs.
- I love everything Baths has ever done. As time goes on, it seems Will Wiesenfeld opts for increasingly darker tones and tunes, and his newest EP Ocean Death stays true to that course. I’d highly recommend giving it a proper spin.
- Damon Albarn has finally released Everyday Robots, which I’ve rambled about more than once in a few previous LI$TS. Frankly I can’t think of any other way to explain the album than to simply say, it’s good. The guy’s practically built a fortress of extremely diverse music while maintaining a high level of quality throughout his career, and I can’t wait to see where he ends up next.
- Ought’s debut album More Than Any Other Day played like an LCD Soundsystem record ravaged with art-punk nuances to me. The songs are pretty long and high in energy, and the vocals trade melody for an eccentric spoken word format a few times, which makes for quite an interesting listen.
- Finally, Yuck has come a long way in their relatively short time as a band. I picked the title track from their new EP Southern Skies to close out this playlist, and if you’re familiar with my typical choices for LI$T-closers, then the fact that I picked a Yuck track for the spot should both surprise you and illustrate just how much the band has morphed their sound.
In the next few days I’ll have a write-up of my time at Austin Psych Fest available for your reading pleasure here on okc.net, so you’ve got that to look forward to (since I know you’ve all missed me so much during my week off). And of course, next Tuesday I’ll be back with a new LI$T. Ciao for now.