The Spins

Apparently this week decided to throw me albums that reminded me of one of the greatest cultural loves in my life: the music of Polly Jean Harvey. This is never, ever a bad thing in my book. Anyway, these are supposed to be brief, so let’s get into it now.

Anika, Abyss

On this album, Anika addresses the political concerns that regularly inform her music as well as personal emotions, providing more insight into her life. This is all accompanied by a skeletal grunge sound that is heavy and haunting in equal measure. If you are unfamiliar with her, this is as good as a point to enter.

RIYL: Dry & Rid of Me, Hole, Exploded View

Mess Esque, Jay Marie, Comfort Me

Drag City is on one this year. First, the Edith Frost album In Space. Now, we get this collaboration between Mick Turner of Dirty Three and vocalist Helen Franzmann, where Franzmann’s voice weaves in and out of the complicated, guitar-driven soundscapes created by Turner and their collaborators. While they only started working together during the pandemic, their ability to complement each other suggests that they have been working together for much, much longer. An absolutely stunning collaborative album.

RIYL: The John Parish/Polly Jean Harvey collaborative albums (Dance Hall at Louse Point and A Man A Woman Walked By), Young People, Drag City, Pretty Things

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Gift Songs

The first song on this album, “The Milky Sea,” is the star. It is a beautiful song that moves in various directions while seeming static. The remaining four songs are thoughtful ambient/drone compositions that show Cantu-Ledesma in complete control of his craft. Don’t fight with this album. Don’t think about this album. Turn this album on and fall into it.

RIYL: Stars of the Lid, Sarah Davachi, Ambient Drones

Σtella, Adagio

In a week with a lot of rather intense listening, I found this Greek pop album to be a nice bit of relief. It’s catchy and extremely relaxing. Did it change my world? Not really, but it did put me in a good mood, and that’s worth its weight in gold.

RIYL: Beach Vibes, Bossa Nova, Space Age Bachelor Music

L.A. WITCH, DOGGOD

This album reminded me of one of my favorite punk albums from recent years: Nots’ Cosmetic. Although this album sounds nothing like that, it has the same hard-charging, minimalist approach and absolute catchiness. Rather than aiming for synth-punk heaven like Nots were on Cosmetic, the three ladies of L.A. WITCH are aiming for goth-punk bliss on DOGGOD, and they absolutely reach it. It’s 31 minutes of all killer riffs with a rock solid rhythm section. An excellent listen from back to front.

RIYL: Siouxsie and the Banshees, early Cure (e.g., Three Imaginary Boys), Nots, The Gun Club

Miki Berenyi Trio, Tripla

What if I told you that the lead singer of Lush, one of the bands that actually defined the concept of dream pop, made an extremely good dream pop album? You probably would not be particularly surprised. But she went beyond hitting all of the standard points that one would expect for a dream pop album. She and her band brought in electronics to accompany the regular guitar-bass-drums attack and produced an album with an amazingly fresh, current feeling. This was a great surprise, especially from someone who could have happily sat on her laurels. It is also not wall-of-sound dream pop either, so those who may be less interested in that sound can find a way into this album.

RIYL: Lush, For Against, Sonic Cathedral Records, Luna

Alright, that’s the end of this here dispatch of The Spins. Because I mentioned her at the beginning, I’m going to add a PJ Harvey video here at the bottom. It’s one of my absolute favorite songs from her: “Black Hearted Love,” from A Man A Woman Walked By. Until Saturday, take care of yourselves.