Yet another dollar-bin classic, certified by Amoeba: Light of Smiles is peak late-career Gary Wright, delivering on hooky pop masterpieces while centering his songwriting around Paramahansa Yogananda. Continue reading The Light of Smiles by Gary Wright
Sometimes I lose hope in the nostalgia I have for bands of my youth. I’ve left my 20s, and school feels so long ago—especially, somehow, college. Life is so different, in ways that I should have predicted but would never have been able to see at the time. Could I have known that this twee Norwegian band would still light up my soul eleven years … Continue reading Eleven Years Since Their Debut, Team Me is Still Something in the Making
Columbia Records, 1979 A1. In a Little While (I’ll Be on my Way)A2. Since I Don’t Have YouA3. And I KnowA4. Sail on a RainbowA5. Miss You NightsB1. Finally Found a ReasonB2. Beyond the TearsB3. Oh How HappyB4. When Someone Doesn’t Want YouB5. Take Me Away Gotta say, this was a fun find in Amoeba’s dollar bin many years ago. It is marked for Demonstration: … Continue reading Fate for Breakfast by Art Garfunkel
Last year, Ngaiire returned with an astounding record, known simply as 3. The artist née Ngaiire (rhymes with diary) Joseph hails from Papua New Guinea and happened to create my favorite album of 2016, Blastoma; her 2021 record was no less impressive. She told NME that she was particularly focused on creating complex harmonies and backing vocals, and that’s only one detail (and fairly minor … Continue reading Ngaiire Sings from the Deepest Parts of Herself
This Norwegian group has been a favorite of mine for over a decade, and they are the epitome of youthful bliss. Their music always takes me all the way back, way before I started listening to their music, back to when I was just a kid fumbling around in a world I had yet to understand (not that I’ve figured it out since then). Team … Continue reading Team Me – “Green Crystal Rain on a Star”
HANDSOME is a martyr. The original “Blame” single was ripe for a remix, with all its distinct electronic elements and enveloping vocals. What was it missing, you may be asking? Chops and drops. Though they’re not exactly drops, just exciting build-up to a wonderful jaunt in the park. Regardless, thanks, St. South! I’ll be adding to my party playlist which I listen to as I … Continue reading HANDSOME and St. South – “Blame (St. South remix)”
Do I feel four years too late upon my discovery of MICHELLE? Yeah. Still, is “UNBOUND” my favorite song today? Absolutely. To call it an earworm doesn’t quite convey its sultry and carefree queer energy. MICHELLE | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud Continue reading MICHELLE – “UNBOUND”
As a music journalist, I’ve perpetually disappointed friends by not knowing who is the Next Big Thing. I don’t even know what the “in” genres are anymore, though I know from countless essays that hyperpop is having a moment in the limelight. The concept is a style I’ve been fascinated by for ages, but never had a word for. The movement that began with arrhythmic, … Continue reading Tama Gucci is on the Cusp of Everything
Alice Phoebe Lou – Glow The first of two records released by Alice Phoebe Lou in 2021, Glow is filled with yearning. The South African artist discusses matters of the heart among cool, sparse soft rock. Vocals on the title track have a sassy lilt that embraces the guitar progression, all of which amounts to Lou’s brand of psych rock. There is much beauty in simplicity, … Continue reading Best Albums of 2021, 11-20 (part 2)
Bryan Away – Canyons to Sawdust On the pastoral Canyons and Sawdust, Bryan Away’s storytelling is given the perfect stage. Among the tales he sings is a nod to Ingmar Bergman’s miniseries (you may know its adaptation with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain) and that track’s direct foil, the jaunty “Scenes from a Wedding.” The title of Away’s summer LP derives from an analogy in an … Continue reading Best Albums of 2021, 11-20 (part 1)
Sawdust & Gin 