Five Albums You Should Be Listening To Right Now

Great new records chosen by Bruce Warren of WXPN and Some Velvet Blog.

Every week, titans of the mediasphere give Hooksexup their music recommendations. This week: Bruce Warren, Program Director at WXPN in Philadelphia and the Executive Producer of World Cafe. He writes the music blog Some Velvet Blog, and contributes to WXPN's local Philly music blog The Key and the Paper Crane Collective. 

1. Raphael Saadiq, Stone Rollin'

Former Toni! Tony! Toné! frontman Raphael Saadiq returns with a collection of throwback R&B that's thoroughly modern and to the point. On "Movin' Down The Line," Saadiq channels Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware, and hot, buttered soul.  

Listen: "Movin' Down The Line" 

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2. Girls Names, Dead To Me

These Belfast indie-rockers remind me of The Wedding Present, The Smiths, Orange Juice, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. That sound, when done right, can be a really good thing. And this is. These cats have a little surf-rock drive in their indie-pop blood as well. Or maybe it's just the reverb talking. Any song on this album would have fit perfectly on NME's old C86 cassette.  

Listen: "When You Cry" 

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3. Julian Lynch, Terra

Musician and ethnomusicologist Julian Lynch is so unique he might as well have a genre named after him. Actually, even that common phrase underserves Lynch's musical skills. It's easy to say that Lynch often brings to mind Woody Guthrie as much he does the Incredible String Band or Mahavishnu Orchestra; he's none of them and all of them. I love this record because it vibes out a warm and welcoming and sometimes disjointed sense of place.

Listen: "Terra" 

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4. The Beach Boys, Wild Honey

Many Beach Boys fans overlook this album for a number of reasons, including that it was the band's first album not to be completely produced by Brian Wilson. It also didn't produce any significant hits, unless you include "Darlin'," which did hit the Top 20 charts. Mostly though, the album is stylistically all over the place, a little baggy, yet playful in weird ways. Even though Pitchfork recently gave this rerelease a horrid 3.5, I say it's time to reevaluate this record. 

Listen: "Country Air"

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5. The Cars, Move Like This

You know, there's a reason they call it classic rock. The last record The Cars released was in the summer of 1987. With almost twenty-four years gone by, it's like time has stood completely still for the band. Which is a good thing. On their new album, they stuck to what they always did so well. No gentle chillwave influences. No touches of dubstep or Animal Collective indie-psychedelia. Just pure unadulterated Cars classics. Still letting the good times roll. 

Listen: "Sad Song"

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