Boring but kind of an important fact: each week hundreds of records are released into this world that we live in and unfortunately it’s impossible to cover everything. It sadden us to left some great music unmentioned. This list aims to cover even more ground and give you five extra records that we love and that we would like you to discover. Enjoy!
Gramma's Boyfriend - PERM (Graveface Records)
Introduction: “The five members include front woman Haley Bonar, Jeremy Ylvisaker (Cloak Ox, Andrew Bird), Mark Erickson (Cloak Ox), Luke Anderson (Rogue Valley), and Jacob Hanson (Actual Wolf, Haley Bonar, All Tomorrow’s Petty), who join forces to create the psychedelic dance punk that is guaranteed to make you move. ”
Why You Should Give A Fuck About It: You’re probably familiar with Haley Bonar’s name and work as a solo artist – last year she released a great album entitled Last War that we ranked 29 in our Top 75 Albums of 2014 list. With Gramma’s Boyfriend’s PERM she keeps exploring kind of new musical landscapes (Last War was kind of a big surprise for everyone who followed Bonar’s career) traveling fearlessly through some of the most exciting musical manifestations that shaped the 80s and 90s: dance music, punk, alternative rock, shoegaze, experimental rock, pop, and more. Always with that alt-country rib that fortunately Bonar doesn’t let fade away for good. Sometimes it might seem that they are fuckin’ nuts such can be the disparity between tracks – every time that you seem to have them figured it out they just run and shatter your conclusions. PERM is simply a rich sonic experience tied with a great production (it’s so good!) and a band that’s as gifted as chameleonic. “The devil is in the detail“.
Recommended Song: “Forget the Stones”
Kirt Debique - Things Left Unsaid (Brick Lane Records)
Introduction: “Kirt Debique is a singer/songwriter from the Pacific Northwest by way of Trinidad and Tobago. A part of the Seattle music scene for the past few years, he is now performing under his own name and recently released his debut solo album, Things Left Unsaid. Kirt is also the founder of Brick Lane Records.”
Why You Should Give A Fuck About It: There are two things that strike almost instantly with Kirt Debique’s debut album. First is his low and sweet voice. Second is how heavily emotional and heartfelt these eight tracks are and feel like. Things Left Unsaid is an electronic record at its core, relying heavily in incisive rhythms – “That comes from growing up in Trinidad, where calypso and steel drums punctuate the soundtrack of everyday life.” – and with a similitude to Depeche Mode’s Violator from where it comes the industrial elements and dramatic voice that Debique uses and abuses. “I had to look hard and closely at certain relationships in my life,” said Debique. “But I’d gotten to a point where I felt I could reflect on them in a way that was healthy, and I feel like I’m a very different person since making this record.” Much more than just a mere collection of musical tunes. Things Left Unsaid is something to connect with. The fact that Kirt has a great voice and is able to deliver melodies that are memorable… well, it doesn’t hurt!
Recommended Song: “Tell Me How You Know”
Undergrünnen - Undergrünnen (Jansen Plateproduksjon)
Introduction: “In the spring of 2014 Per Steinar Lie (of The Low Frequency in Stereo) received a call from Haugesund prison, Norway. They needed a band to play for the inmates at very short notice or more specifically, the very next day. The only problem was that only one other member of The Low Frequency in Stereo (Ørjan Haaland) was in town. However, Pål Jackman (of Wunderkammer) had just moved back to town so Steinar Lie decided to give him a call. The next day the three of them set up their equipment at the prison, and without a single rehearsal or any clear idea of what might happen next, they performed on stage in front of the inmates of Haugesund prison and thus Undergrünnen was born.”
Why You Should Give A Fuck About It: The warm colors and scalding visual aesthetic on the cover of Undergrünnen’s self-titled album couldn’t be more appropriate. When we received the press release for this album there was one line that clearly stood out, “File under: MC5 meets afrobeat in Norwegian!” It’s exciting to read something like that, but even more exciting is listening to Undergrünnen’s entire album and testify how highly energetic is the trip that these Norwegians provide with these nine songs that make you dance around the room and that takes the ruthless weight of the world off of our shoulders. It’s a liberating experience fueled by infectious rhythms. Undergrünnen’s music shares and offers the same joy as the music produced by the duo from Mali, Amadou & Mariam. It’s pure ecstasy! A way to cleanse the mind, body and soul.
Recommended Song: “Skjønne du ingenting”
Indian Handcrafts - Creeps (Sargent House)
Introduction: “”The last one was our 70s album, this is our 80s album,” jokes Indian Handcrafts drummer/vocalist Brandyn James Aikins. Whereas the Canadian duo’s 2012 Sargent House debut Civil Disobedience for Losers was full of 70s style heavy groove within its drop-tuned riff-rollicking, Creeps has more sheen and steel.”
Why You Should Give A Fuck About It: This one goes to all the awesome rock freaks out there. If you like your music heavy and you don’t mind to get dirty with your music, then you will be delighted with Indian Handcrafts’ second full-length album, Creeps. The Canadian duo didn’t want to repeat the formula that worked so well with their debut, Civil Disobedience for Losers, and proceed to create something more gritty and punchy sounding. Creeps is the kind of record that we’ll invite you, over and over again, to do some neck-damaging headbanging and will let you sore and in pain but with a smile on your face. This is fuckin’ rock ‘n’ roll, baby!
Recommended Song: “Maelstrom”
Doe Paoro - After (Anti-)
Introduction: “For After, Doe Paoro worked with producers Sean Carey (drummer / supporting vocalist for Bon Iver) and BJ Burton (The Tallest Man on Earth, Sylvan Esso, and others) to even further deepen her musical repertoire (…) drawing from influences ranging from Carole King to Portishead, Aretha Franklin and beyond. The album was recorded at April Base, a Wisconsin ranch house that Vernon had converted into a studio. “I’m used to just working with a piano,” says Paoro, “but with this album, we built an entire world with the sonics alone.””
Why You Should Give A Fuck About It: “There’s an assumption that pop music needs to be dumbed down. But I think pop can be surprising, even uncomfortable.” The ten tracks that compose After effortlessly deliver the thought-provoking content that was promised. It’s not really the most accessible pop album in terms of lyrics – Paoro reveals almost an obsessive behavior towards her past. They say you don’t must kick them when they’re down on the ground but Doe didn’t seem to mind, she kick herself again and again throughout these ten tracks. In a record where almost everything burns slowly, the goal is a search for understanding the past to figure out the present and try to have a better future. Realizations often arrive with a heavy dose of ecstasy and that’s what makes After one of the greatest pop albums of this 2015. After the dark comes the light. This is a soundtrack for such turbulent times. An electronic-based album that drinks from the various forms and shapes of pop music to then dive into deep and very personal waters. “If I’m self pitying, not my intent Just trying to make sense of how I got so deep in so long, so long, so long” (“Travelling”).
Recommended Song: “Traveling“