#Meritorio Records
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12/14/23.
One of the bonuses of buying so much music is that it makes blogging so much easier, especially during a time of year when new releases slow to a trickle. Some days all I need to do is sift through the emails from all the labels I've bought music from in the past.
Today, Meritorio Records (Madrid, Spain) announced that they are releasing the 2nd LP from Austin, Texas band The Infinites. The band specialize in the kind of indie rock that alternates between languid and driving. The guitar sound/reverb can recall Franky Flowers, The Chills, Mazarin or even Felt. The vocals have an earnest higher register that might be what Tim Smith (Midlake, Harp) might sound like without overdubbed harmonies. I can't help but also think of Grandaddy.
I'm posting their first LP because you have more songs to listen to. It is available on LP directly from the label First Human Records.
#The Infinites#Austin#Texas#First Human Records#Meritorio Records#Franky Flowers#The Chills#Mazarin#Felt#Tim Smith#Midlake#Harp#Grandaddy
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Red Pants - On a Wire
On a Wire is taken from the album Not Quite There Yet, which was released in October 2023 on Meritorio Records. Red Pants is the solo project of Jason Lambeth: curator and owner behind Painted Blonde Tapes, avid 4-track cassette user, father (the subjects in most of his music videos are his two daughters), and all-around supporter of independent & DIY music-makers. Jason is joined by longtime collaborator Elsa Nekola on drums and vocals to complete their most spacious sounding album yet.
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MY FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2023! (lists in no particular order....well, sort of)
MY 20 FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2023
Anna Hillburg- Tired Girls (Speakeasy Studios)
RVG- Brain Worms (fire)
The Tubs- Dead Meat (Trouble in Mind)
Seablite- Lemon Lights (Mt St Mtn)
The Reds, Pinks & Purples- The Town That Cursed Your Name (Slumberland)
Lewsberg- Out and About (12XU)
Melenas- Ahora (Trouble in Mind)
Blues Lawyer- All in Good Time (Dark Entries)
Colored Lights- S/T (Bobo Integral)
Doe St- Stepping Stones (Legless)
Guardian Singles- Feed Me To The Doves (Trouble in Mind)
Corvair - Bound To Be (WIAIWYA)
The Garment District- Flowers Telegraphed To All Parts of the World (HHBTM)
Royal Ottawa- Carcosa (self released)
Tough Age- Waiting here (Bobo Integral)
Soft Science- Lines (Shelflife)
The Midnight Sailors- S/T (self released)
Robert Forster- The Candle and the Flame (Tapete)
Civic – Taken By Force (ATO)
Sumos- Surfacing (Meritorio)
WAIT….HERE’S 20 MORE!
Connie Lovatt- Coconut Mirror (Enchante’)
En Attendant Ana- Principia (Trouble in Mind)
Withered Hand- How to Love (Reveal)
The High Water Marks- Your Next Wolf (Minty Fresh)
The Feelies- Some Kinda Love: Performing the Music of the Velvet Underground (Bar-None)
Connections- Cool Change (Trouble in Mind)
The Ex Bats- Song Machine (Goner)
The Photocopies- Top of the Pops (Ultra Modern)
Amanda Brown- Eight Guitars (Lillipilli)
Arthur Alexander- …Steppin’ Out! (Big Stir Records)
Eyelids- A Colossal Waste of Lights ((Jealous Butcher)
Panic Pocket- Mad Half Hour (Skep Wax)
Yo La Tengo- This Stupid World (Matador)
Swansea Sound- Twentieth Century (Skep Wax)
Kevin Robertson- Magic Spells Abound (Futureman)
Super 8- Hoopla (The Beautiful Music)
The Radio Fields- Dos and Dont’s (Subjangle)
Joe McAlinden- Where The Clouds Go Swimming (self -released)
The Black Watch- Future Strangers (ATOM)
Rob I Miller- Companion Piece (Vacant Stare)
….AND HERE’S 10 MORE
The Lost Days- In the Store (Speakeasy Studios)
Life Strike- Peak Dystopia (Bobo Integral)
Belle & Sebastian- Late Developers (Matador)
Lauds- Imitation Life (Fort Lowell)
The Hepburns- Only the Hours (Lavender Sweep)
Lomma- Torrey Pines (self released)
C.O.F.F.I.N.- Australia Stops (Goner)
Special Friend- Wait Until the Flames Come Rushing In (Skep Wax)
Burning Ferns- World of the Wars (Country Mile)
Wojtek the Bear- Second Place on Purpose (Last Night From Glasgow)
I ALSO REALLY LIKED ALBUMS BY: Diners, Moving Targets, Bill Orcutt, Skull Practitioners, the Suncharms, Divine Horsemen, The Flashcubes, Hurry, Teenage Fanclub, Lydia Loveless, The Make Three, Shana Cleveland, The Ekphrastics, Ryan Allen, Fruit Bats, Nicole Yun, Dippers, Lost Film, Tony Jay, Cindy, Class, The Clientele, Lemon Twigs, Sweeping Promises, The National Honor Society, The Whiffs, Infinite River, Silver Biplanes, Jason Isbell, The Cuticles, Mudhoney, Alex Lahey, Crocodiles, Peter Hall, Cherry Fez, The Angles, Scott Gagner, Mainland Break, Christian Kjellvander, Sick Thoughts, Grand Drifter, The Motifs, The Sunshine Convention, The 1981, Roy Moller, Youth Valley, Soft Covers, Deadlights, The Smashing Times, The Spires, Helen Love, Motorbike, Silverstiles, Water Damage, Uni Boys, The Royal Arctic Institute, Gina Birch, Gee Tee, etc.
MY 10 FAVORITE REISSUES OF 2023
The Chills- Brave Words (Fire)
The Replacements- Tim (Sire)
The Ocean Blue- Davy Jones Locker (Korda)
Wild Carnation- Tricycle (Delmore)
Neutral Milk Hotel- The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel (Merge)
Das Damen- 1986- Keeps Me Wild (Dromedary)
Heavenly -Le Jardin de Heavenly (Skep Wax)
The Verlaines- Bird Dog (Schoolkids Records)
The Toms- S/T (Feel It)
Celibate Rifles Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Bang!)
MY 15 FAVORITE EPS OF 2023
Lightheaded- Good Good Grief (Slumberland)
Minor Threat- Out of Step outtakes (Dischord)
The Cucumbers- Old Shoes (self released)
The Reds, Pinks & Purples- Unloveable Losers (digital)
The Vapour Trails- On a Beautiful Day (Futureman)
Blues Lawyer- Sight Gags on the Radio (Dark Entries)
Deary- S/T (Sonic Cathedral)
The Wends- Better Will (WWNBB)
Te Vista- S/T (Cripes)
Red Sleeping Beauty- From Sarah With Love (Matinee)
Letting Up Despite Great Faults- Crumble (S/T)
The Prize- Wrong Side Of Town (Anti Fade)
Touch Girl Apple Blossom- S/T (self released)
Galore- Blush (Paisley Shirt)
Lost Tapes- Crossing Towns (Shelflife)
MY 5 FAVORITE COLLECTIONS OF 2023
The Particles- 1980’s Bubblegum (Chapter Music)
Primal Scream- Reverberations (Travelling in Time) (Acid Jazz/XTRM/Young Tiki)
The Shapiros- Gone by Fall: the Collected Works of (World of Echo)
Dot Dash- 16 Again (Country Mile)
Comet Gain- The Misfit Jukebox (Tapete)
Eric "Eggman" Eggleson's favorite records of 2023!
A Colossal Waste Of Light - Eyelids
Aeterna - Vinyl Williams
Away From The Castle – Video Age
Babydoll – Rat Columns
Bananasugarfire – Golden Apples
Careless By The Coast - Marvin Powell
Cartwheel - Hotline TNT
Colored Lights
Compact Trauma – Ulrika Spacek
Continue As A Guest – The New Pornographers
Disenchanter - Alaska Reid
EP IV – Yumi Zouma
Flowers Telegraphed To All Parts Of The World – The Garment District
Henry St. - The Tallest Man On Earth
Hindsight is 50/50 – Ghost Woman
I Held The Shape While I Could – Bodywash
Javelin – Sufjan Stevens
Left Hand - Becca Mancari
Life and Life Only - The Heavy Heavy
Love as Projection – Frankie Rose
May Cause Dizzy Ness - The Musical Chairs
My Entire Life – SUSTO
Pearlies – Emma Anderson
Perennial - Woods
Pictures – Dean Owens
Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) - Yves Tumor
Prize - Rozi Plain
Radio Red – Laura Groves
So Soon Now – Trillion
Strange Loops and Outer Psyche – Andy Bell
Suntub – ML Buch
The Greater Wings - Julie Byrne
The Natural Lines
The Queen Is Not Dead – Spiritual Front
the record – boygenius
The Sunshine Convention
The Twits - bar Italia
This Candle Is For You - Spearmint
Waiting Here – Tough Age
We Live In Strange Times – Ian M Bailey
When Horses Would Run - Being Dead
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The Infinites — Archetypes (Meritorio)
A month or so ago, we caught up with Jared Leibowich’s solo record, Secret Spells, an impressive piece of home-recorded anthemry of which I wrote, “Jared Leibowich’s songs sound much larger than bedroom pop, with their massed vocals and clanging, chiming guitars. [His] expansive, ebullient solo album merit[s] comparisons to the Papercuts, White Fence and Peel Dream Magazine.”
“But have you heard the Infinites?” came one or two responses, a nice change from the dead silence that typically follows a record review. And no, not then, but soon after, this second album from Leibowich’s collaborative project with Dan Levine arrived, and indeed it was very good.
This is a storytelling project, not a confessional one. The debut album featured 13 brief fictional narratives, each about a separate character, over the dreamy clarity of Levine’s guitar loops. Album two is similarly outward facing, this time taking as inspiration 12 archetypes, that is typical examples of a genre of person, a queen, a bureaucrat, a secret agent, a ghost, etc. And yet while this might seem like an approach that would lead to generalities, in fact, each song is specific and engrossing. “The Bureaucrat,” for instance, filling out paperwork is not too busy to long for romance. “The Night Cleaner” toils alone and self-sufficient, after everyone else is gone.
All this unfolds over shimmering layers of guitar and other rock instruments, a trebly romantic onrush that recalls, again, The Papercuts, Wiretree and, in certain lights, post-new wave bands like Tears for Fears. The Infinites have expanded since the debut to include a full band line-up of Ian Rundle on guitar with Levine, Miles Kelley on bass and Sam Jordan on drums. The sound is full and urgent, but also soft enough to encourage dreamy staring out of windows.
“The Ghost” is, perhaps, the best of these tunes, an agglomeration of limpid, yearning guitars, wistful melody and a churning, propulsive bass. If Leibowich’s solo album filled out the contours of bedroom pop into something large and stirring, this work with the Infinites does a nice job of balancing wispy threads of vulnerability with the muscular energy of rock. Listen to how Leibowich’s near falsetto flutters fragilely, at the end of verses, while the band powers in behind him. Delicate beauty and resounding rock crescendo live in uneasy accord. The same thing happens in the following “My Best Friend,” where a plaintive “It’s time to fall again” drifts off into contemplation as the full weight of guitar sound pushes towards resolution.
Archetypes views romantic longing through a variety of lenses. Its characters have different jobs and circumstances but all wish, in their own ways, for love and connection. The music supports this narrative with luminous romantic pop made of glistening guitar tones and pulsing tendons of bass and drums. It’s an embodiment of a certain kind of indie guitar rock, an archetype if you will, and a good one.
Jennifer Kelly
#the infinites#archetypes#meritorio#jennifer kelly#albumreview#dusted magazine#jared leibowich#romantic pop
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friday always seems like a blur to me between work, home and radio but somehow by the end of the day a radio show full of new music has aired. tune into wlur tonight from 8pm until midnight to see what materializes! if that's inconvenient, you can catch up with last week's show below at your leisure.
no love for ned on wlur – march 17th, 2023 from 10pm-midnight
artist // track // album // label
ramones // the job that ate my brain // mondo bizarro // chrysalis
the runaways // california paradise // queens of noise // mercury
the cool greenhouse // the neoprene ravine // sod's toastie // melodic
lumpy and the dumpers // too much slime // collection, 2012-2014 // lumpy
fastbacks // a quiet night // a quiet night 7" // no threes
the coolies // king of confusion // if you gotta go-go, go-go now- a tribute to the go-go's // sympathy for the record industry
lenz // moody michelle // ways to end a day // 1-2-3-4 go!
the younger lovers // i can't (kim) deal with it // sugar in my pocket // southpaw
the bug club // love for two // green dream in f# // we are busy bodies
garden centre // super moon // a moon for digging // kanine
sharp pins // bettie wait // turtle rock cassette // hallogallo tapes
squilll // scripted lines // daughters of the earth // lost sound tapes
black belt eagle scout // nobody // the land, the water, the sky // saddle creek
ulaan passerine // light of lights // dawn // worstward
antonina nowacka // part one // lamunan // mondoj
cole pulice // astral cowpoke // scry cassette // moon glyph
benji b, raven bush, theon cross, nubya garcia, tom herbert, shabaka hutchings, nikolaj torp larsen, dave okumu, nick ramm, dan see, tom skinner and martin terefe // raven flies low (single edit) // london brew // concord jazz
larry young // sunshine fly away // lawrence of newark // perception
tony williams // there comes a time // play or die // moosicus
cortex // prélude à go round // troupeau bleu // trad vibes
wiki and subjxct five featuring navy blue // one more chance // cold cuts // wikset enterprise
boldy james and nicholas craven // scrabble // fair exchange no robbery // near mint
yl, starker and no-face // friday night lights // lo.face // circle of patrons
demahjiae featuring ovrkast. // lord // lord digital single // (self-released)
nappy nina featuring moor mother // stone soup // mourning due // lucidhaus
vérité // temporary // love you forever // venice music
liberation // move me // liberation // night school
say sue me // smothered in hugs // ten ep // damnably
nicholas krgovich // cup full // ducks // orindal
sierra manhattan featuring jokari // losing // which life, the friends // another
cozy slippers // be alone with me // cozy slippers // subjangle
the telephone numbers // weird sisters // weird sisters 7" // meritorio
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The Maureens - Everyone Smiles
Ya sabéis que yo me lanzo a ciegas a todo lo que publique el sello madrileño Meritorio Records. Y creo que nunca han fallado. Así que cuando vi que publicaban el cuarto trabajo de The Maureens, una banda de los Países Bajos que no tenia en mi radar, me fui directo a por él. Y lo que me he encontrado es con una magnifica colección de canciones pop que beben directamente de los sesenta. Pero…
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Un cierre a toda orquesta en el Sudamericano de Sao Paulo
El turno vespertino, en la jornada final del 53° Campeonato Sudamericano de Atletismo en Sao Paulo (pista del Centro Olímpico, Vila Clementina) ofreció emociones en casi todas las pruebas y festejos repartidos, mientras Brasil sigue disfrutando de su amplio dominio en la clasificación de conjunto. Fue, a la vez, el aliciente para nuevas generaciones de atletas que -en muchas pruebas- están elevando el standard de calidad de nuestra región.
Para completar la hegemonía brasileña, en este último día sus especialistas dominaron las carreras de vallas. Si Chayenne Pereira y Matheus Lima lo hicieron durante la mañana sobre 400 metros, a la tarde fue el turno de Caroline de Melo Tomaz en los 100mv y Eduardo dos Santos Rodrigues de Deus en los 110v.
El triunfo de Caroline, con su marca personal de 13.26, constituyó en cierto modo una sorpresa, ya que Micaela Rosa de Mello (subcampeona con 13.34) llegaba con mejores antecedentes. Pero a partir de la octava valla, Caroline se msotró dominante. La chilena María Eguiguren, quien venía de un ciclo preparatorio en España, logró la medalla de bronce con 13.83. Eduardo dos Santos Rodrigues de Deus conquistó por segunda vez los 110 vallas, una prueba donde Brasil exhibe una amplia superioridad en el historial. Marcó 13.59, terminando delante del colombiano Bryan Rojas (13.72) y del flamante recordman chileno Martin Sáenz de Santa María, quien esta vez marcó 13.76.
Los esperados 200 metros llanos confirmaron el doblete del superstar de este Campeonato, el juvenil surinamés Issamade Asinga, quien marcó 20.19 (récord de campeonato) para quebrar la oposición del experimentado, laureado y aún recordman sudamericano absoluto, el panameño Alonso Edward (20.30), con meritorio bronce para el paraguayo César Almirón en 20.49. En damas, otra atleta en ascenso como la ecuatoriana Daysi Caicedo se llevó el título en 22.81. Venía de conseguir el récord de su país sobre 400 metros y ahora apremió el de esta distancia, en la que superó a la colombiana Shary Julissa Vallecilla (23.07) y a la brasileña Ana Carolina de Jesús Azevedo (23.13), quedando Martina Weil en el cuarto puesto con tres centésimas más.
Brasil sumó un título más con Wellinton Silva Morais en lanzamiento de bala, donde alcanzó 20.59 para quedar delante del argentino Nazareno Sasia (19.75) y del otro representante local, Wililam Dourado Venancio (19.45).
El gran repunte de Colombia en este último día se vio con el triunfo -record nacional incluido y record de campeonato- de Arnovis Dalmero: 8.29 en salto en largo, en otro gran duelo con el uruguayo Emiliano Lasa (8.08). También se reeditó un clásico en el laanzamiento de jabalina, donde la colombiana Flor Denis Ruiz llegó hasta 61.82 para aventajar a la brasileña Jucilene Sales de Lima (60.68). Y Colombia también se llevó la 4x400 femenina donde Lina Esther Licona, Valeria Cabezas, Yennifer Padilla y Evelis Aguilar marcaron 3:31.39, superando a las locales (3:31.63) y a Chile (3:35.39).
Para la Argentina el sexto título de este Sudamericano -en su mejor producción colectiva de los últimos tiempos, al igual que Chile- llegó con Carlos Layoy y sus 2.23 m. en salto en alto.
Y el cierre definitivo del Sudamericano fue una emotiva posta 4x400 masculina, en la cual Venezuela superó por una mínima ventaja (una centésima) a los locales. Javier Gómez, Julio Rodríguez, Kelvis Padrino y José Maita -de notable remate- marcaron 3:04.14, llevándose el oro delante de Brasil, siendo la medalla de bronce para Argentina con 3:05.76.
FOTO: Wagner Carmo /CBAT
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THE 1981 - 'Make It Right' Video
Their new single/video “Make it Right” just came out this past Friday, July 14th
The 1981 are an Oakland duo consisting of Adam Widener and Bobby Martinez. Their debut album Move On is a buzzy power pop record with layers of guitars, synths, organs and vocals over a melancholy ache.
Influenced by the Jesus and Mary Chain’s fuzzed guitars and sweet melodies, and Comet Gain’s jangle punk narratives, the band plays a pleasant and enjoyable brand of hook driven indie pop.
Move On carries a lyrical narrative of a relationship starting (“Easy”) and then ultimately falling apart (“Expiration Date”) and the aftermath (“Moving On”). “There’s a million songs written about relationships ending and most of them are from this ‘why-baby-why?’ point of view where the narrator is the victim or has been done wrong, and they’re lamenting about being jilted as this completely blameless party. I wanted to approach it from a different perspective.” Recalls Martinez, the principal lyricist on most of the album. “Relationships are difficult and complex. I wanted to explore both points of view and leave things a bit ambiguous in terms of just who the narrator was on any given song or in some cases, verse.”
Much like the legendary Buzzcocks were akin to do, the twelve song album largely avoids pronouns and sexual identity purposely. “I wanted this record to be something anyone who’s ever gone through a break up could hear and identify with. Regardless of gender or sexuality- everyone that’s ever been in a romantic relationship has experienced a relationship ending. This is universal.” The album follows a couple dealing with mental illness and exhaustion and falling into unhealthy patterns avoiding conflict ("Make It Right"), and the subsequent silent resentment and frustrations ("I Love You But I Hate You"). Ultimately the characters never get too nasty or bitter- even as the relationship is ending there's a maturity to the realization that loving a person isn't enough to make a relationship work ("Empty Eyes"). The 38 minute soap opera finally wraps up in a nice reflective way as the two narrators wish each other well and hold onto the good times as special moments in their growth ("Breathing Room").
Move On was recorded as it was written by Widener and Martinez in their rehearsal studio before recruiting Phil Lantz (Neutrals, Chime School) to re-record drums on several tracks and Yea-Ming Chen (Yea-Ming and the Rumours) to duet on “In Your Eyes”. The record was sent to the Southern Hemisphere for Matt Bullimore (ex-Legs, ex-Mantles) to mix in Christchurch, New Zealand and Mikey Young (Eddy Current) to master in Melbourne, Australia.
Their debut single “Easy (It’s Not)” was featured on Green Day’s “Oakland Coffee” Spotify playlist and found the 1981 receiving comparisons to contemporaries like Mike Krol, Crocodiles, and Terry Malts. Initially intended to only exist as a recording project before eventually evolving into a full live band, the 1981 have been playing around the Bay Area and sharing the stage with locals such as Luke Sweeny, Artsick (Slumberland), Aluminum (Dandy Boy), Telephone Numbers (Meritorio) and touring acts like Massage (Mt. St. Mtn.), Supercrush (Don Giovanni), DA Stern (Slumberland) and Pretty Flowers (Dirt Cult).
Influences: the Apples In Stereo, Comet Gain, Jesus and Mary Chain, the Primitives
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10/15/21.
Meritorio Records (Spain) might be the most international label we mention here. I mean, they support a lot of Australian music (Wurld Series, Stephen's Shore) but have begun to branch out with bands like semi trucks and Rural France (and Smokescreens).
semi trucks (Los Angeles) sound like a cross between The Jesus and Mary Chain, Galaxie 500, and The Pastels.
As mentioned earlier, this is released by Meritorio Records (Madrid, Spain).
#semi trucks#Los Angeles#Meritorio Records#Spain#The Jesus and Mary Chain#Galaxie 500#The Pastels#Smokescreens#Stephen's Shore#Wurld Series#Rural France#Bandcamp
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2021, a year in records - Sept 22nd
#vinyl#records#lp#records of the day#33rpm#12 inch#telephone numbers#ballad of doug#meritorio records
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Indiepop Jukebox - settembre 2021
#indiepop#indie rock#twee#lo-fi#post-punk#DIY#The Reds Pinks And Purples#Makthaverskan#Tough Love Records#Rat Columns#The Hepburns#Rural France#Slumberland Records#Chime School#Stars On Fire#Happiest Place Records#Friendly Boyfriend#Meritorio Records
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5/2/24.
Oh Boland (Tuam, Ireland) have been around for over a decade. During that time, they have consistently been making loud, garagey, punk/pop in the vein of The Replacements, and fellow Irish rockers So Cow.
They've previously released music on Volar Records, but "Western Leisure" is set for release at the end of May 2024 on Spanish juggernaut Meritorio Records.
Mikey Young mastered this.
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You're Nowhere - The Telephone Numbers
You’re Nowhere – The Telephone Numbers
Poco se está hablando del nuevo sistema de pagos a artistas que acaba de implantar Soundcloud, y tiene su interés, más aún en estos días en los que los artistas han visto muy limitada su capacidad de generar ingresos por actuaciones en vivo por causa del COVID, precisamente cuando lo que se defendía era que el formato álbum estaba muerto y que el dinero estaba en los conciertos. Me viene esta…
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MY FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2022 (all lists are in no particular order)
MY 20 FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2022
The Jeanines- Don’t Wait for a Sign (Slumberland)
Arts & Leisure- This Vast Illusion (self released)
Mick Trouble- It’s Mick Trouble’s Second LP! (Emotional Response)
Model Shop- Love Interest (Meritorio)
The Photocopies- Greatest Hits Volume 2 and Hopelessly Devoted (both self released)
Hammered Hulls- Careening (Dischord)
Michael Head & the Red Elastic band- Dear Scott (Modern Sky UK)
The Reds Pinks and Purples- Summer at Land’s End
(Slumberland)
Winged Wheel- No Island (12XU)
The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness- The Third Wave of… (Bobo Integral)
Sick Thoughts- Heaven is No Fun (Total Punk)
Horsegirl- Versions of Modern Performance (Matador)
First Aid Kit- Palomino (Columbia)
Dot Dash- Madman in the Rain (The Beautiful Music)
Superchunk- Wild Loneliness (Merge)
Ribbon Stage- Hit With The Most (Perennial/ K)
Artsick- Fingers Crossed (Slumberland)
Belle & Sebastian- A Bit of Previous (Matador)
Non Bruises- S/T (self released)
The Sadies- Colder Streams (Yep Roc)
HERE’S 20 MORE!
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom- Reset (Domino)
Papercuts- Past Life Regression (Slumberland)
Weak Signal- War and War (Colonel Records)
Librarians with Hickeys- Handclaps and Tambourines (Big Stir)
The Well Wishers- Blue Sky Sun (self released)
Armstrong- Happy Graffiti (The Beautiful Music)
The Reds Pinks and Purples- They Only Wanted Your Soul (Slumberland)
Savak- Human Error/ Human Delight (Ernest Jenning)
Freezing Hands- It Was a Good Run (Dateland)
April March- In Cinerama (Omnivore)
Kids on a Crime Spree – Fall In Love Not In Line (Slumberland)
Young Guv- III & IV (Run for Cover Records)
U.S. Highball- A Parkhead Cross of the Mind (Lame-O)
Flowertown- Half Yesterday (Mt St Mtn)
Ex-Void- Bigger Than Before (Don Giovanni)
Tony Molina- In the Fade (Summer Shade)
Field School- When Summer Comes (Bobo Integral)
My Raining Stars- 89 Memories (Shelflife)
Kevin Robertson- Teaspoon of Time (Futureman)
Hater- Sincere (Fire)
…..AAAAAAAAND 10 MORE!
Almost Charlie- A Whisper in a World Too Loud (Words on Music)
The Orchids- Dreaming Kind (Skep Wax)
Aarktica- We Will Find the Light (Darla)
Extra Arms- What Is Even Happening Right Now? (Forge Again Records)
The Silent Boys- Sand To Pearls, Coal To Diamonds (Too Good to Be True Records)
The Smashing Times- Bloom (Meritorio)
The Bye Bye Blackbirds- August Lightning Complex (Double Potion Records)
The Beths- Expert in a Dying Field (Carpark)
Ghost Power- S/T (Duophonic)
Peter Astor- Time on Earth (Tapete)
I ALSO LIKED ALBUMS BY……Dazy, Eyelids, Desario, Hoodoo Gurus, Salt Lake Alley, Helen Love, Kramies, The Monochrome Set, Anton Barbeau, Cozy Slippers, The Chesterfields, Rob Moss and Skintight Skin, Lewsberg, Richard X. Heyman, The Claudettes, Surf Piranhas, Kiwi Jr, Sault, Nervous Twitch, New Buck Biloxi, Heather Trost, Fine, Alien Nose Job, Kevin Morby, Ward White, Spiritualized , Click Beetles, Whimsical, Man’s Body, Wet Leg, The Minders, Water Damage, Star Party, The Paranoid Style, Alvvays, Chronophage, Rolling Blackouts CF, The Happy Somethings, The Umbrella Puzzles, Zac Denton, Northern Portrait, Volebeats, Your Academy, Aluminum Group, Guy Capecelatro, Jon Spencer & the Hitmakers, The Trypes, Jeremy, etc. etc.
MY 10 FAVORITE REISSUES/COLLECTIONS of 2022
Tall Dwarfs- Unravelled - 1981-2002 (Merge)
Broadcast- BBC Maida Vale Sessions (Warp)
Heavenly- Heavenly Vs Satan (Skep Wax)
Biff Bang Pow! -Better Life: Complete Creations 1984-1991 (Cherry Red)
Go Sailor- S/T (Slumberland)
The Lucksmiths- Why That Doesn’t Surprise me and Naturaliste (both Lost and Lonesome)
The Krayolas- Happy Go Lucky (Box Records)
The Flashing Lights- Where the Change Is (Murder)
The Muffs- Really Really Happy (Omnivore)
My Teenage Stride- Singles and B-sides (digital)
MY 15 FAVORITE EP’s OF 2022
The Chills- Scatterbrain Storm Outtakes (Fire)
Elk City- Above the Door (Magic City)
The 1981 - Polaroids EP (Dandy Boy)
The Persian Leaps- Machines for Living (Land Ski Records)
The Photocopies- Departure P (self released)
R.E. Seraphin- Swingshift EP (Dandy Boy/Mt St Mtn)
My Favorite- Tender is the Nightshift part 1 (HHBTM)
The Black Watch- The Neverland of Spoken Things (digital)
The Radio Field- Time Simple EP (Subjangle)
The Wends- It’s Here Where You Fall (Subjangle)
Michael Beach- 2022 EP (Goner)
The Laughing Chimes- Zoo Ave (Slumberland)
My Raining Stars- The Life We planned (digital)
The Age of Colored Lizards (Perfect Smile (Sotron)
Field School- Swainson’s Thrush (Small Craft Advisory)
The Lunar Towers- Hurry Up and Wait (Colorama Records)
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Spice World — There’s No I In Spice World (Meritorio/Tenth Court)
There's No I In Spice World by Spice World
Spice World comes alive in starts and stops. “What a Pity What a Shame,” the first song on the band’s debut LP, crawls its way forward at a snoring tempo, dozing off to sleep and then snapping back awake like it’s lounging on the living room couch. And in fact it was written on one, late at night in the house that guitarists Jonny Burrows and Lyndon Blue share in Fremantle, Australia, where the album was also recorded. The song could be mistaken for just getting going, or finally petering out, at least a dozen times during its five-plus minutes: its intertwining acoustic guitars starting their short climb and then collapsing into final-sounding strums, the skeletal, ticking drums going momentarily still and then picking up again. “Oh what a pity, what a shame. You barely made it to the starting lane,” Burrows and Blue sing in sighing, off-kilter unison in the chorus, their way of acknowledging, perhaps, the song’s strong aversion to steady motion.
The band, which also consists of Julia Suddenly, Rhian Todhunter and Layla Martin, got off to a similarly fitful start. Originally forming as a quartet in early 2021 (with Martin joining more recently), Spice World played a single but well-received show in Perth before drummer Suddenly had to return to Melbourne, all the way on the other side of the continent. Band activities were mostly put on hold, as a result, until about a year later, when she returned over the Christmas holiday and they decided to document the band’s songs. And so, with limited time before Suddenly was due to leave again — and even less recording experience — Spice World took the live approach to recording their debut album, capturing 10 tracks in just five hours and bottling the ramshackle synergy that had made their first show so special.
The result of that recording session, There’s No I In Spice World, is the sound of dolewave colliding with the K Records spirit. There’s just something about the enthusiastically scrappy manner in which these songs are delivered, and the homespun warmth of the recording, that brings visions of Beat Happening — and the enduring DIY label’s early years, in general — to mind. The pleasingly clunky drumming, the unselfconsciously off-key vocals, the party-in-the-living-room vibe of the thing — it’s all very 1980s Olympia. But Spice World will no doubt remind you even more of the many disaffected jangle bands pouring out of Australia in the early 2010s, especially Lower Plenty and Bitch Prefect, with their offhanded musings on everyday mundanity and the ways one might escape it. Like on “Dying To Go,” when Burrows, in their endearingly nasal tone, ponders “spicing up” their life by faking their own death so they can leave the drudgery of the daily grind behind (the idea hits them while they're struggling to get moving with their day and jamming to some Spice Girls, hence the band name). “Where'd Jonny go, I haven’t seen them in a while?” they envision everyone wondering when they disappear, their bandmates’ voices all piling on top of one another to help pose the question. It’s the dolewave ethos of “less work and more play” taken to an absurdist extreme.
As shambly and whimsical as these songs are on the surface, they also hit with surprising poignancy at times. “Mountain Pony 20,” the album’s most downbeat offering as well as its best, epitomizes this. On first impression, the song’s wilting guitar work and simple, shaky beat lend it an underbaked aura. But give it a few replays, and some time to settle between your ears, and you’ll find that it packs the kind of gut punch you’d more expect from someone like Townes Van Zandt. Beginning with a lyric about getting high on the couch, “Mountain Pony 20” slowly reveals itself as a meditation on an incongruous relationship, where the couple in question can’t even agree on the color of the mold on a loaf of bread. In the chorus, Burrows’ narrator is confronted by their partner with the question of whether they believe in love. “Because I’m not wasting all my time with you if you don’t,” they warn him. Burrows’ answer, delivered atop the flagging thump of the bass drum as the song is winding down, doubles as a withering self-realization: “Don’t give (your love) to me cuz I’ll tear it down / If you give it to me, I’m going to tear it down,” they sing, and it feels like the ground being pulled out from underneath you.
Elsewhere, “Trouble” is as relatable a song as you’re likely to encounter about the modern malaise. It’s a midtempo jangler, like most of There’s No I In Spice World, but distinguishes itself with the addition of Blue’s violin playing, giving it some high-lonesome shading. Over its verses, “Trouble” unfurls its list of the many things that Burrows is having a hard time with these days ranging from the everyday (“staying away from the screen”), to the interpersonal (“trying to love you”), to the existential (“trying to see an end”). It might have been easier, and no less accurate, for them just to say everything, but that would be missing the point: shit’s hard right now, man, and we’re all feeling it. Metaphorically at least, Burrows seems to acknowledge this when they sing about walking by a friend’s house that’s “overgrown” and “falling down.” Spice World, on the other hand, seem to have found strength in the struggle on There’s No I In Spice World and it’s a beautiful thing. What’s harder to gauge, based on the band’s minimal web presence and general modus operandi, is whether this is the end or just the beginning?
Chris Liberato
#spice world#there's no i in spice world#meritorio#tenth court#chris liberato#albumreview#dusted magazine#australia#diy pop#jangle pop#dolewave
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despite it being both my birthday and bandcamp friday i've managed to put together a radio show which means no love for ned is set to air tonight on wlur from 8pm until midnight. listeners on the go have the option of catching up with last week's show on mixcloud at any time.
no love for ned on wlur – october 27th, 2023 from 8-10pm
artist // track // album // label
cibo matto // know your chicken // viva! la woman // warner bros.
courtney barnett // different now // split 7" w/ kurt vile // suicide squeeze
earthling // i'm waiting for you // dance // king
rvg // nothing really changes (sleaford mods remix) // nothing really changes remixes ep // fire
screensaver // future trash // decent shapes // upset! the rhythm
why bother? // when the radio is off // calling all goons // feel it
wimps // never leave the house // city lights // youth riot
superchunk // in between days // misfits and mistakes: singles, b-sides and strays 2007–2023 // merge
homework // if you believe me // homework cassette // gold mold
golden apples // park (rye) // banana sugar fire // lame-o
anna hillburg // girl girl girl // tired girls // speakeasy studios sf
lael neale // faster than the medicine // star eaters delight // sub pop
the american analog set // long limbs // for forever // hometown fantasy
anohni and the johnsons // go ahead // my back was a bridge for you to cross // secretly canadian
amirtha kidambi // (part one) // solo live // forplay society
jeff parker // four folks // international anthem at public records, volume five // international anthem
atlantis jazz ensemble // enlightenment // celestial suite // marlow
andreas røysum ensemble // røysification // mysterier // motvind
mike reed featuring marvin tate // hold me, hold me // the separatist party // astral spirits
l’rain // knead bee // i killed your dog // mexican summer
billy woods and kenny segal // soft landing // maps // backwoodz studioz
greenflow // i got'cha // solutions // qca
blu and real bad man featuring planet asia // hebrews // bad news // real bad man
prince and the new power generation // cream (take two) // diamonds and pearls (super deluxe edition) // legacy
the sprouts // doorbell // eat your greens cassette // tenth court
girl ray // hold tight // prestige // moshi moshi
calypso // dune // oh boy! 7" // metadrone
red pants // watch the sky // not quite there yet // meritorio
jeanines // each day // each day 7" // slumberland
the hermit crabs // goodbye my friend // saw you dancing // matinée
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