Vecka 25-26

Chastity Belt spelar som sång nr 2

Ny vecka med flera kända poplisteartister som Jason Isbell och Kevin Morby. Och så har vi comebackande Ride och Sufjan Stevens med kompisar för att nämna några.

1. Jason Isbell (US) Recorded in the city`s legendary Studio A with a band that includes his wife Amanda Shires on fiddle, the former Drive By Trucker’s latest certainly does have that Nashville sound: clear and resonant and with an emphasis on note-perfect simplicity. Yet Isbell’s songs go way beyond standard country fantasy, typically tapping into the sadness of finding yourself at odds with the world. MOJO

2. Chastity Belt (US) Washington angst-rock band Chastity Belt has a sweet new album out tomorrow called I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone. The one-two punch of singles 'Different Now' and 'Caught In A Lie' starts the album off strongly with typically hazy guitars, bulging bass lines, and bonehead snare drumming. Spin Clashmusic

3. Shins (US) James Mercer has been doing his amiably anxious alt-pop nice-guy thing since the Shins' strummy-sad 2001 debut, Oh, Inverted World, expanding his sound without diluting his signature shy intimacy. Rolling Stone Heartworms heter senaste albumet. Shins kommer till Way Out West I augusti.

4. Mac Demarco (US) On his third album, the antics of Mac DeMarco are muted in favor of his impeccable songwriting, which shines through more than ever with warmth and precision. This approach brings to mind singer-songwriters of an earlier era, particularly iconoclasts like Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, and JJ Cale. The title track brings to mind Little Joy in its unhurried and confident sense of swing, and DeMarco’s natural warmth and weariness shine through. Pitchfork Demarco kommer också till WOW. Det ska bi spännande, eftersom hans scenshow är lite oberäknelig och halvgalen.

5. Kevin Morby (US)  Morby’s fourth solo album is an ode to his former hometown of New York City. A loose concept album that follows a character trying to make his way alone in the city, it marks a clear progression for the former member of Woods and Babies to emerge as a noteworthy artist in his own right.  COS

6. Dion Lunadon (US) ​​was so used to being on the road with A Place to Bury Strangers that when the band took a bit of a respite from touring, his creative mind got restless. Struck with “a neurotic impulse to make a batch of songs and do it right then and right there,” the bassist wrote and recorded the 11 tracks that would make up his self-titled solo debut. COS Ett sagolikt ös blir det här. Som tidiga Stooges och New York Dolls.

7. Sufjan Stevens etc (US) For some, the grandeur of the cosmos has always begged for a soundtrack. Four years ago, Sufjan Stevens, the National’s Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and James McAlister attempted to compose one with Planetarium, a suite of baroque-rock songs inspired by the Milky Way. They toured Planetarium around the world—string quartet, horn section, and full rock band in tow. Now, the group has reunited to re-record these songs for an album out later this year. “Saturn,” the first single, isn’t so much the epic space music you might expect, but something made for the smaller scale universe of your local planetarium. Pitchfork

8. Songhoy Blues (Mali) Just over two years ago, when Songhoy Blues played in a bar in Camden, north London, I suggested that the Malian guitar band had “all the makings of African-rock crossover heroes”. And now here they are, firmly established as the continent’s new young celebrities, with a second album that aims for the widest possible international market. Their original influences were desert blues and traditional Songhai styles, but here these are transformed by tight, attacking riffs, jangling funk guitar work and the addition of brass and keyboards. Then there are appearances by Iggy Pop  The Guardian

9. Big Thief (US) Big Thief’s sophomore album beautifully excavates family history and trauma into a delicate, intricately built folk rock record, showcasing the gorgeous style of singer Adrianne Lenker. The Brooklyn quartet Big Thief did not name their  debut Masterpiece because they felt it was flawless. Rather, Masterpiece painted the complex experience of being young and uncertain with a rare sense of humility. Pitchfork

10. Ride (UK) ”Weather diaries” är bandets första skiva på tjugoett år och låter i grunden precis som Ride alltid har gjort. Men det är som om konturerna har blivit skarpare, gitarrerna elakare och atmosfärerna mer kosmiska. Att inte bara Erol Alkans modernare produktion, utan också texterna lyfter blicken från skorna och placerar låtarna i samtiden gör inte saken sämre. DN

Detta blir den sista ”korta” listan i sommar. Sedan följer två listor där ni får tre veckor på er att lyssna. Ni lämnar in era röster senast söndag 2 juli. Här är länken.