Newer Music:


Harry Styles : Harry’s House


Whether we realize it or not (and/or whether or not we want to admit!), we all find ourselves influenced
by the music tastes and choices of those around us in our households, workplaces, places of recreation,
etc.


I have three daughters in the teenage/pre-teen age cohort that live in my home and in the year 2022
that means we are all listening to Harry Styles’ new album Harry’s House on repeat, whether by choice
or by osmosis. The apex of this Harry fandom for my girls was seeing him headline the Coachella Music
Festival in April. In my capacity as chaperone, I committed to making sure we arrived early at the main
stage to secure a prime location at close enough proximity to see Harry, his tattoos, and his outfits
within shrieking distance. Following excruciatingly mediocre warmup act performances that felt like they
would never end, it was finally time for Mr. Styles to hit the stage. All of the advance planning and
effort, along with some very sore feet, was immediately worth it as I witnessed the euphoric reaction of
my daughters to Harry’s initial appearance on stage and first song performance. My heart absolutely
melted as I heard my youngest daughter alternate between screaming, giggling, and reciting the lyrics of
ubiquitous lead single As It Was.


Jason Sudiekis may not agree, but I’m convinced it is impossible not to be at least somewhat charmed by
the talent and charisma of Mr. Styles. Even this cynical pop music skeptic has found himself adding guilty
pleasure Harry’s House singles to recent playlists. It remains very unlikely that this record will place very
high in my year-end favorite list, but Harry Styles, this Harry’s House album, and that Coachella
experience with my diehard fan daughters will forever be an unforgettable part of this year.


Standout Tracks: As It Was; Late Night Talking; Music For A Sushi Restaurant; Grapejuice;
Daydreaming

The Smile : A Light for Attracting Attention


Perhaps nobody knows, not even the bandmembers themselves, if we will ever get another album and
tour cycle from Radiohead, the greatest non-Beatles band in popular music history. Luckily for the music
world, Radiohead’s two most well-known members, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, continue to
produce genius-level music in a variety of side projects. The Smile is unique as it is a joint side project for
Yorke and Greenwood. Formed with Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner and longtime Radiohead
producer and muse Nigel Godrich, The Smile may be as close as we will get to new Radiohead music for
the foreseeable future. Luckily for us, their new record A Light for Attracting Attention is an absolutely
stunning revelation that is arguably a stronger top to bottom album than Radiohead’s most recent
album A Moon-Shaped Pool. That may sound like sacrilegious hot take territory to some loyal Radiohead
fans, but I have to think even the remaining band members can’t help but be a bit disappointed that
these Yorke/Greenwood compositions didn’t get reserved for future Radiohead recording sessions. The
Smile will be touring the US in that latter part of the year and I must see them.

Standout Tracks: You Will Never Work in Television Again; The Smoke; The Same; Pana-Vision; Free In
The Knowledge

Kevin Morby : This Is A Photograph


Due to sheer number of excellent albums being released this year, it is inevitable that countless top-
shelf records are going to go criminally ignored. I fear that will be the fate of the latest release from
Kevin Morby. This Is A Photograph is Morby’s seventh record in less than a decade since leaving the
indie band Woods and it is probably his most-fully realized artistic statement yet. The songwriting is
first-class and added folk and orchestral instrumental flourishes take many of these songs to a higher
level than he’s reached previously. Erin Rae and Cassandra Jenkins are enlisted to add gorgeous guest
vocals on a couple of highlight tracks as well. Seeing Kevin tour this record live is another high priority
for me this year.


Standout Tracks: This Is A Photograph; It’s Over; Bittersweet, TN; Rock Bottom; A Random Act of
Kindness


Arcade Fire : WE


The first half of this year has seen an overwhelming number of blockbuster albums from legacy indie
bands. Music fans are benefiting from the seemingly weekly release of album of the year contender
level quality records that were the result of pandemic recording sessions.

Arcade Fire fans could be certain Win, Regine, and crew would produce something meaningful and
ambitious in response to pandemic living. Their last record Everything Now, released all the way back in
2017, left even the most diehard of supporters just a bit weary and disappointed with what appeared to
be a case of Arcade Fire trying way too hard and outsmarting even themselves.

On WE, Arcade Fire trade almost all of the tiring cynicism and excessively clever marketing of the
Everything Now album cycle for peak earnestness and sincerity. Such a heart on sleeve approach does
risk eyerolls and cringe from music snobs and there are perhaps a few instances of crossing of the line of
acceptable cheesiness for respectable indie music. On the other hand, would we want our Arcade Fire
albums any other way? Now that U2 seems incapable of producing anything of top quality, Arcade Fire is
the only band on earth who could pull off a song as simultaneously inspiring and borderline
manipulative as Unconditional I (Lookout Kid). Lead single The Lightning I kicked off the album cycle
showing up as a slightly-above average Arcade Fire song, but then morphs into the thrilling and
invigorating The Lightning II, better than any single moment on their previous album, and as good as the
classic Arcade Fire highs of the 00s.

I appreciate the influence of their good friend James Murphy on the electropop delight Age of Anxiety II
(Rabbit Hole). Just when they start to lose me just a bit with the superfluous Peter Gabriel guest
appearance on a song about race and religion, they wrap the record with a nearly perfect acoustic ballad
title-track featuring a Win Butler vocal performance for the ages. So what are we left with in the end? A
solid and worthwhile addition to the Arcade Fire discography—certainly no Funeral or The Suburbs, but
a refreshing return to form following Everything Now.

Any current discussion of Arcade Fire requires the mention of recent allegations of sexual misconduct
against bandleader Win Butler. While that scandal does tarnish the positive vibes surrounding the new
album, I have always thought of Arcade Fire as a collective of talented musicians, not just a single
personality. Even under these unfortunate circumstances, it remains a priority for me to see AF live at
some point this fall on their tour.


Standout Tracks: The Lightning II; Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole); WE; Unconditional I (Lookout Kid);
End of the Empire I-III

Toro Y Moi : MAHAL
Chazwick Bundick, aka Chas Bear, aka (and best known as) Toro Y Moi released his seventh album under
his TYM name this summer and he is currently in the midst of his largest headlining tour of his career. I
got to see his show in Philadelphia in July, and the building excitement and momentum was
unmistakable. Toro Y Moi has gone from being considered one of the godfathers of chillwave back
around 2010 or so to now being an indie version of Frank Ocean or The Weekend. This latest record
Mahal features more of a clubby vibe, albeit still a hipster version. The satisfying career-spanning set on
this tour demonstrates what a solid discography Chas has built up at this point.
Standout Tracks: Magazine; Postman; The Loop; Déjà vu; Millenium

More Recent New Music Worth Checking Out: Angel Olsen : Big Time; Sharon Van Etten : We’ve Been
Going About This All Wrong; Let’s Eat Grandma : Two Ribbons; Hatchie : Giving The World Away;

Throwback Selection:


Oasis : Be Here Now


I will never stop being a shameless apologist/fanboy for the iconic Cool Britannia rock gods Oasis.
Recently, I saw an article noting the 25 th anniversary of the release of their infamous third album Be
Here Now in the summer of 1997. After the release of 1994’s unstoppable debut Definitely Maybe and
1995’s somehow even more popular and omnipresent follow-up record What’s The Story, Morning
Glory, it is not an exaggeration to say that there has never been, and will never be, another album as
anticipated as the third Oasis record was in the lead up to its release.


Lead single D’Ýou Know What I Mean? announced the band’s return with more than enough style and
quality to keep excitement at fever pitch. Advance critical reception was positive, but there was never
any chance that Be Here Now was going to live up to the sky-high expectations of music fans across the
world. The inevitable backlash against Oasis had begun, despite the fact that Be Here Now contains
more than enough quality to be considered the third best Oasis record in their catalog.
Be Here Now’s greatest flaw is generally agreed to be it’s sheer excess. The songs are all too long and
too loud and have too much unnecessary instrumentation and production going on. Some blame too
much cocaine involved in the recording process! Proof positive of that might be that someone actually thought it would be a good idea to have Johnny Depp feature on slide guitar on perhaps the worst song
on the album. And yet, damned if I don’t still get goosebumps when I hear Liam and Noel sing together
in the chorus of Stand By Me. And I dare you to find me a more compellingly sincere power ballad in the
past 25 years than album highlight Don’t Go Away. Sure, we don’t need more than 10 minutes of All
Around The World and we certainly don’t need a reprise of the same song as the album closer. But
diehard Oasis fans know that All Around The World was one of the first songs Noel wrote with his future
band Oasis in mind, so who could begrudge Noel going all out recording the ultimate triumphant version
of such a meaningful song for this victory lap of a third album?


I love this album, flaws and all. It is the sound of a band at the peak of their influence and popularity.
Oasis was the biggest band in the world in 1997 and this was the wonderfully excessive soundtrack of
those heady days—a time that feels positively quaint in retrospect.


I got to see Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds play a great show at Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath
in London in June. I wish Oasis would get back together for reunion shows at some point, but for now I
will gladly listen to Noel (or Liam!) belt out Oasis classics as part of their solo projects.


Standout Tracks: D’You Know What I Mean?; Don’t Go Away; Stand By Me; It’s Getting’ Better, Man;
All Around The World; The Girl In a Dirty Shirt

To listen to the standout tracks from these recommended albums, please check out the most recently
added songs in the spotify playlist found below: