I’ve been holed up as part of the annual holiday hideout, stuffing my face with libations of all forms while working on the year end review (I’m sure the eight of you are fiending for it, but rest easy — I’ll post it in a week or two), but wanted to surface in the interim to highlight a couple catches I made in my cave. First is the latest single from fellow Chicagoan Jeff Tweedy’s new album, WARM, which dropped last week. I’m still working through the album (early indications are you might see it in a couple weeks), but there’s no point sitting on this one as it’s an instant winner. Bright melody, smart, slightly sad lyrics — another gem from Jeffrey. (And while you’re listening, give a look at the music he says helped make him who he is, courtesy of Pitchfork. Some interesting selections and insights, particularly his love of Missy and “The Message.”)
Next comes the first single from the upcoming Czarface album. Their last one, a pairing with fellow rap/comic hybrid MF Doom was a surprising disappointment, sort of the equivalent of bacon ice cream. (“I like both of these things separately — why are they not better together!?”) This one’s another collabo and finds the team adding another Wu member, however temporarily — that of Ghostface, one of the few Wu-bangers still rapping. (Meth, when will you ever come back???) Hopefully this one’s an indication of what’s to come, as it’s a return to some of the best stuff off the early Czar albums (and on point with the best turns off Ghost’s recent offerings). It’s a solid listen — give it a ride here:
Following that comes the latest from the ever-productive Bob Pollard and beloved Guided by Voices who released two EPs yesterday (part of the two others they plan to release, which I guess form together like Voltron to make up their first album of the year — one of two planned so far). As I recently wrote, some of the new stuff sounds really good (“Cohesive Scoops” and “My Future in Barcelona” among them), but this one wasn’t in the setlist the night I saw them. It’s another winner, though — hopefully the rest of the album keeps up the trend. Give it a listen here:
Shifting gears a little we’ve got the first single from the Chemical Brothers’ upcoming album, which will be the duo’s ninth. They’ve remained a steady force, albeit in the background compared to current electromonsters like Aoki, Skrillex, and others, but the material has been consistent throughout. Maybe not as irresistibly exhilarating as Dig Your Own Hole or their live album Brothers Gonna Work It Out (one of the all-time best DJ sets), but there have been moments like that amidst more nuanced, mature offerings. We’ll see what this one has in store for us — so far it’s got a solid song with an entertaining video to get us started. Check it out here:
Last up we’ve got a seasonally appropriate offering, a new Christmas song from the Minus Five, which pairs Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard with a pretty winning song about spending the holiday in Antarctica. It’s even got a cute video with a penguin — what more could you want? So strap on your Santa hat and give it a listen — and I’ll see the eight of you in a few weeks with the vaunted year end list!
— BS