My Top 5 New Releases :: New Music Friday :: Week of 2/29/16
1. You Know Who You Are :: Nada Surf
Three-Sentence Review: Unexpected Nada Surf album coming around the week that I was reminded of how much I missed their music and have been playing some of their older albums. I love an album with a strong first track, the kind that grab you and have a hold of you already, and this album definitely has that with Cold to See Clear. Matthew Caws voice is the stuff of indie goodness, melancholic, a bit lulling, melodic, and it works just perfect with this collection of songs that celebrate breaking and getting up again, loving and losing and loving again, and finding you way in all of it.
Initial Favorite Track(s): Cold to See Clear, Believe You’re Mine and Out of the Dark
Rating (1-5 Stars): 5+
Cold to See Clear
2. Distance Inbetween :: The Coral
Three-Sentence Review: A little alternative, a little darkwave, a little indie, a little Brit-pop, and a lot addictive. Reminds me a bit of Interpol and Arctic Monkeys and Blur, and even a bit of Joy Division (I’m so picturing songs from this album on the next American Horror season). Some of this is an aural departure from my first listening experience with The Coral back in the early aughts, but I’m definitely digging it.
Initial Favorite Track(s): Connector, Miss Fortune and It’s You
Rating (1-5 Stars): 5
Miss Fortune
Three-Sentence Review: Sometimes I take M. Ward for granted. He’s so in my lane of music I love, that singer-songwriter indie musician that I’m usually yelling and screaming about, yet M. ends up on some musical back-burner that I never realize I put him (and his music) on; but when I remember, and when I listen, I always fall hard. This album I’m feeling and grabbing to the front to the stove, and yes, I’m falling hard – it is lush and heart-string tugging and gloriously needing a road trip up to accompany this set of songs.
Initial Favorite Track(s): Pirate Dial, Girl from Conejo Valley and Phenomenon
Rating (1-5 Stars): 5
Girl from Conejo Valley
4. Running from the Blows :: Adult Books
Three-Sentence Review: First listen and first song I actually wrote a piece of flash fiction to – it got to me that much/took on the role of muse of the moment. A little bit 80’s meets a little bit of 90’s, thinking Dinosaur Jr. meets Joy Division, which may seem like an odd pair, but I hear it, I do. There’s a bit of punk rock in here, too, that is making me want to jump and dance and yell out all my anxieties to (especially track two – I Don’t Think I Can Say and Silver Lake Goths).
Initial Favorite Track(s): Casual Wrecks, I Don’t Think I Can Say and Suburban Girlfriend
Rating (1-5 Stars): 5
Suburban Girlfriend
5. Full Circle :: Loretta Lynn
Three-Sentence Review: The album starts with Loretta talking about the first song she ever wrote, that is the first track (Whispering Sea), and the album ends with a song about no regrets at the end of your life, that she sings with Willie Nelson (Lay Me Down), and one of my absolute favorite Loretta songs – Fist City – has been remade here, too. Loretta Lynn was part of my childhood thanks to my Aunt who loved her and played me all her albums, and I have many songs of hers that I still love today. The duet with Elvis Costello is quite good, and her version of Always on My Mind just slays me; she is a musical queen, to me.
Initial Favorite Track(s): Always on My Mind, Fist City and Lay me Down
Rating (1-5 Stars): 5
Lay Me Down (with Willie Nelson)
Didn’t know Nada Surf had a new one coming out and yesss to your description of Matthew’s voice. I’m playing the track now and just hearing him makes me want to melt into a puddle of a human. (that sounds gross.) And I don’t know why. It’s just a comfortable like a blanket kind of voice and nostalgic because Nada Surf always reminds me of high school days and they just always fit. He’s kind of a master of the earworm song in an indie way. I’m loving this song<3
Puddle of human does have a Sci-Fi meets horror-gore feel to it, but for some reason I really like it – I feel like it works here.
He really is the master of the earworm song…I’m loving the album quite a bit.
Haha…ewww well maybe I better word that differently. Not so much literally a pile of gross marbled-swirly human meltyness but just like “Aww…I love this” and then I’m reduced to a little puddle of emotions or something. I don’t know!! But thanks for going with it!
There’s puddles in it, and melting, and yes, I was going with it…:)
I’m just making it sound disgusting. I shall stop!
Or very entertaining!