Alex G - DSU

Goddamn, Alex G.  DSU landed in my inboxes on Spotify, Facebook, and Gmail.  Constant communication being the status quo, it’s surprising how infrequently I get personal music recommendations anymore, compared to just a few years ago, when all of this was at least a little more difficult to find.

From the opening bars of “after ur gone”, I knew this was an artist worth getting excited over.  Some Wrens-like electric guitar, sweetly sung roundabout lyrics, and a disintegrating ending melt together to lull you into Alex G’s warm and inviting world.

Fundamentally, these songs are solid.  Each is packed with enough melodies to keep you interested on repeat listens, lyrics catch in your head but still leave you wondering if you really know what the song is about.  But it definitely feels like the songs are about SOMETHING.  

Maybe most importantly (for me), Alex G knows how to make songs and sounds that are experimental without being off-putting, which seems to be the easiest way to "differentiate" yourself lately.  Listen to the way the drums fade out halfway through “Harvey”, then come the pitched-down vocals.  Let me know if you know how long those were going on before the drums cut out.

This is a fully realized record that still shows a lot of potential.  Check it out on Alex G’s Bandcamp page.  If that’s not enough, feel free to check out one of the 11 other albums he has up there.  Stay busy, Alex G.

Honduras - Break

If you like: Fuzz pedals, fast songs, hooks.

I've been meaning to listen to Honduras for a HOT minute, having heard good things about them. I really like this release. The songs are short and tight.  It has a spontaneous, live feel. I'm pretty sure these guys busted this out in a day at Rubber Tracks, based on the credits.

Love the guitar part that kicks this thing off, then BAM right into a pop guitar fuzz blanket. Mainly 'Illusion' is just super exciting, which is great. 'Mistake' has so many ideas in it I can't believe it's only ~2 min long. I gotta start writing songs at 200+ bpm.

I want to see these guys live, don't know how I've missed that.

I like the production, especially how much space is given to the vocals. Holy shit, Phil mixed this??? Hi Phil. Small world!

Porches - Scrap and Love Songs Revisited

If you like: Lo-fi/4track, unusual songwriting and melodies

My first exposure to Porches was their (excellent) Slow Dance in the Cosmos, which was on heavy rotation for me in late 2014. But then my friend / Clouty frontman Scott Aiken mentioned in passing that he was really into the older stuff, so here we are.

Porches's Bandcamp wants you to start on track 4. I ignored this. I'm glad I did, because then I wouldn't have heard 'Sixteen' or 'Good Book'. 'Sixteen' is the sort of track that always feels like it's going to break, but never really does, content in a wash of lazy-in-a-good-way guitar and distant percussion. 'Good Book' is more straightforward and poppy. I like the crushed drum machine but it makes me miss the awesome drumming on Slow Dance.

The featured track, 'Daddies', shows the idiosyncratic phrasing that I love in Aaron Maine's songwriting. "every move // -y move //- y move" into the slowdown on "but you ain't coming home soon//" is both lyrically appropriate and creates an exciting tension. The vocal production on the last verse casts the song in a different space in retrospect. It's a great example of how even Porches's simple songs are dense with ideas.

I wasn't as into 'Kerosene Musk'. I like the texture but it wanders a bit. 'Weed' is beautiful, just simple and effective songwriting. I like the change from first to second person in the chorus. The acoustic sounds great, like all its edges have been sanded off.

The whole album was recorded on a 4 track, per the Bandcamp page. I love the tape hiss, saturation, and distortion that permeates the record. Scrap and Love Songs Revisited is a great example of how a record can have a demo-y vibe and still feel aesthetically consistent and 'finished.'

The bonus songs are great too, though (obviously) less finished. 'Annah' is another example of Porches' taste for unusual and interesting melody and phrasing.

Slow Dance in the Cosmos is still in my personal top slot, but I'm glad I listened to this.