The Spins

Back at it again. This is another dispatch of The Spins. Sorry about the late drop. I got caught up in side projects and also had to reformat this whole thing from the notes I had on my phone, which was annoying.

I won’t front: this was a really good week of listening for me. I always like the albums that I put in this deal, but these albums really hit for me. If you go and listen to these, I think you’ll feel the same way.

I have a request for you, fair reader. Can someone please make an attempt to explain why Playboi Carti is still a thing? I am not going to completely shit on him because “Magnolia” still slaps, but I started listening to I AM MUSIC and felt extremely old, even though I know that there are people older than me who are absolutely bumping it and loving it. To me, there wasn’t anything other than wild beats (which are interesting to be fair) and ad-libbed raps (which are bad enough to overshadow the beats). The fact that it is 30 tracks and almost 80 minutes doesn’t help things either. Help me to be less crotchety about the young people making rap.

Edith Frost, In Space

Edith Frost comes back with her first album in two decades. It is a gently psychedelic country gem with stunning lyrics and instrumentation. Fans of Drag City should jump on this album immediately.

RIYL: Loma, Bill Callahan, Palace, quiet excellence

Shannon Wright, Reservoir of Love

A emotional trip that knows when to rave up and when to turn down. It was intense but still accessible and engaging. I wasn’t familiar with her before this album, but I thought it was a trippy, rocking good time and made me want to listen to much, much more of her stuff.

RIYL: Hope Sandoval, PJ Harvey, Beth Gibbons, guitar distortion

C Duncan, It's Only A Love Song

A mix of 60s orchestral pop, jazzy sophisti-pop, synth-pop, and modern anxiety. While the lyrics are somewhat dark, they go down smoothly due to the lush production.

RIYL: Lee Hazelwood, Prefab Sprout, Brian Wilson, OMD, Late-era Spiritualized

Bob Mould, Here We Go Crazy

Righteous anger from your cool, older neighbor who tells you stories about playing in a hardcore band. Seriously though, it is very good and does not overstay its welcome or become too preachy.

RIYL: Hüsker Du, Sugar, dad rock, Generation X

Derya Yildirim & Grup Şimşek, Yarin Yoksa

An excellent slab of Turkish psych music. It grooves hard and goes down super smooth. Also, look at the video below and acknowledge how cool they look. I really had a blast listening to this one.

RIYL: Altin Gün, psych rock, desert vibes

St. Lucia, Fata Morgana: Dawn

An uplifting album with a real kitchen-sink approach. Electronic music of various strains merges with tropicalia, film music, psychedelica, and Middle Eastern rhythms into a cohesive whole. A extremely fun time for sure.

RIYL: Positivity, La Femme, bricolage, Campari

Tunng, Love You All Over Again

An album that merges English folk with electronic instrumentation. It sounds great, and some of the lyrics are legit weird and awesome. Truly and delightfully strange.

RIYL: Cannibalism, folktronica, dual harmonies

This week’s long post is about Carly Rae Jepsen. There is a perpetual curiosity among pop fans as to why she is not a household name, as she has a bunch of bangers and is so extremely affable. I’m going to spend some time thinking about Emotion, her 2015 album, and maybe some other albums to get at something resembling an answer. Will I find it? Maybe. No guarantees. If nothing else, it’ll get you listening to Carly Rae Jepsen, which is truly a delight if you haven’t done it in a while. I did recently (as one might suspect) and she’s as delightful as ever. I’ll see you on Saturday.