Now that the bomb cyclone has passed and there’s a momentary lull in the whirlwind of shit-smeared puppies and 3AM wakeup whimpers that have dominated my week, I thought I’d sneak in to offer a couple tunes I found while in the midst of those early morning encounters. First are a pair of singles from bands whose early stuff I really liked before the spell faded on recent outings, the first from British electro outfit Simian Mobile Disco, the latter from nearby Baltimore duo Wye Oak. Simian’s debut ten years ago was a solid effort representing one of the early waves of acts that eventually developed into the tsunami of DJs that’s been plaguing festivals and airwaves in recent years. (Check out “Hustler” for an instant entree/party from that one.) The pair’s early buzz largely got drowned out by the subsequent squall of feedback from acts like Skrillex, Armin van Buuren, Steve Aoki, etc, but the UK duo could always be counted on for slinky, uptempo outings like the below from their upcoming album. I will be curious to hear how the rest of it sounds, based on this — might be worth revisiting them again…
As for Wye Oak, their early efforts were a moodier, more indie affair, serving as the soundtrack to a dingy dive bar shilling cans of Hamms vs a swank club sporting Stolis and soda. And while the pristine production was what often lured you in to the former outfit, here the allure is the voice of frontwoman Jenn Wasner, a delicate, throaty thing that draws you towards its warmth like a siren through thick fog. Their peak for me was 2011’s Civilian (check out the title track for my favorite offering there), before they went the way of so many bands these days (much to my chagrin, as my eight devoted readers know well) and added synths for 2014’s Shriek, which was where I left them. Similar to Simian, the new single has me curious what the new album will hold — will it be more of a return to their early outings or a more balanced version of their last one where the synths are mostly muted? Time will tell, but in the meantime enjoy this one, a pretty little ditty:
Next comes the latest single from yet another act whose early stuff was much loved before losing me on later affairs, this time from the ever vexing (and occasionally insufferable) Father John Misty. His first two albums are recent favorites of mine — his sophomore outing I Love You, Honeybear landed at #5 on my 2015 list — but his recent album Pure Comedy was a self-important, over-inflated disappointment. Hopefully this latest track is an indication he’s going back to what worked best — not self-indulgent lyrics littered with snide sermons seemingly intent on wowing you cerebrally, but sharp, self-effacing lines looking more to puncture your heart or make you laugh. This one’s a promising indicator he might be leaning towards the latter, recounting a (fictional?) encounter in a hotel lobby that’s textbook Misty.
We’ll close with the latest from two continued faves, Bon Iver and Parquet Courts. The former has been playing a song, “Hayward, WI,” recently while touring for the 10th anniversary of his amazing debut, For Emma, Forever Ago. Written at the same time as that classic, it’s only recently been seeing the light of day, but hopefully will get a formal release soon. It’s vintage Vernon, all gauzy vocals and warm, woozy melody — so check it out here:
Last up is the latest from the beloved Courts, whose upcoming album was recorded with Danger Mouse of all people. These guys are never ones to play it safe (or stand still, constantly dabbling in hit or miss side projects), but when they’re recording under the main moniker there’s not many better. This one’s another winner, a two part whammy that shows just how irresistible these guys can be. Check it out: