This Month's Picks

Notebook Fantasy (CD)

Chicano Batman
Chicano Batman takes you on a voyage with Notebook Fantasy . Produced by in-demand producer John Congleton (Erykah Badu, Budos Band, St. Vincent), the album feels like a throwback to a more psychedelic, sexy, jet-setting time. "Era Primavera" is a lush, shimmering number with soaring strings, dreamy harmonies, and romantic melodies. The appropriately named "Fly" just feels superfly, with elements of classic '70s funk, sexy sleaze, and an addictive chorus. Notebook Fantasy is absolutely sensational. More
Genre: Rock

Exotic Birds Of Prey (CD)

Shabazz Palaces
Exotic Birds of Prey is the new seven song mini-album from the inimitable Shabazz Palaces. These tracks are gloriously weird, pushing hip-hop forward into cosmic, funky, and unsettling territory. The ultra-experimental "Angela" features haunting synthscapes and woozy basslines. "Myths of the Occult" is a short-but-sweet track with a trippy, slightly eerie melody and dreamlike, goth rap vocals. "Take Me to Your Leader" sounds like a forgotten classic from the era that brought us weirdo synth-funk legends like Charlie and Egyptian Lover. Exotic Birds of Prey is innovative, enjoyable, and unlike anything else you'll hear this year. More
Genre: Hip Hop

Interplay (CD)

Ride
Rarely do legendary acts have a second act as creative, interesting, and essential as Ride. Interplay is some of the band's best work. Opener "Peace Sign" is shoegaze with pop sensibilities and an early '90s indie quirk. "Last Frontier" is romantic, wistful, and moody. "Monaco" kicks off with danceable electronic beats before melancholy post-punk guitars and stabbing synths add urgency and intensity. With so many top-notch songs, Interplay is one of those records that quickly becomes a favorite. More
Genre: Rock

Wall Of Eyes (CD)

The Smile
The Smile's Wall of Eyes is a powerful slow burn. These languid, lush songs unroll at their own pace, building a powerful mood that crescendoes as the album goes along. The tracks are devastatingly lovely, discordant and unsettling, with moments of sublime beauty. Alongside drummer Tom Skinner, Radiohead members Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke magnificently blend familiar elements of their legendary band's sound while still charting exciting new sonic ground. More
Genre: Rock

Letter To Self (CD)

SPRINTS
SPRINTS's first album, Letter to Self , is one those heady, intoxicating debuts that barrels straight at you, no holds barred and ready to reaffirm your faith in rock 'n' roll. The Dublin four-piece combines post-punk, garage punk, and riot grrrl into an intense, cathartic listen. Singer/guitarist/lead songwriter Karla Chubb doesn't shy away from hard-hitting topics, delving into mental health issues, religious guilt, bodily autonomy, sexuality, and self-acceptance. But this isn't a "message" album: instead, it's a full-throttle reckoning with the issues through loud, ferocious, gritty rock 'n' roll. Letter to Self announces SPRINTS as a band to watch. More
Genre: Rock

Spiritual Cramp (LP)

Spiritual Cramp
The self-titled debut from San Francisco's Spiritual Cramp is high-octane, rough and rowdy punk rock in its purest form. These ultra-catchy tracks feel like direct descendents from classic NYC and London punk, even when the band is singing about totally modern concerns (see "Talkin' on the Internet") or dipping a toe into post-punk ("Herberts on Holiday"). Spiritual Cramp will have you longing for basement shows and sticky floors, late nights and living on the edge. This album is pure good times. More from these guys, please. More
Genre: Rock

SPELLLING & The Mystery School [Purple Vinyl] (LP)

SPELLLING
SPELLLING proves once again she's a powerful force in music, magic, and the space in between. On her latest for Sacred Bones, SPELLLING & The Mystery School , the experimental pop artist reimagined studio tracks from the length of her career, spotlighting the ways in which they've grown and morphed. The songs are sparkling with life, at times witchy and enchanted, at times earthy and comforting. There are elements of disco, trip-hop, and grandiose '80s-style fantasy pop. It's an intoxication potion that showcases the power of art and the remarkability of the creative process. More
Genre: Rock

Little Rope (CD)

Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney's Little Rope is a remarkable album. Written in the wake of the deaths of Carrie Brownstein's mother and stepfather, the arrangements are sparse and meditative, intense and careening — much like the process of navigating loss itself. Through the comfort and challenge of songwriting, Brownstein and Corin Tucker transmute grief into striving, sympathetic, transcendent songs. Little Rope feels like a companion, a friend, someone to walk beside you on a long, dark road. Because isn't that what music, at its best, does? More
Genre: Rock

TANGK [Transparent Pink Vinyl] (LP)

IDLES
The mighty IDLES find power in love on TANGK . (Pronounced "tank.") The best British post-punk band in modern music can always be relied on for intelligent lyrics, punishing riffs, and no holds barred truth-telling, but whereas on earlier releases the band directed their talents at taking down the failures and apathy of society, now they're funneling that same forceful sound into the not-so-simple act of perseverance. The band's inimitable stomp is present on "Dancer" — even as the song intros with golden age of Hollywood cinematic strings — before segueing into a bold, brutal melody. On "Grace," those pounding basslines and fierce drums are toned down in an aural echo of the title; this anthem for communal love and solidarity feels both open-eyed and comforting. An essential album for rough times, TANGK is some of the most intriguing material from the ever-excellent IDLES. More
Genre: Rock

Push [Red Vinyl] (LP)

Sextile
Scuzzy, hedonistic, and ridiculously fun, Push is Sextile's first release for Sacred Bones. Long an LA underground mainstay, the band sounds better than ever as it descends in darkly pleasurable new directions, cranking up the volume on an unholy mixture of '90s Manchester, bigbeat, breakbeat, acid, post-punk and punk rock. This is music for 3am, with all its possibilities, wooziness, latent drama, and the inevitable comedown. Sextile has always received a serious amount of buzz, so if you're one of those people that gets turned off by hype, you'll just need to hear this one to believe that it's well-earned. A breath of fresh night air. More
Genre: Rock

RAT WARS (CD)

Health
Health's RAT WARS is some of their most intense, heaviest songwriting yet. The band artfully blends metal, hardcore, electronic, industrial, post-punk, and noise into tumultuous, tortured tracks that do, often, ultimately find redemption. The full-on sonic assault of RAT WARS feels justifiably angry and heartbroken, sometimes weary and broken — the album is like a mirror held to the exhausting, seemingly endless slog of bad news and bad times. But in those dark moments, Health always finds the tiniest sliver of light, which imbues these songs with an emotional resonance and power that makes them simply unforgettable. A bold, brave album that's ready to soundtrack your roughest times and remind you that hope is always just on the other side of the night. More
Genre: Rock

All That Was East Is West Of Me Now (CD)

Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard's All That Was East Is West of Me Now is a record about realizing your days are numbered, making the most of what's to come, and honoring what's in the rearview. Perhaps not surprisingly, it's an album of emotional highs and lows, the mood shifting between meditative and resolute. Hansard gets sweepingly romantic on the Leonard Cohenesque "Sure as the Rain." On "The Feast of St. John," Hansard brings authenticity and to Springsteen-like guitar grandiosity. "Bearing Witness" is powerfully raw, an ode to making the most of the hand you're dealt and not looking back. An excellent, moving album from one of modern music's most treasured songwriters. More
Genre: Rock

People Who Aren't There Anymore (CD)

Future Islands
Future Islands have just released one of the best albums of their career. The songs on People Who Aren't There Anymore are totally bops, the type of ear worm tracks that become instant favorites. At the same time, there's a sense of emotional exploration to these songs that gives them real heft — Future Islands has gotten introspective in these slowed-down jams, delivering songs that feel like companions for the most uncomfortable moments of change and growth in life. It's a lovely album that will linger in your mind longer after the last note fades out. More
Genre: Rock

Hard Light [Crystal Clear Vinyl] (LP)

Drop Nineteens
Every once in a while, an album comes along that's such a surprising delight it goes into heavy rotation from the very first spin. That's Hard Light from Drop Nineteens. The Boston-based noise-pop/shoegaze band originally operated in the early '90s, eventually becoming something of a rediscovered cult sensation during the streaming era. Now, they're back together and writing new material that also deserves instant cult status. You'll find haunting, wistful, and catchy-as-all-get-out tracks here, with the otherworldly vocals of Paula Kelley alternating with those of fellow guitarist/vocalist Greg Ackell for a listening experience that'll keep you on your toes in the best way possible. An album to get lost in. Highly recommended. More
Genre: Rock

She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (CD)

Chelsea Wolfe
Chelsea Wolfe finds the beauty in pain on She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She . As expected, it's atmospheric, bristling, and otherworldly. Wolfe's voice moves between ethereal and enchanting, menacing and morose. The music seamlessly blends trip-hop, industrial, metal, avant-garde, and rock...if that sounds like an over-the-top combination, fear not, because listeners are in capable hands with Wolfe and producer Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars). The cathartic, sublime She Reaches Out is a career high for Chelsea Wolfe. More
Genre: Rock

Trail Of Flowers (CD)

Sierra Ferrell
No exaggeration: Sierra Ferrell's Trail of Flowers is a masterpiece. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter writes captivating, fresh songs inspired by classic country, bluegrass, and folk. These are ramblin', rootsy tracks that chronicle the excitement and disappointment of life on the road, gently make fun of Ferrell's ability to drive a suitor mad, and take a tongue-in-cheek look at romantic despair at a dive bar. All of which is to say that — woo boy — Ferrell has a voice, both in terms of her dulcet tones and her ability to weave a tale. An eclectic, electrifying indie country album that's likely to top many end-of-the-year "best of" lists. More
Genre: Country

The Past Is Still Alive (CD)

Hurray For The Riff Raff
The Past Is Still Alive feels like a ray of sunshine on a dark day. In these songs, Hurray for the Riff Raff weaves threads of hope, joy, and love from the complications of the past and our messy present. The melodies are warm, folksy, wise, and moving, the lyrics celebrate queerness, finding a place to call home, and discovering wisdom through life's challenges. The Past features appearances from Anjimile, Conor Oberst, and S.G. Goodman. More
Genre: Rock

Underdressed At The Symphony (CD)

Faye Webster
Enter the weird and wonderful world of rising star Faye Webster on Underdressed at the Symphony . Webster has gained a loyal following through tightly-crafted indie with elements of country and hip-hop. With these new tracks, Webster pushes the envelope of her sound, adding vocoder vocals and recruiting longtime friend Lil Yachty for a guest appearance on "Lego Ring." Underdressed at the Symphony has everything that fans dig: short but sweet, perfect indie gems that'll get stuck in your head and in your heart, enhanced by joyful musical experimentation, droll humor, and genre-crossing melodies. More
Genre: Rock

Little Sun (CD)

Charlie Parr
Charlie Parr's Little Sun is a questing, raw, and gripping album. The Smithsonian Folkways label is the perfect home for Parr's Northwoods take on the blues; the tracks are timeless, vividly-written, and rank among the genre's best. Whether Parr is getting celebratory on the rootsy, let-the-good-times-roll "Boombox" or leaning into the beautiful desolation of grey days on "Bear Head Lake," these tracks get to the heart of what it's like to be human. Little Sun is one of those albums that just might change your life. More
Genre: Folk

Tigers Blood (CD)

Waxahatchee
Waxahatchee's Tigers Blood finds Katie Crutchfield grappling with addiction issues and lost relationships and coming out on top. Sober since 2018, Crutchfield's songwriting is vulnerable yet bold, gritty yet graceful. Her lilting voice and easy-going Americana melodies bring sunlight to even the darkest corners, as Crutchfield moves from singing of tension and disappointment to belonging and welcome stability. Tigers Blood is summer day music: moving and magical, a moment to rest and survey the beauty in the world around you after the long metaphorical winter. More
Genre: Rock