Five Albums You Should Be Listening To Right Now
Pastoral folk that'll make you cry and prog-punk that'll make you barf.
Every two weeks, titans of the mediasphere give Hooksexup their music recommendations. This week: Steve Marchese, executive producer of Internet Week New York and founder of scissorkick, one of the internet's oldest music blogs.
1. Grey Reverend, Of the Days
Even your bro with the "Nu-metal Forever" throat tattoo has his introspective moments. You just can't go full tilt 100% of the time. (And if you do, I don't really want you near me.) On mellower days, Grey Reverend is your Mr. Sincerity. With a ghostly, pained delivery and a deft acoustic touch, his marriage of pastoral folk and nostalgic, minimal blues is like jumping into a time machine powered by man tears.
Listen: "One By One"
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2. Lone, Emerald Fantasy Tracks
Here goes: I just don't get the James Blake idolatry. I would suggest you convert your worship over to Emerald Fantasy Tracks from U.K. producer Matt Cutler, a.k.a. Lone. The guy totally knows what's up and — like Gold Panda, Pantha du Prince, et al — he delivers for both the body and mind.
Listen: "Petrcane Beach Track"
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3. Fucked Up, David Comes to Life
Call them punk or rock or progpunk or whatever scratches that taxonomical itch, but this record should just be listed under "Death by Guitar." There's more pure riffage and throat carnage than your average Fucked Up record, and that says a whole lot. It's just a reminder that you're never too old to shotgun a beer. Here's your pre-vomiting soundtrack.
Listen: "Ship of Fools"
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4. Seam, The Problem With Me
Pavement, Sebadoh, Guided by Voices, blah, blah. Yeah, they were good, but my '90s were all about Chicago's Seam, a band that somehow makes the all-powerful Pandora algorithm to spit out song after song by Luna on the misguided belief that they sound anything like each other. With Slint, Codeine, Rex, and others, they were among the first and best quiet/loud bands during indie's post-grunge golden days. But they've also got a particularly resonant combo of collegiate melancholy and triumph. Don't call this emo though, or I might cry/go berserk on you.
Listen: "Rafael"
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5. Robert Palmer, Secrets
Recorded entirely in the Bahamas in 1979, Secrets is the perfect "fuck you" to the washed-up Parrotheads who claim Jimmy Buffett the king of the margarita. Palmer delivers a sun-kissed mix of SPF 30 R&B and blue-eyed soul. The most moving moment is probably the indelible "Mean Old World." It's one-hundred percent the opposite of "Addicted to Love," in the best possible way.
Listen: "Can We Still Be Friends?"
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Commentarium (13 Comments)
aweeeessssoooomemme
"David Comes To Life" might be my favorite album of the year--the first half is so strong that you can't help but listen to the tracks back to back. P.S. I remember the early days of Scissorkick!
I've been listening to secrets for years and I couldn't agree more... and excellent record.
Seam! Now you're talking. Such a great band.
supersolidset
The Grey Reverend track sounds like a Nick Drake track - only with John Fahey-esque guitar. That's just weird.
The Grey Reverend track sounds like a Nick Drake track - only with John Fahey-esque guitar. That's just weird.
Copped Seam on vinyl for like 6 bucks a few years ago. It's a classic and I can't believe my good fortune
What's interesting is that commercial radio stations play none of these, or i have not heard them, well, maybe because commercial radio is dead and i dont' listen there, well anymore, or not that much. i don't mind the FM reception in auto & home, but i guess internet just has more to offer.
#5 "Can We Still Be Friends"
Then only time I've heard this song is in "Dumb And Dumber".
Nothing prog about Fucked Up, they rule though.
No, there's nothing prog about 20 guitar tracks layered on a single cut. No, nothing at all...
Great writing, Steve. Love it.
Now you say something