Every Friday, 88Nine music director Erin Wolf and Lilliput Records co-owner Tanner Musgrove tell you about the new albums you can’t miss on a new episode of On Vinyl. Check out their top picks and a list of this week’s other releases, and listen to their full conversation using the player on this page or on the 88Nine airwaves at 1 p.m. every Friday.
As we ease on into the year, we’re only getting warmed up (much like the weather), and it feels great to know there are countless amazing albums on the horizon. In the meantime, this sorta-quiet Friday sees some long-anticipated releases, musical poets stepping into their own and a couple delightful re-issues.
NC x NY dusty-sounding indie cowpokes The Nude Party took their sweet time on their newest (and appropriately titled) record, Look Who’s Back, and it’s a fun little bite of ’70s-colored rock ‘n roll. Icelandic artist Ásgeir heads to the opposite edge of that musical spectrum, shining a light from the dark, wintry environs of his home by taking up the pen and becoming a veritable poet on his new album, Julia. His father was an actual poet, and Ásgeir’s lyrics have (up until now) borrowed and paid homage to his words. Now, his own words step out into the spotlight.
There are also a couple really great indie-rock re-issues from fuzzy-sounding rocksters Should and Velocity Girl that you get your ears on if you like your music vintage and crunchy.
Happy New Music Friday!
Best new albums out Feb. 13
The Nude Party, Look Who’s Back
The NYC-by-way-of-N.C. band makes music for folks who love their Velvet Underground but also like dusty garage sounds and twangy weirdness. Look Who’s Back is their first full-length in three years and took shape in a “homegrown, late-night party atmosphere,” as they say. Lots of friends, beer, pizza and jams make these songs seem to step directly out of the ’70s, giving it a fun and lighthearted appeal.
This self-released project has been rolling out slowly, with the band sharing singles for a bit. It was produced and engineered by musician Michael Rault, who puts a great spin on their sound. For vinyl, you can catch it on classic black or blue opaque vinyl.
Ásgeir, Julia
If you’re into vocals that cut through the heart and the ears with sparse, modern folk instrumentation, you’ll be a fan of this Icelandic artist (if you aren’t already.) What we like about this new collection of songs is that it’s the first time Ásgeir is diving into the deep end and writing all the lyrics himself. Up until now, he’s primarily interpreted the poetry of his father, but now he can call himself one.
The vinyl version of Julia comes in two forms: 180-gram black vinyl or standard weight transparent green vinyl on the U.K. label One Little Independent.
Should, Feed Like Fishes
The Numero Group has done us all a big favor and brought the Austin shoegaze band’s debut to vinyl for the first time ever. The 11-track album had previously only been released to CD format, but the newly whipped-up double-LP set includes 10 bonus tracks so you can dive into their “quietly radical sound” that explores “unhurried and deliberately unresolved, built from soft distortion, gliding guitars.” This slice of shoegaze-grounded dream pop is available on faded green vinyl or standard black.
Velocity, Simpatico!
Formed in 1989 and best known for their blend of rock fuzz with ’60s style pop, the Maryland group was somewhat short-lived as an active band, releasing three albums before splitting up in 1996. This double LP holds eight B-sides and rarities from the Simpatico! era and is housed in a reimagined album cover to boot. You can find the remastered and expanded version on jade blue and violet vinyl via Sub Pop Records at any local shop near you.
More of our picks
- Cardinals, Masquerade
- Charli XCX, Wuthering Heights
- Chet Faker, A Love for Strangers
- Converge, Love Is Not Enough
- hemlocke springs, the apple tree under the sea
- Jill Scott, To Whom This May Concern
- The Olympians, In Search of a Revival
- Remember Sports, The Refrigerator
- The Lone Bellow, What a Time to Be Alive
