Newer Music:
The Besnard Lakes: …Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings
My favorite record of the last few weeks is a satisfying throwback; an earnest, ambitious indie rock
concept opus full of six minute (or longer!) songs meant to be consumed together in one sitting. This
sixth album from this Montreal six-piece feels genuinely monumental. An example of a record that both
immediately draws one in on first listen as well as rewarding repeat listens, it is reminiscent of similar-
scale work from Spiritualized, The Verve, and Band of Horses.
I appreciated the following quote from their website describing this new album: “In these scorched and
pitted times, as the world smoulders, there might be nothing less trendy than an hourlong pyschrock
epic by a band of Canadian grandmasters. Then again, there might be nothing we need more. …The Last
of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings is a bright-blazing requiem: nine tunes that are one song and six
musicians that are one band—unleashed and unconstrained, piercing and technicolour. At the end of
the golden day, The Besnard Lakes are right where they should be.”
Standout Tracks: Raindrops; New Revolution; Our Heads, Our Hearts on Fire Again; Feuds With Guns;
The Last of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings
The Weather Station : Ignorance
The Weather Station is the ever-evolving project of Canadian folk artist Tara Lindeman. She has been
releasing music since 2006, but finally broke out with her acclaimed 2018 self-titled record and now this
highly-anticipated follow-up.
Ignorance is a lovely and complex album sure to land at the top of many year-end best of lists. This
album perfectly marries intricate instrumental flourishes with Lindeman’s mesmerizing voice to create a
beautiful record that conjures a bit of a Fleetwood Mac 70s vibe.
Standout Tracks: Tried to Tell You; Atlantic; Parking Lot; The Robber; Loss
Black Country, New Road : For The First Time
Black Country, New Road are an exciting collective of seven young British artists mixing it up in the
London music scene with fellow buzzy acts Black Midi and Jockstrap, the latter sharing band member
Georgia Ellery. Their debut experimental rock record For The First Time covers an impressive range of
musical territory in just 6 songs over 40 minutes, including post-punk, progrock, psychrock, spoken
word, free-form, noise, and countless other dissonant elements. It is a thrilling, fascinating, and
compelling listen.
Standout Tracks: Instrumental; Athens, France; Track X; Science Fair; Sunglasses
The Staves : Good Woman
You’d be forgiven for mistaking The Staves for an American band based on their americana sound and
their friendship and collaboration with Bon Iver. In fact, the indie folk rock trio are three English-born
sisters Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Stavely-Taylor.
New album Good Woman is an enjoyable, breezy listen and the sisters’ voices sound absolutely
gorgeous. The opening title track Good Woman and follow-up single Best Friend are two of the catchiest
pop songs you will hear this year.
Standout Tracks: Good Woman; Best Friend; Next Year, Next Time; Careful, Kid; Failure
Throwback Selection of The Week:
Oasis : Definitely Maybe
On the drive returning back north from a Presidents Day Weekend excursion, my son asked me for an
introduction to the music of Oasis. It was my absolute pleasure to kick off that endeavor by blasting at
excessive volume their historic debut record Definitely Maybe as we meandered through the Virgin River
Gorge between Mesquite and St. George.
Definitely Maybe remains a thrilling listen even now over 25 years removed from its release. The first
two Oasis albums justifiably are among the greatest and most beloved records in British music history. I
also highly recommend the Oasis documentary Supersonic that was released a few years ago (explicit
language warning!) for a great introduction to the band and the unbelievable heights they reached in
their first few years.
I saw Oasis a few times during the 00s and have seen both Noel and Liam do live shows with their
respective solo projects in the last few years. I still hold out hope for an Oasis reunion at some point;
regardless, the early years of Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? are some of the
brightest burning in music history.
Standout Tracks: Live Forever; Supersonic; Rock N Roll Star; Cigarettes and Alcohol; Bring It On Down
More Related Music You Should Also Check Out: The Verve : A Northern Soul ; Spiritualized : Lazer
Guided Melodies; Elbow : Leaders Of The Free World ; Band of Horses : Everything All The Time
