Favorites this week:
Lucy Gooch - Rushing EP (Past Inside the Present)
In an era when using "ethereality" as an excuse to phone it in is essentially epidemic, this EP from Bristol’s Lucy Gooch is medicine. With a quality of songwriting sadly not often on display in this (and adjacent) genres, the melodic power of these songs is in stark contrast to the majority of ambient offerings out there. Gooch’s otherwordly vocal is the clear centerpiece here, and the graceful synths, though lovely, are very much a frame for them. Creating luscious vocal stratus clouds with a strength/vulnerability combo reminiscent of Kate Bush, the voice and its surroundings are, yes, “ethereal” — but don’t read that to mean “lacking substance.” The touchstones for this on a “recommended if you like” level are Julianna Barwich, Dolphin Midwives, and Grouper, but be advised that Gooch is in a class of her own. Such an exciting debut.
Stormzy - “Disappointed” and “Still Disappointed”
Wiley - “Eediyat Skengman I”, “II”, and “III”
This beef was by far the musical event of the week, and probably the event of the week generally (imo). Slotting into the new fave vs. old head battle category, this daily back-and-forth was marked, on Stormzy’s part, by a certain comfiness (having recently appeared on the BBC Breakfast in his slippers, he appears throughout this series literally sipping tea). He certainly sounds unbothered. It’s interesting that while Wiley came for the women in Stormzy’s life (“if I see your mum down Croydon Market / I’m gonna rip that weave off her head”), Stormzy came for Wiley’s relationship to the women in his life (most notably his mother), which felt a thousand times more etherous. Both sides of this affair made it what it was, but Stormzy’s final send — “Still Disappointed” — was so devastating that I was fearful for Wiley even attempting to follow it up (which he did. Wiley never learned that “No I do not!” is never a resonant comeback). Nevertheless, this entire thing was fun as hell, and the real winner was grime, which got a lot of new and interested eyes on it this week.
Hawktail - Formations (Padiddle)
Made up of instrumentalists from David Rawlings Machine, the Punch Brothers, Crooked Still, and others, Hawktail are a newer acoustic string band that nonetheless sound like they’ve been playing together for a zillion years. Formations, though, shares little with old time or bluegrass apart from instrumentation — though drawing from a wide variety of acoustic traditions, this is a very modern album. With Brittany Haas’s divine fiddling at the center, opener “Annbjørg” draws from Scandinavian folk tunes and features a fat riff that’s honestly more like ACDC than anything in old time, while “Dandelion” betrays a distinct and unexpected chamber music influence. Hawktail do a great job of spotlighting each individual player’s skill in a way that feels seamless, not formulaic — each solo ebbs and flows, weaved into the overall fabric of the song. Boasting richness, depth, and beauty that are all pretty undeniable, Formations is music with an appeal far beyond the world of traditional music.
Poppy - I Disagree (Sumerian Records)
I’m always wary when folks do a “metal” reinvention, usually consisting of wearing black and incorporating a smattering of the worst metal-adjacent influences available (ie, chunky Limp Bizkit riffs) rather than demonstrating any meaningful engagement with the genre. Though there are some embarrassing nu metal moments with paper-thin guitars here, this is mostly pretty fascinating stuff. Heralding this as a “post-genre” release, Poppy leads us through a whiplash-inducing Candyland of horrors, from a saccharine crib of “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” to a straight industrial breakdown without a segue in sight. Clearly intended to be a curio, it’s batshit, but also extremely self aware about being batshit. The amazing “Concrete” is the manic focal point of the release, with its refrain “turn me into a street!” juxtaposed against multiple melodic hooks, multi-part harmonies, and yes, heavier bits, and will likely end up one of my songs of the year. That said, some of the “metal” portions of these songs seem shoehorned in, and it’s almost a relief when that pretense is dropped and the songs are allowed to just be pop songs, like on “Sick of the Sun.” Regardless of my beefs (it’s honestly a testament to how stellar the pop parts are that the “metal” parts don’t drag the whole thing under), this was still one of the most exciting things I heard this week.
Other stuff released this week:
Svrm - Занепад (Vigor Deconstruct)
This Ukrainian blast of black metal sounds like some kind of whirlwind of chaotic suffering tinged with the occasional folky moment. Though the recording otherwise sounds expansive (this is a one man project?!), the vocals are quite literally one-note, and for me it’s not a very exciting note. I might suggest expanding to a two piece. Though it’s not a complete copy, it’s very hard to imagine someone writing a review of this record without mentioning Drudkh, so check it out if you like that kind of thing.
Locator - Sounds End (Self Released)
This is a tiny (literally less than 10 minutes long) black/death EP that seemingly dropped out of outer space (or Lafayette, Indiana) with no digital footprint whatsoever, but whatever, it’s raw and intense! I did find myself wishing for real drums (read: drum machines are “real” i.e. they exist and indeed I like them in many contexts) (also read: if these drums are in fact real, then I just wish the toms sounded good). Slightly out of control sometimes in a way that puts me in mind of Darkthrone at their crustiest, and when the rando clean vocal comes in? This shit is cold. The riff at the end of “Birth + Pain + Death” alone puts this in the keeper pile.
Big Kahuna OG + Monday Night - Thug Tear (Scheme Team)
Thug Tear comes to us via Richmond, Virginia’s Scheme Team, who have been on a bit of a spree recently with a ton of releases, and is produced by Graymatter and Unlucky Bastards. Lyrically dense with interesting production, this record is also not afraid of a weird beat (especially notable on “Buffalo Hide”). Though Monday Night might be the lesser known emcee on this, his verses are the highlights for me. Sounding a little reminiscent of GLC, his voice has a kind of worn-in timelessness that I really like — in fact, this whole record has a kind of “classic” patina, but that’s not to say it’s imitating a specific era or style. It’s its own thing.