Nostalgia, nature, and joy
LOCAL
Elijah Jalil - Nothing to Say
Elijah Jalil personifies what it means to be a triple-threat. His debut album, “Nothing to Say,” examines joy, pain, nature and the human experience. It starts off as a folk record, but pleasantly surprises listeners when it switches to rap and R&B inspired tracks. Read more about the album here.
Kasperthesaint - Lose Control
Kasperthesaint combines forces with Molly and Fish Bwoi on “Lose Control.” It’s angsty boy hours, but make it cool. All the vocalists on this track are utilized perfectly, Molly coming in with beautiful harmonies, Fish Bwoi throwing a verse right in the middle, and Kasperthesaint ties it all together.
ALBUMS
Martin Thulin - Into the Light
Martin Thulin’s voice sounds like it was ripped out of an old country record, which is a little bit confusing since this record is pretty strictly indie/electronic. But once we got over the initial confusion, we couldn’t help but like it. Steady bass lines and electronic whirring drives the record along. The slightly hyped up backing would steal the show if Thulin’s voice wasn’t so compelling.
Sundressed - Home Remedy
Pop-punk will never die. And thank goodness for that. Sundressed reminds us of artists we listened to as an angsty middle-schooler, but now we actually understand what the lead singer is talking about. You know the drill: raging vocals, lots of drumming, tons of overlapping guitars, “what is my purpose in life?”
Flung - Shaky But My Hair Is Grown
Jazzy samples overlap, glitching occasionally, changing direction every verse. “Shaky But My Hair Is Grown” reminds us of college freshmen who try to make an album in their dorm, but this time it actually turns out well. With material from all over the world, Flung has made a record that feels like it’s from everywhere and nowhere.
SINGLES
Summer Rental - Vampire
I’ve never floated down the river, but this feels like the song I would play if I ever did. Summer Rental plays off of typical 80s-synth without sounding like they’re stuck in the past. “Vampire” feels like the triumphant song that plays at the prom scene. You know the type, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back with a grand gesture. “Vampire” is tried and true, despite being brand new.
Jordana - Divine
“Divine” sounds like a cartoon dreamland. Imagine “Alice in Wonderland” but with more pink, a couple of unicorns, and a main character who sings about therapy. The instrumentation reminds us of the preschool xylophones that we would play with as kids. This nostalgia, along with rising vocals, creates a track that reminds us of fun.
Maximo Park - Child of the Flatlands
Combine “Eleanor Rigby,” the Talking Heads, and The Cure and you might come close to “Child of the Flatlands.” But, in reality, this song is none of those things. The vocals coming from Maximo Park have a congested, spooky kind of quality. Ominous organs slow the track down before strings and quick piano come in to bring it back up.
Assembled by music director Meghan Jonas.