Lomelda – Hannah [Double Double Whammy 2020]
She’s a gentle and beautiful self-reflector, but the ears perk up most when the big bright one farthest from her bedroom aesthetic opens up. 3.3/5
Pavement – Slanted & Enchanted [Matador 1992]
Irony done for irony’s sake, these are my people; the ones shit talking and snickering about their nuanced outlook at the house party where plenty of normies and assholes do the same. They’re also cool in how they cover all of it in in-jokes that we couldn’t parse no matter how much context is given. Just spark up and sit back to the classics, man. 4.6/5
The Weather Station – Ignorance [Fat Possum/Next Door 2021]
Canadian Tamara Lindeman’s fifth album and second bathed in hosannas. It’s not actively harmful but what’s there that’s so impressive it deserves lionization? 2.3/5
Japanese Breakfast – Psychopomp [Yellow K/Dead Oceans 2016]
Yearning, not as sad as its circumstances are, and shiny shiny shiny. 3.6/5
Really From – Really From [Topshelf 2021]
A basement band with credibility, two biracial singers whose identity conflict (remember double consciousness?) means they’re not afraid to try something different. It ends up as the best noir music from outside a soundtrack this century, channeling rage-with-clarity that establishes them as from HERE, should any racists ask that typical question. The secret weapons are the brass (duh) and Michi Tassey’s voice. 4.0/5
Low Cut Connie – Private Lives [Contender Records 2020]
5 LPs in and especially since the last one was unremarkable, I didn’t expect to love this one so much. A Southern Jersey boy who adopted Philly as his home, Adam Weiner has been making sweaty, sexy, piano-based bar rock for 10 years with a dedicated Boomer following and a live show that absolutely kills. So after a slight drop off, what to do? Double it up on disks naturally. Running for 54 minutes and feeling like half of that, the ideas spouted off are plenty and don’t always work but attempt class-solidarity and community-based empathy like he never has before; from Titi and Jimmy, to the people of Atlantic City, to his own apartment, Weiner expresses hopes and appreciation and woes that are climaxed most excellently in the gigantic and evangelical showstopper “Charyse”. Can’t wait to see if anyone over the age of 50 actually gets it. 4.5/5
Cosmic Hero 