What I’ve Been Listening To [08/23/15]
Kode9 & The Spaceape — Memories of the Future: An electronic album ripe for late-night listening. The unique vocal stylings and well-produced instrumentals make for a classic dub-influenced experience.
Panda Bear — Crosswords: Panda Bear surprise-released this EP last week. While it’s nothing groundbreaking from him, it’s a great extension to this year’s Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper. “Jabberwocky” and “Cosplay” are both classic Panda Bear tracks.
Beach House — Depression Cherry: Another solid offering from Beach House. I love the subtle shoegaze touches on this album compared to their previous two. “Sparks”, “Space Song”, and “PPP” are all notable dream pop offerings worth listening to. Getting this on vinyl as it was $10 from Amazon the other day.
HEALTH — DEATH MAGIC: I enjoyed some choice cuts from HEALTH’s previous albums (particularly “USA Boys”), but the band often chose noise over form. Long-term fans may be disappointed in their latest offering, but DEATH MAGIC is my favorite album from the L.A. noise band yet. There are lots of good noise pop tracks, but “Stonefist” and “Life” especially stand out to me.
Can — Tago Mago: I’m still wrapping my head around this album. I can tell it’s significant and high quality, but it’s not an easy listen. “Paperhouse” and “Mushroom” were my favorites the first time through, but it definitely requires further listening. A great jazzy album.
Los Campesinos! — A Good Night For A Fistfight: A solid live offering from one of my favorite bands, released as pay-what-you-want on their Bandcamp. Definitely worth a listen, as it includes all the old classics and some new favorites.
Brian Wilson — Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE: Not much to say about this album that hasn’t been said already. I still prefer Pet Sounds, but the innovation and creativity present here is undeniable.
Ought — Sun Coming Down: I definitely need to listen to this one more. It’s much noisier than the Montreal band’s 2014 highlight More Than Any Other Day, but just as special and exciting. “Sun’s Coming Down” and “Beautiful Blue Sky” are personal favorites.
Parquet Courts — Light Up Gold: I’ve listened to this album a lot before, but only now have I begun to appreciate it while driving. If you haven’t done the same, I highly recommend it. This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite albums.
