More than 50 albums came into the studio this week. Hundreds of songs crossed our computer screens. We immerse ourselves in music each week. We pulled together this week, listened to a few dozen together, and selected this weeks songs for New Music Wednesday. Then there are these charished five. The ones we couldn't put down. These are the songs that we are still listening to even when we know that we should be getting to the other 40 albums that came in the mail this week. We couldn't let them go. Now it's your turn to take them.
Perfect Pussy- Interference Fits
Beneath layers of distortion, fragmentation, and static, Interference Fits struggles to keep itself together around a song structure that is intelligent, good willed, and still searching for direction. The song itself is an audible metaphor for life in our late 20’s. The sentiment is echoed, literally in the vocals from lead singer Meredith Graves as she yells “Since when do we say yes to love?” and the confusion that she feels is emphasized as she screams separate stanzas in stereo until it concludes, unresolved, into a static unknown.
Perfect Pussy’s album, Say Yes To Love, will be available on March 18 th.
Listen if you like: Yuck, Sonic Youth, distortion pedals.
–Justin Barney
Nick Waterhouse- This is a Game
Nick Waterhouse wears a skinny tie, three button suit, horn-rim glasses. He plays his guitar way up on his chest, he has a small horn section and back up singers that go “doo doo dee whop, do whop, doo doo dee whop, do whop.” He doesn’t shy away from the fact that he has a old school sound. Nor should he. Nick Waterhouse has gone back in time, plucked all the elements from soul/ rock ‘n’ roll/ rhythm and blues that worked, and retrofitted them into a sound that is irresistibly nostalgic.
Nick Waterhouse’s new album, Holly, is out now.
Listen if you like: Mad Men, the Nuggets compilations, the 1960’s
–Justin Barney
We Were Evergreen- Daughters
Based in UK, French indie-electro-pop group, We Were Evergreen, recently released their new single, “Daughters,” on March 3 rd. “Daughters” is off of their debut album with Island Records, Towards, which will be out May 5 th. The trio provides quite interesting aspects, as they blend various instruments with syncopated beats and repetitive loops, accompanied by entrancing vocal techniques. Their album will be one to look out for in May, but for now give their new enticing single, “Daughters,” a listen here.
-Elise Conlin
Hozier – “Take Me to Church”
Once you listen to this song, it’s not difficult to see why people just can’t seem to let the next song play after they hear it. This song has pretty much all the elements of an irresistible track: it has a good beat, it has deep lyrics and the singer is successfully pouring his heart out. Successfully refers to the fact that when some people put such emotion into their singing, it comes off more like they’re just screaming. Hozier’s doing it right. Have a listen, but be warned, it may get you hooked. The first taste’s free…
-Brandon Dorsey
U.S. Royalty – “Blue Sunshine”
This song is another goodie. It feels like one of those songs that you listen to as you cruise down the highway on a summer evening. That might explain the video, because that’s exactly what’s happening. It’s a cross between a feel-good song and a relatively sad, almost lonely. Going along with that, blue sunshine is a great metaphor most likely with multiple meanings.
–Brandon Dorsey
BONUS: Townes Van Zandt- Lungs
This is primarily a new music column, but I’m not about to deny a golden oldie to get in the mix when the vintage is right. This week’s episode of True Detective (which is incredible) concluded with the true grit of the Townes Van Zandt song, Lungs, and got me to dust off one of the greatest live albums of all time: Townes Van Zandt: Live At the Old Quarter. The album will stay there until we find out, or don’t find out, who the Yellow King is this Sunday. –Justin Barney