New Music Sundays: 3/25/18

Anna von Hausswolff: Dead Magic

It's rare that the album with the 16-minute track is more bright and pretty than the one without, that seems to run counter to the unspoken rules of record-making. But such is the case with Anna von Hausswolff's Dead Magic, the follow up to 2015's absolutely incredible The Miraculous. From the very first track, the sublime "The Truth, The Glow, The Fall", Dead Magic mostly avoids the suffocating terror of The Miraculous, in favor of more open, dreamy soundscapes, still led by von Hausswolff's stunning organ playing. It's not all shimmery beauty, of course; lead single "The Vanishing of Electra" is led by a huge, rhythmic organ line that recalls more of von Hausswolff's previous work, but the 16-minute centerpiece "Ugly and Vengeful" is anything but, as waves of astounding, almost religious beauty crash over the listener for its duration. If The Miraculous felt a bit like a compilation of Jarboe's best work with Swans, than Dead Magic is from an alternate universe where Jarboe fronted Angels of Light, too.

Jonny Shitbag & the Smokes: You Could Not Have Given the Slightest of Fucks

Let's face it: you already know, deep within your psyche, exactly what this record sounds like. The name Jonny Shitbag & The Smokes conjures very specific sonic beats in the human brain, and when you sit down to give You Could Not Have Given the Slightest of Fucks a spin, you'll discover that what you expected is perfectly borne out by Mr. Shitbag's performance. And it's glorious! Puerile, immature, sassy, and incredibly catchy, Jonny and his Smokes offer us an ultra-catchy, Swell Maps- or early Supergrass-style of bratty, slightly cracked pop. No song lasts longer than is totally necessary, the whole album goes by in a rush of pure attitude. But Jonny has such a way with popcraft; hidden under the grungy effluvia, every song is such a well-designed nugget of sound. And on the rare times the band slows down just a bit, such as on album highlight "Kevin", there's really a surprising beauty that was hidden under all that sneering posturing. Thank you Mr. Shitbag, and thank you Smokes, for this wonderful mess.

New Music Sundays: 3/4/18

Edward Penfold: Denny Island Drive

There's a lot of artists inspired by that kind of unique pop sound you got from British men in the '70s like Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno, etc., but Edward Penfold's Denny Island Drive is a surprising record in that it might be the only one I'm aware of that mines Syd Barrett's solo material so rigorously. Penfold's music is sad, warbly folk rock that will instantly appeal to fans of Barrett's post-Floyd work, and honestly in listening to Denny Island Drive it's a shock that this style of music is so rare. Penfold doesn't seem to have Syd's more demented lyrical streak however, instead telling the kind of sad, clever little short stories with his music that you expect more from the pen of Roy Davies and the Kinks. Denny Island Drive is a perfect short, drizzly little record for a short, drizzly little day, and Mr. Penfold joins other modern popsmiths like The Granite Shore and Arp in using the sounds of the past to line the future.

Insecure Men: Insecure Men

Listening to the incredible second single off of Insecure Men, "Teenage Toy", you might find yourself getting uncomfortable amidst its sparkling pop beauty without being able to explain why. Insecure Men is yet another project featuring the singular, filthy talent of Saul Adamczewski, also of the Fat White Family and The Moonlandingz, this time working with Ben Romans-Hopcraft as a 'stabilizing influence' according to Fat Possum Records. Like those other bands, the Insecure Men explore the seedy side of pop music, in this case synthesizer-driven, vaguely exotica-inspired easy-listening. With Saul's sleazy voice muttering barely-audible come-ons, the band's summery synths give the music an almost Psychic TV type of feel to it, back on the first few albums where the Psychics would pepper their occultist noise with Beach Boys-inspired pop beauty. Moreso than the Fat Whites or the Moonlandingz, it's this type of lovely songcraft that could make Insecure Men a kind of musical depth charge; without a lyric sheet detailing Saul's tales of sex and drugs and mania, listeners won't know why these lovely little gems are making them feel like they need a hot shower until it's too late. The Moonlandingz's Interplanetary Class Classics was my album of the year last year, and while Insecure Men might not reach that esteemed height, it's another vital record from the Fat White's ever-growing collection.