Amoeba Music

I've only heard 4 songs from this record so far (as of this writing, it's not out yet), but if those 4 songs are any indication of how great this album is, then wow. For a few years now, Big Thief have always struck me as a band you really need to pay attention to, because there's a lot more going on in their music than it might seem. Hopefully Double Infinity will live up to what the preview songs have achieved, and I have a feeling it will. The music is transcendent, completely rises above genre limitations, but more importantly, makes you feel like you belong somewhere, even if maybe you sometimes feel like you don't belong anywhere.

Singer/Songwriter and Percussionist Nelson Bragg has compiled some of the best cuts from his 3 solo albums into a perfect pop anthology that has been filling my headphones since release. Melodie de Nelson: A Pop Anthology compiles tracks from his solo albums Day Into Night (2006), We Get What We Want (2012), Gratitude Blues (2021) and his single "We're Gonna Laugh About It". The tracklist really showcases Nelson's talents as a sensitive soul who is looking for belonging and love in a tumultuous world. Through a power pop lens, you can hear the influences of his former boss the late great Brian Wilson as well as artists such as George Harrison, The Byrds, and Big Star and The Kinks. I was a student at Ventura College when I began to make the acquaintance of several members of the Brian Wilson Band - the musicians that shaped my teens and early adult years. Beyond their Beach Boys work through Wilson, I discovered each member's solo works and Nelson's in particular really cut through to my mind at the time. There's a folklore-ish nostalgia in Nelson's abilities as a composer, his construction of harmony and rhythm harkens back to the 60s. His lyrics are a snapshot of the beat poetry of desire in Tell Me I'm Wrong to the jaded cynicism of No One's Home in Hollywood - but set to a ringing 12 string. Melodie de Nelson stretches all the way to his more recent Gratitude Blues, a portrait of its creator as he tries to find his way in a world dominated by politics, COVID, and the desire to live and love. This collection shows us that the world is a better place with Nelson Bragg in it, so I encourage you to wet your feel with "Melodie de Nelson" and hope it will serve as the gateway to for this great artist.

This new album of modern Sophisti-Pop from my favorite band from Montreal is just what I needed to end my summer with. Sweet and smooth pop to help mellow you out.

Another perfect album by Winter that I feel is tailor made for people like me. A swirling and dreamy combo of indie twee pop and darker shoegaze. A beatiful love letter to the long days of Los Angeles.

More sad boy pop from one of my favorites Dev Hynes. An ablum of beautiful ballads and fun jams. Full of duets and collaborations but always quintessentially perfect like I always expect from Blood Orange.

A great album of sexy synth pop that is perfect to drown yourself in and escape from the world. This second album from this duo somehow makes heartbreak sexy again.

I always love to listen to a new album by these guys. It is always the most nostalgic 80s new wave journey. But they never feel outdated and always manage to sound like something new