Sharing the sharing.
Brooklyn (by way of Nashville) duo Sufis are back with the third LP, After Hours, out today (Jan 12) via Burger Records. It’s a groove-filled (seriously, this sucker is groovy as hell), psych-pop romp that’s been on repeat since it landed in my inbox. I highly recommend you spend some quality time with this album.
Give standout tracks “Till I Get Home” and “All Knowing (71)” (below) a spin to sample their goodness. Enjoy.
Better late than never – my auditory loves of 2017, in rough order…
Thundercat Drunk (Brainfeeder)
Intoxicating, weird, vulnerable, and soooooo damn funky. My Album of the Year if I had to pick one.
Slowdive Slowdive (Dead Oceans)
The comeback album of our collective dreams.
Trementina 810 (Burger)
If this hadn’t been The Year of Slowdive’s Triumphant Return, I’d like to think this gorgeous offering of dreamy shoegaze from Chile’s Trementina would’ve been the talk of the town.
The xx I See You (Young Turks)
Now that producer Jamie Smith, aka Jamie xx, is getting his due as the driving force behind The xx juggernaut, I might be able to stop raving about him. But why stop now?
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Soul of a Woman (Daptone)
What a force. What a voice. What a loss.
Big Thief Capacity (Saddle Creek)
This album has quietly slipped on to a bunch of Best of 2017 lists because it is just that: a quiet album of incredible strength.
Grandaddy Last Place (30th Century Records)
“Even still the rockers are…”
Mountain Goats Goths (Merge)
A wonderfully engaging concept/tribute album – whether you are, were, or have ever loved a goth.
Boris Dear (Sargent House)
Rumored to be a farewell letter to their fans, it’s a welcome return to the nuanced take on sludge/drone/doom metal that first lured me in almost 20 years ago.
Fazerdaze Morningside (Flying Nun)
Nearly perfect bedroom pop.
Moses Sumney Aromanticism (Jagjaguwar)
All the feels.
Molly Burch Please Be Mine (Captured Tracks)
A sparse, timeless album that allows nothing to interfere with the purity of Molly’s hypnotic voice.
Doug Tuttle Peace Potato (Trouble in Mind)
Hypnotic psych pop with enough ragged edges to keep you awake.
Homeboy Sandman Veins (Stones Throw)
Based on record sales in the “>3hive Co-op Shop, not everyone agrees – but I think he’s one of the best, most versatile MCs around.
Waxahatchee Out in the Storm (Merge)
Katie Crutchfield finds her sound and voice amidst the rubble of a failed relationship.
Honorable mentions: Iron & Wine Beast Epic [buy vinyl], Protomartyr Relatives in Descent, LCD Soundsystem american dream [buy vinyl], Destroyer ken [buy vinyl], Open Mike Eagle Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, The Courtneys II [buy vinyl], King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Murder of the Universe [buy vinyl], Jonwayne Rap Album Two, Priests Nothing Feels Natural, Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Hitchcock [buy vinyl]
Here are my favorite albums/EPs from 2017, in no particular order…
Monster Rally Flowering Jungle (Gold Robot)
Spotting Spotting EP (self-released/Aarght)
The Rebel Set 4 Song EP (Hidden Volume)
Ty Segall Ty Segall (Drag City)
Molly Burch Please Be Mine (Captured Tracks)
Doug Tuttle Peace Potato (Trouble In Mind)
David Bowie No Plan EP (Columbia)
FRONDS Cold Across My Skin (Gold Robot)
Jake Xerxes Fussell What In The Natural World (Paradise of Bachelors)
Lilith Apology Plant (Disposable America)
Tall Friend Safely Nobody’s (Exploding In Sound)
Oh Sees Orc (Castle Face)
Bedouine Bedouine (Spacebomb)
UV-TV Glass (Deranged)
Destroyer ken (Merge)
Mountain States Whispers (Coaster)
Kevin Morby City Music (Dead Oceans)
Otoboke Beaver Love Is Short! (Damnably)
Century Palm Meet You (Deranged)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Soul of a Woman (Daptone)
RIP
Slowdive Slowdive (Dead Oceans)
Open Mike Eagle Brick Body Kids Still Daydream (Mello Music)
Milo Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?! (self-released)
Michael Nau Some Twist (Suicide Squeeze)
Thundercat Drunk (Brainfeeder)
Jack Cooper Sandgrown (Trouble In Mind)
Waxahatchee Out In The Storm (Merge)
OCS Memory of A Cut Off Head (Castle Face)
Once And Future Band Once And Future Band (Castle Face)
The Safes Tasty Waves (Hidden Volume)
23 punk rock slabs dedicated to our favorite radio DJ – Sean Boy Walton. Enjoy.
1. 7 Seconds – Here’s Your Warning
2. T.S.O.L. – World War 3
3. The Lillingtons – I Saw The Apeman (On The Moon)
4. Hüsker Dü – I Don’t Know What You’re Talking About
5. The Replacements – Something To Dü
6. SAMIAM – Long Enough To Forget You
7. The Briefs – Year Long Summer
8. Ramones – Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
9. Hard-Ons – Girl In The Sweater
10. The Undertones – Male Model
11. Descendents – Jean Is Dead
12. Adolescents – Self Destruct
13. Circle Jerks – Moral Majority
14. Misfits – Astro Zombies
15. Zodiac Killers – Radiation Beach
16. Bad Brains – Sailin’ On
17. Dead Milkmen – Tiny Town
18. The Marked Men – Doctor Dan
19. Rocket Reducers – Don’t Wanna Wake Up
20. Zig Zags – Sin Eaters
21. Bad Religion – Quality Or Quantity
22. Offspring – Hand Grenades
23. SNFU – Big Thumbs
One of my favorite albums for the last month or so is Safely Nobody’s by Philadelphia’s (by way of D.C.) Tall Friend. Singer/songwriter, Charlie Pfaff’s lyrics are intimate and their soft, almost hushed vocals are damn powerful. This is the most punk rock record I have heard in a long time, I highly recommend it.
Safely Nobody’s is available now from Exploding In Sound. I also recommend you giving their Audiotree session (below) a spin as well.
Atlanta trio Omni are back with their newest release Multi-task. It’s 28 minutes of wiry post-punk, pogo-worthy goodness is worth your time – there is definitely no sophomore slump here.
We have Multi-task on radical red vinyl in the 3hive Co-op Shop. Give the handy-dandy button below a click to get yourself one.
In 11 albums in 22 years, Mr. Bejar has shown zero signs of slowing down. ken, Bejar’s eleventh LP and almost shortest (overall time-wise), is a solid album, packed full of Bejar’s killer arrangements and excellent songwriting. Give standouts “Tinseltown Swimming In Blood” and “Ivory Coast” a spin below.
We have the special yellow vinyl indie edition for sale, at a great price, in the 3hive Co-op Shop. Give the fancy button below a tap/click to grab yourself a copy.
New York duo Petite League has been pumping out their fuzz-pop jams since 2014. Their newest release, Rips One Into The Night is their strongest effort yet – featuring 10 tracks of warm, bedroom pop meets fuzzy, garage pop goodness.
Give standout “Sun Dogs” a spin below – it will make you feel happy. You can pick up Rips One Into The Night on vinyl from Native Sound Records and digitally from Petite League’s Bandcamp page.
Chicago’s The Safes play sugar-sweet garage pop tunes that are a sure cure for any sour mood. Their new album, Tasty Waves, is 22 minutes of warm, summery-pop bliss – a perfect remedy for the cold, winter-like weather we’ve been having in my neck of the woods.
Tasty Waves is available now on vinyl and digital from Hidden Volume Records. I highly recommend it.
Fronds is the solo project of former Mallard drummer Dylan Tidyman-Jones, Cold Across My Skin is his second release as Fronds.
Cold Across My Skin was recorded at Dylan’s home back in 2015. It’s shimmering, stripped-down arrangements shine throughout the album and blend well with Tidyman-Jones’ smooth, almost hushed vocals.
Give the album standout “Phantoms” a spin below. You can pick this up on vinyl from Gold Robot Records or digitally from Fronds’ Bandcamp page, and I highly recommend that you do – it’s steadily climbing up the list of my favorite releases of the year. Enjoy.