In honor of what used to be one of my favorite weekends of the year — Lolla’s three (now four) day extravaganza of excellent tunes — I thought I’d offer my own slightly more contained alternative, now that that festival’s lineups remain an almost overwhelming disappointment the past few years. (I think there were about five bands I’d like to have seen this year and that’s pushing it.) As a result, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite things I’ve been listening to lately for the inaugural SunChine Festival — so load up the Spotify queue, pour yourself a frosty beverage, and put on your favorite romper (it wouldn’t be a festival without them!) cuz the festival is about to begin!
We’ll start with a pair of albums that exemplify the season, exuding endless rays of sunshine and light. The front half comes from New Orleans duo Generationals, back with their seventh full length, Heatherhead. For fans of the band it’s a solid set of their strongest tricks — slick synth tracks, as well as bright, lush pop tunes, all bathed in the shimmering sheen of the pair’s gauzy vocals. I’d lost touch with the band after the strong two year run of Heza and Alix (released in 2013 and 14, respectively), as they subsequently underwent a four year stretch without releasing any albums. I completely missed their return with another one-two punch of back to back albums (2018’s State Dogs and 2019’s Reader as Detective, which I’ve slowly been acquainting myself with) before again going dormant for four years.
Thankfully this one caught my eye, trumpeting their return and finding them in as good a form as ever. The pop songs have a bit of Richard Swift to them with their soaring feeling and luxuriant sound — tracks like the opening “Waking Moment,” “Eutropius (Give Me Lies),” and “Faster Than a Fever” are all excellent examples (just try not singing along with the chorus on the last one — positively huge) — while the pair’s more traditional synth tracks slither out of the speakers (songs like “Elena,” “Death Chasm,” and the (sorta) title track “Hard Times for Heatherhead” (with its killer Cure-like riff) all sizzle.) It’s a really good listen — perfectly paired with this next one, the latest from Brooklyn’s Beach Fossils.
These guys are back with their fourth album (their fifth if you count the jazz album they did reinterpreting their songs as piano ballads two years ago) and it’s thankfully an extremely solid return to form after that momentary diversion. It’s their first album of original songs in six years (2017’s Somersault, which landed at #6 on that year’s list, was their last) and it finds them mining the same sonic groove, albeit with some more melancholic lyrics this time around. Similar to the previous band these guys have always nailed the laid-back, swimming feeling to their songs (sometimes dubbed “surf pop”) and while they can instantly conjure that bright, sunny vibe, you miss out if you relegate them strictly to background “feel good” music.
Traditional tracks like “Sleeping on my Own,” “Run to the Moon,” and “Anything is Anything” all glow with the heat of the summer sun, making you want to lie down and let the waves break over you, but other tracks sport some interesting influences worth paying more attention to. Songs like “Dare Me” call to mind modern acts like Dehd, while tracks like “Don’t Fade Away” and “Tough Love” bring out early REM. (For their part “Feel So High” and “Numb” evoke The Cure.) It adds some interesting wrinkles to the band’s sound and really rounds things out well. Check out the aforementioned “Don’t Fade Away” (and the opening “Waking Moment” from Generationals) here:
Next we’ll skip across the pond for the latest from the Scottish hip hop trio Young Fathers, back with their fourth (or sixth) album, depending on how you count, their first in five years. (2018’s Cocoa Sugar, which landed at #10 on that year’s list, was their last.) In their absence we’ve seen similar sounding acts spring up and grab the spotlight — from fellow citizens of the crown such as the mysterious Sault with their eclectic, powerful messages to multinational masses like Brockhampton with their polyphonic hip hop. And while each of those acts have positive elements and outings, these guys sport something they’ve both lacked — consistency. Each of this act’s previous outings have been exciting, interesting listens, almost without fail, and this one’s no different.
Another jewelry box full of influences and opulence, this one starts off with the killer “Rice,” full of African drums and chanting choruses, and doesn’t look back until the closing “Be Your Lady” with its drum and bass style percussion and crooned verses. In between there’s a medley of other sounds — there’s the soaring, smoldering spiritual “Tell Somebody” and its companion, the joyful instrumental “Ululation” (featuring almost nothing but the titular bellows), there’s the twitchy “Shoot me Down,” which jitters and shakes before blossoming into a TV on the Radio style track midway through, and there’s ones like “Drum” and “Holy Moly” that throw everything into the pot and shine. It’s another really solid outing from the band that still doesn’t have many sonic peers — check out “Sink or Swim” here:
We’ll head south towards the palace and the third album from England’s Charlie Cunningham next, back for the first time since 2019’s Permanent Way. I first found Cunningham thanks to the bushels and bushels of fan mail I get (tip of the cap to the Mad Dog for this one) and immediately was drawn to his spare, lovely arrangements and his warm, angelic voice. There’s plenty of those here across the album’s eleven song span, along with some fond echoes of other artists to draw you in.
There’s touches of Nick Mulvey (“Shame I Know”), Badly Drawn Boy (“So It Seems”), and Jose Gonzales (“Watchful Eye”) here, as well as several songs of Cunningham strumming away with scarcely more than his acoustic guitar. (“Friend of Mine,” “End of the Night”) The plaintive piano songs also shimmer, from the subdued “Starlings” and “Frame” to the slightly more upbeat elegance of “Pathways.” Top to bottom it’s a really pretty listen, none moreso than this one, the slow burning slinkiness of “Bird’s Eye View.” Check it out here:
We’ll stay in the kingdom for one more act, that being the Londoners of Shame, back with their third album, Food for Worms, their first since 2021’s excellent Drunk Tank Pink. (Which landed at #11 on that year’s list.) Nothing’s changed since then — they’re still dishing out taut post-punk gems, balancing furious rippers with moodier, more expansive jams on another album that’s certain to show up at the end of the year. Tracks like “Six Pack,” “Alibis,” and “The Fall of Paul” represent the former category with frontman Charlie Steen again offering some of the most satisfying moments as he spits out lines like “NOW YOU’VE GOT A SIX PACK” with almost utter derision.
Meanwhile songs like “Yankees,” “Adderall (End of the Line),” and “Orchid” show the band stretching out, slowly building the tension before blowing things apart in some truly satisfying climaxes. Guitarists Sean Coyle-Smith and Eddie Green continue to sprinkle songs with some sizzling riffs, as on the opening “Fingers of Steel” and “Different Person,” and the rhythm section of drummer Charlie Forbes and bassist John Finerty remain stolid supporters throughout. This one’s a lean, mean delight (it also sports one of my favorite album covers thus far, along with Young Fathers) — check out the scorching “Alibis” as proof:
We’ll head back to the states for the next act, Austin’s RF Shannon, who was a recent discovery as part of the sister site’s beloved ‘gram competition, #fridayfreshness. Shannon won thanks to the strength of single “Abalone,” which is a slinky slice of AM radio and was the gateway to me checking out the rest of the album when it dropped in May. It’s been in frequent rotation since then and doesn’t show signs of stopping. (It’s his third overall and his first in four years.)
From the sinister, sultry opener “Palmetto” to the stately, somber closer “Heathen Nights,” Shannon is something of a shapeshifter, effortlessly exuding a range of styles across the album’s nine tracks. There’s country notes (the slide guitar on “Midnight Jewelry,” which marries with a slowed down disco style Chic riff to winning effect, the fiddle on “Dublin, Texas,” which adds in a traditional Irish folk feel beyond the town’s name), there’s folksy ballads (the luxurious, lovely “Raindance #11” or the stately elegance of “Cedar Perfume”), there’s even touches of bands as disparate as Dire Straits and Wilco. (“Casinos in the Wild” and “So Down Low” being two respective examples.) Somehow it all works, held together by Shannon’s warm whisper and excellent melodies — really enjoying this one. Check out “So Down Low” here for a taste:
We’ll head west for the next visit, that of California’s Angelo de Augustine, another winner of the fabled #fridayfreshness crown. He won thanks to the lead single from his fifth album, Toil and Trouble, the wonderful, haunting “Ballad of Betty and Barney Hill.” That one called to mind fave among faves Elliott Smith and that memory/inspiration fills the majority of the album’s eleven other songs. It’s jarring at times just how well he’s channeled Elliott’s spirit and sound — his twin-tracked voice and whispered delivery are just the start (though perfectly captured).
There’s also the cryptic, slightly elliptical lyrics on songs like “Memory Palace,” “Song of the Siren,” or “Blood Red Thorn,” which shift like sand on a dune depending on the way the winds of your mood are blowing — always a hallmark of Elliott’s best. They also sport melodies that echo those found on Elliott songs (though just enough to remind you of their forebears vs ripping them off wholesale.) When it all comes together you almost forget that you’re not listening to him and some unearthed trove of lost songs. It’s a powerful potion, one that is enjoyable on its own merits while also simultaneously sad for reminding you he’s been gone for a staggering twenty years already. This one almost certainly will show up at year’s end as well, but in the meantime enjoy the bewitching time warp of a title track here:
We’ll hop up north to Canada next, visiting America’s fiery crown and the ever-lovely enigma that is Feist. Back with her sixth studio album, Multitudes, Ms Leslie returns after six years away with what is writ large her most subdued album yet. (Her last, 2017’s Pleasure, landed at #4 on that year’s list.) Aside from the opening “In Lightning” and back half gem “Borrow Trouble,” Ms Leslie spends the majority of the remaining time singing softly to her acoustic guitar with almost nary another accompaniment to be found.
For those who spent the pandemic streaming various artists’ impromptu shows (RIP the Tweedy Show, Gibbard’s gabs, and the Morbzahatchee Rodeos) it’s reminiscent of the videos Feist intermittently posted of her playing guitar on a radiator or in a random basement. They were quiet, contemplative, and witheringly pretty, as Ms Leslie’s best stuff always is, and there’s several songs here that live up to those standards. There’s “Forever Before” and its look at loneliness and solitude, the self-explanatory “Love Who We Are Meant To” and “Song for Sad Friends,” and the introspective ode of “The Redwing.” All draw you into their quiet splendor and the rare moments where Feist does throw in some additional elements they resonate all the more — the backing chorus of “Hiding Out in the Open” or the orchestral swells on “Of Womankind,” in addition to the aforementioned anomalies of “Lightning” and “Trouble.” It’s a slightly different listen than her previous outings, but a satisfying one nonetheless. Check out “Redwing” here:
We’ll close up shop in Chicago, fittingly bringing our festival to an end in the only place we’d ever think to hold it, our beloved city by the lake (#GPOE!) and we’ll do so with one of our own, 18 year old Sofia Jensen, who performs as Free Range. As if her age wasn’t enough of an indicator, Jensen is something of an anomaly — similar to several of her postmates she’s a former #fridayfreshness champ, but she’s one of the few to have won the title twice. The fact that I found her at all is something of a miracle — that one of her songs found its way into the limited space of the new release queue late last year (one of maybe three total she had ever recorded, as her album was not yet out) is surprising enough, but that I liked what I heard enough to win that competition (twice!) is even more improbable.
And yet that’s not all — almost as miraculous, her debut album somehow surpasses those surprises and exceeds expectations, giving us a top to bottom winner filled with really pretty songs. The two former champs (“Want to Know” and “All my Thoughts”) remain highlights, but they’re joined by a flurry of equally excellent songs — from the Fleetwood Mac-ish vibe of “On Occasion” to the loose, leggy “Growing Away” or “Running Out,” Jensen shows she’s got more tricks than simply the stabbing, solitary numbers. (Although those are real good when we get them — “For Me To Find,” the eponymous “Free Range,” and the beautiful “Traveling Show” are a few shining examples.) It’s a heck of an achievement — for anyone, let alone an 18 year old just getting started — and has been something I’ve listened to a ton lately. Really excited to see how she grows as a musician in the coming years. Close your eyes and check out “Traveling Show” — you won’t be disappointed (there’s only a live version posted, but it’s worth checking out — then go listen to the whole album and enjoy it even more):
That’s all for now, my friends — until next time… –BS