January has been uncharacteristically fruitful in regards to banging new music, from the blogged-to-death James Blake, Sharon Van Etten and Better Oblivion Community Center records to the slightly-under-the-radar-but-not-really Angelo De Augustine and Lost Under Heaven albums and quality debut singles from Phil Graves, nudista and Black Country, New Road. Shame about them new Vampire Weekend tunes tho!
The James Blake record is mint, perhaps the best of the month, and it’s heartwarming to hear someone so in love making such warm yet interesting music. The fluttering flute on Mile High is a particular highlight and, quelle surprise, Andre 3000’s feature rips. It’s Jimmy’s best since those early EPs. Van Etten’s ditched the guitar for red leather and a synth, and some of the results are mindwarpingly beautiful – particularly Jupiter 4, Seventeen and No One’s Easy To Love. The record buckles slightly under the immense emotion on display and without getting too craft beer about it, could’ve done with a couple of guitar tunes I reckon. Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers have two of the best voice quivers in music. Absolutely adore listening to two beautiful people sing sad songs about love. It’s just my thing. This album is exactly what everyone thought it’d be, which is good.
Sufjan-lite, Angelo De Augustine, dropped another album of warbling heartbreak and it’s just downright lovely. Again – beautiful people singing sad songs about love. My jam! Lost Under Heaven keep reaching for heights they don’t need to, sacrificing real emotional insight for overly grandiose statements about a world that maybe only exists in Ellery’s noggin. Still a solid record of interesting ideas, The Breath Of Light is a standout, showcasing some of the wrought emotional distress which made Wu Lyf so lovable.
Clocking in at a hot 80 seconds, Prefatory Materials is the long-awaited whirring debut from Phil Graves. Reminiscent of all those good guitar bands from the 90s – ya Guided By Voices, Built To Spills, Dinosaur Jrs of the world – it’s over before it’s begun but thrills before it’s killed. Athen’s, France is the Ariana Grande & Phoebe Bridgers-referencing debut from Black Country, New Road. It sounds like most new guitar bands from London sound, but feels just about on the verge of falling apart completely to remain interesting Finally, nudista’s Masters of the Universe is an intoxicating slice of indie-pop. A touch paisley, a touch of C86 lo-fi, by way of London via Spain. A slap dang repeater.
Have a listen to January’s output below, Hard Boiled down to one 60 minute Spotify playlist.
