In Weekly Roundup, we talk about the releases new and old that helped us get through the week.
BLUEBERRY BOAT | THE FIERY FURNACES Late last week, The Fiery Furnaces released their first single in ten years. The brother/sister duo of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger released a run of classic albums throughout the aughts; after the band’s breakup Eleanor went on to release some very good solo albums while her brother mostly remained silent. The band was a favorite of my adolescence, and their resurgence prompted me to revisit their back catalog. Although I’m partial to Rehearsing My Choir, a concept album centered around their grandmother’s half spoken vocals, in my eyes Blueberry Boat represents the zenith of the band. A sprawling eighty minute avant-prog opus full of constant twists and turns (both lyrical and musical), it’s an album nobody else could make. It still feels like a towering achievement that has never been duplicated.
FUCKING HELL | NO HOME By good luck I stumbled across this record on Bandcamp on Tuesday (the day before it was released) and immediately purchased it. The album has an incredible sound, mixing ambient dread with minimal synths and jagged guitars. At the center is No Home’s voice, which exudes raw emotion at every turn. I’ve only had a chance to give it one full listen since it was released, but it feels like a record that will end up in constant rotation already.
THE PEEL SESSIONS | TWA TOOTS If you’ve found your way to this website I’m guessing you already know John Peel. Peel was a BBC DJ who had a long running program. One of its signature elements was what became known as “Peel sessions”; he’d have bands record four tracks live on the show. Often this was the first piece of national exposure a band would get. Twa Toots were allegedly one of Peel’s favorite bands, and in this 1986 session (which is one of the only existent recordings from the band) you can hear why. The band plays effervescent twee that exudes joy. Personally I prefer the versions of these songs to the studio recordings from their 1997 album Don’t Send Me Flowers. It’s a record thats bound to brighten your day.
GAZING IN THE DARK | COPPERHEAD Purple Tape Pedigree, a New York based collective and record label, has really been on a roll lately. They’ve released a few Dreamcrusher projects which have been absolutely earth shattering. Getting excited about those prompted me to check out (and in some cases revisit) many of the records in their back catalog. This Copperhead record, released late last year, was one of my favorite finds. Drawing on the sound and energy of noise rock greats like the Jesus Lizard with some metal riffs and hardcore energy thrown in for good measure, the result is pummeling music that would feel at home on a classic noise rock purveyor like Amphetamine Reptile. An absolute scorcher.
THE PASSION OF | SPECIAL INTEREST One of the best surprises of last Friday was the release of Special Interest’s second album. Released (as far as I could tell) with little fanfare or promotion, I’d been eagerly awaiting it since hearing the lead single “Don’t Kiss Me In Public” earlier this year. The album doesn’t disappoint. The band, based out of New Orleans, throws a bit of everything at the wall. The music is definitively punk, filtered through no wave abrasion and electronic beats. An apocalyptic soundtrack to these strange times.