Newer Music:
Julien Baker : Little Oblivions
Singer-songwriter Julien Baker recently released her third full-length album Little Oblivions. Just 25 years
old, Baker has already established herself as one of the best singer-songwriters in indie music. Her first
two records, Sprained Ankle and Turn out the Lights, both garnered impressive critical acclaim. Baker
further strengthened her reputation through her excellent side project Boygenius, formed with fellow
high-profile indie music talents Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.
Little Oblivions sees Baker meld her typical strong, personal storytelling with more a full-band
instrumental sound. Many of the tracks feature a noticeably more polished vocal performance that suits
the material well, particularly on lead single Faith Healer.
Standout Tracks: Faith Healer; Hardline; Heatwave; Favor; Ringside
Lost Horizons : In Quiet Moments
In 2017, former Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde formed a new band called Lost Horizons. The
approach taken by Raymonde for this Lost Horizons project, on both debut record Ojala and recently
released follow-up In Quiet Moments, is to enlist a diverse selection of guest artists for vocal and
instrumental duties. The result is a strong collection of songs that provide some nice variety in sound
and style depending on the guest contribution. Many of the showcased guest artists (including Marissa
Nadler, Penelope Isles, and John Grant) are musicians who put out music on the Bella Union music label,
started by Raymonde in 1997.
Bella Union is one of my favorite indie labels and I’ve had the pleasure of stopping into the Bella Union
headquarters and record shop tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood in Brighton, England.
Brighton can perhaps be thought of as the English equivalent of Portland, Oregon—a counterculture city
with a strong arts scene and a great place to conduct a fruitful vinyl record store crawl. I recommend a
visit—to both Brighton and the Bella Union shop!
Standout Tracks: In Quiet Moments; Halcyon; I Woke Up With An Open Heart; One For Regret; Every
Beat That Passed
Kiwi Jr. : Cooler Returns
Sometimes it’s just nice to put on some music in the background that is fun and peppy and doesn’t
require much mental commitment to provide enjoyment and satisfaction. Lately, my record of choice in
such situations is Cooler Returns by Toronto-based indie band Kiwi Jr. The entire record is catchy and
clever, lo-fi and low stakes indie punk pop listening pleasure.
I appreciate the Kiwi Jr origin story– four teenage friends move from Prince Edward Island to join the
Toronto indie music scene in 2015. On the strength of an early demo, they spend the next few years
playing tons of shows and honing their craft, finally releasing their debut record Football Money in 2019.
After the modest success of that record, they sign with legendary indie label Sub Pop to put out this
tasty follow-up record. Another fun tidbit is that their second guitarist Brian Murphy has played bass for
fellow Canadian indie darlings Alvvays. Let’s hope for a Alvvays and Kiwi Jr. co-headline tour later on this
year.
Standout Tracks: Tyler; Cooler Returns; Undecided Voters; Maid Marian’s Toast; Waiting in Line
Throwback Selection of The Week:
Ariel Pink : Selected Tracks from Before Today; Mature Themes; Pom Pom; and Dedicated to Bobby
Jameson
One of more eccentric artists I’ve enjoyed over the past decade is Ariel Pink. The prolific Pink has been
involved in the recording of over 30 releases (most very lo-fi and DIY) over the past 22 years or so, but
he is best known for four professionally-recorded albums released in the past ten years that have
received a sizable amount of critical acclaim in indie music circles.
Pink reached a new level of notoriety this year when he it was publicized that he had attended the
Trump rallies in DC on January 6 th . As you might imagine, Pink went from bizarre, yet beloved indie music
weirdo to persona non grata overnight. Before Pink and his music becomes yet another victim of cancel
culture by our new media consumption nanny overlords, I thought it would be appropriate to showcase
some of the career highlights of Ariel Marcus Rosenberg.
I have long appreciated his music; however, I developed a more direct interest when I befriended one of
his friends and music collaborators at a Spiritualized show at the Ace Theater in LA a few years ago. It
was fun and insightful to get even a brief glimpse into Ariel Pink’s Southern California artistic circle. I
caught up with that same FOA (friend of Ariel) a few weeks after the Trump rally controversy and we
talked about how Ariel Pink just operated on a different wavelength than most people, but there is little
doubt that he is a genius.
Even the most accessible of his studio albums would likely be considered prime examples of “hit or
miss” records. Each record contains some truly strange songs in terms of lyrics, vocal performance,
instrumental choices, and sometimes structure. But when Ariel Pink allowed himself to create
something accessible and more pop-oriented, those high points are some of my favorite songs ever.
Anyone who can write such perfect pop songs as Only In My Dreams and Put Your Number In My Phone
is just fine by me.
Standout Tracks: Round and Round; Only In Your Dreams; Baby (Donnie and Joe Emerson Cover); Put
Your Number In My Phone; Lipstick; Feels Like Heaven; Another Weekend
More Related Music You Should Also Check Out: Boygenius : Boygenius EP; Alvvays : Antisocialites;
Penelope Isles : Until The Tide Creeps In; Friendly Fires : Friendly Fires
