Halloween is barely behind us and yet the storefronts and Starbucks cups are already all geared up for Christmas. The holidays are still a solid month away. We still have Thanksgiving and the start of winter to get through. Let’s focus on the present and all the good albums that have come out instead of decking the halls in November. Based on the past month and the beginning of this one, it looks like 2015 is going to close strong. Releases have included Matt Berninger’s new project El Vy as well as relative newcomer Alex G. Here are some of our favorite releases of late:
“Need A Friend” by El Vy For Fans of: The National, Menomena, Minutemen
Off of the band’s debut Return to the Moon, “Need A Friend” is a great example of how The National’s Matt Berninger and Ramona Falls/Menomena’s Brent Knopf have combined two fairly different sounds together to craft a new, just as good one. Berninger is known for velvety, smoldering vocals set to sweeping instrumentals whereas Knopf is typically springier, stranger and heavier on the synth. El Vy doesn’t sound like either of those things, but it’s already a favorite. Other tracks of the record, like “I’m the Man to Be”, are downright goofy compared than their usual tones, which makes “Need A Friend” a good mid-ground to start from when getting to know the group.
“Josephine” by Frank Turner For Fans of: Frightened Rabbit, Admiral Fallow
English folk/singer-songwriter Frank Turner has been churning out heart-wrenching, honest songs for just about a decade now. His most recent record Positive Songs for Negative People is a continuation of autobiographical lyrics and pounding melodies. The record also continues on the vein of redemption and positivity that Turner began several releases ago. “Josephine” is just this. On an unrelated note, the album is Turner’s most popular to date. Turner has been using his new found popularity for good. He launched #FTRAOK, a hashtag meant not only to celebrate the release, but also to “showcase some of [his] and [his fan’s] best examples of Random Acts Of Kindness.”
“Wasted Love” by City and Colour For Fans of: Iron & Wine, Ray LaMontagne, Bon Iver
As a solo artists, Dallas Green sounds nothing like his previous project, post-hardcore band Alexisonfires. For this new iteration, he’s gone from screaming vocals to a calmed hum. Fans of his heavier work may not immediately gravitate to his new sound; however, they shouldn’t dismiss his folk effort just yet. Lyrically, there is a lot of similarities as well as literal carryover between the two bands. The lines “And do you think I would call just to hear you breathe?” and “And I know there is some place I can go where no one knows my name?” feature in both Alexisonfire and City and Colour songs. It’s clear that the same man is behind both sets of words and that he executes each with the same precision of skill.
“Bug” by Alex G For Fans of: Elvis Depressedly, Car Seat Headrest, Girlpool
Alex G (Alex Giannascoli) sounds like something out of the 90s (think: early Pavement) mixed with modern indie rock. The Pennsylvanian multi-instrumentalist has an impressive number of releases under his belt (most of which are self-released) given his age. Out of the dozen or so records, his first label-backed release, DSU, came out only last year and earned him a lot of much deserved attention. The culmination of this catalog and the twenty-something’s efforts is his most recent album Beach Music, which is his first record with the label Domino. The album has already been labeled an essential by Spin and has gained similar praise from Pitchfolk and Consequence of Sound. It’s opening track “Bug” is true to his sound and a good introduction to his casually intricate sound.
“Weave” by Foxing For Fans of: TWIABP, Into It. Over It.
Two years ago around, Foxing released their debut album The Albatross. They subsequently signed to Triple Crown Records, who re-released the album, and toured in support of it through the year with bands like Modern Baseball, mewithoutYou and Brand New. The band announced their second Triple Crown release Dealer, an atmospheric indie follow-up, this summer. They premiered the single “The Magdalene” over on NPR’s all songs considered in August. The track deals with frontman Conor Murphy’s upbringing in Catholic school. The rest of the record has a similarly personal, soft feel to it. “Weave” characterizes this more refined sound that the band has move towards since their last record.
