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- [00:01]
Sponsor Voice
Support for this podcast and the following message come from Dignity Memorial when your celebration of life is prepaid today, your family is protected tomorrow, planning ahead is truly one of the best gifts you can give your family. For additional information, visit dignitymemorial.com.
- [00:19]
Stephen Thompson
Happy Friday, everyone, from NPR Music. It's NEW Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson, and I'm here with Zach McCormick from Minnesota Public Radio's the Current. Welcome to the show, Zach.
- [00:30]
Zach McCormick
Thank you so much for having me, Steven. We love what you folks do here, the national stage, NPR Music so excited to be here with you.
- [00:36]
Stephen Thompson
Well, we love what you do at the Current. When we were starting NPR Music In 2007, the current was one of the stations we looked to as somebody who was really, really getting it right. And you guys have just continued to do phenomenal work for years and years. Now. We're going to kick off the show with an artist very familiar to Minnesotans, Craig Finn of the Hold Steady and Lifter Puller. He has a new solo record called All Always Been.
- [01:02]
Craig Finn
She met him after summer school, Ohio, at the bus stop in a knockoff Celtics jacket, said his crew, they call him Shamrock. His mother died when he was five and his dad's some sort of drug cop. But the apple sometimes rolls way down the hill.
- [01:29]
Zach McCormick
This is an artist that is near and dear to my heart. Craig Finn, probably best known as the frontman of the Hold Steady, whose first album Almost Killed Me came out the year before I started high school. Oh my God. Like a lot of other folks. Yeah, sorry. And like a lot of other folks in the Twin Cities around, you know, either my age bracket or a little bit older, we fell in love with Craig Finn's incredible lyricism. He has this kind of bar band poet thing going on where, you know, his songs with the Hold Steady have these big riffs, but he's also writing these character driven storyline and he's weaving in elements of religion, elements of pop culture references, you know, heavily referenced oriented songs. And it all kind of came together on this incredible run for the Hold Steady. And then since that band has kind of gone down to we'll call it part time activity, he's also started releasing music as a solo artist. And he's got a brand new record for us.
- [02:26]
Craig Finn
In the spring they found some shambles, the south suburban sprawl. Sabrina's taking classes, Shamrock's hanging drywall, but his fingernails keep falling off and he comes home mean and sore and every day he hates it more and more.
- [02:53]
Stephen Thompson
There's a softer kind of more reflective, almost Apologetic tone to this record. It's a little bit more singer songwriterly than you mentioned. The kind of bar band theatrics of the Hold Steady, these big pounding pianos and big riffs. And this record is more restrained. But the ingredients that make the Hold Steady special are in Craig Finn's lyricism. He's such a novelistic songwriter. He writes with rich detail, vivid characters. He's dropping place names constantly. My partner is from Washington state and she. She would occasionally chime in from the other room, like, I thought he was from Minnesota. Like, why there are so many references to Seattle and Spokane, all the places we'll never go.
- [03:42]
Craig Finn
Poughkeepsie on the Panhandle coast, though I like to put a foot in the ocean. But the sixer at the speedway and the bottle silk and sips and her eyes got kind of yellow she didn't notice ideas. The doctor said it's up to her to change the way she lives.
- [04:10]
Zach McCormick
This album has this kind of like, storyline that he sort of loosely worked out about a clergyman, I believe, who has sort of struggled with his faith. So the story kind of starts in, I think, like Pennsylvania. And then eventually we're sort of working our way out to the west coast for a little while.
- [04:28]
Craig Finn
There weren't any curtains in the front room and I couldn't sleep once the sun showed up with its heavy August heat. So I sat up on the couch and surveyed the wreckage, still wearing my wristband, which always makes it worse. The bars have been whatever. We shouldn't have even bothered. But after we went back to Fletcher's, the best part of a handle and a plan to lay out the remainder on the table, listen to some records and suck up whatever Saturday was left.
- [04:57]
Stephen Thompson
Not every song is this. This travelogue full of, you know, vivid drama. Some of it is just clearly a guy reflecting and a guy reflecting on mistakes he's made. And as a fellow Midwestern, you know, middle aged guy who's made some mistakes, you know, I'm hearing. I'm hearing songs like Bethany and the Man I've Always Been that are about looking back with regret, looking back with newfound self awareness, trying to be a better person.
- [05:26]
Craig Finn
Honest, I've been a couple people knowing that I'd wanna be again.
- [05:39]
Zach McCormick
There's regret about, you know, past behaviors. There's elements of trying to kind of search for a forgiveness from a loved one on this record that I could totally see being something that comes from a more personal place for him. He's always kind of done that thing where he's like used a character as sort of a. Like you said, almost like a crutch or a placeholder to examine something that he's curious. And on this record, these characters feel closer and closer to his lived experience than we might have seen on a Hold Steady record or even one of his previous solo records.
- [06:16]
Craig Finn
She came home crying he asked her what happened she said, it's just nothing. It's something at work.
- [06:31]
Stephen Thompson
That's Craig Finn. His new solo album is called Always Been. Next up, a new record from the band Mama. It's called welcome to My Blue Sky.
- [06:51]
Mama
Can I wish it away? I've never thought that before Everything change outside the door it's not easy to face But I've been lost on my own before Please don't beg me to stay Cause I'm outside the door I door.
- [07:32]
Stephen Thompson
So welcome to My Blue sky by Mama is one of those records where I have to issue myself a challenge going into this conversation. How do I talk about this record without using the phrase leveling up? Because. Because to me, this is such a leveling up record. I have liked this band before. I've heard tracks here and there. I think I put them on the Austin 100 a few years back, you know, when we were kind of in the run up to south by Southwest. But this record full of big, fuzzy rock and roll, you know, with these, like, sugary but substantial vocals, you just get a sense that this is a band who's figured out exactly what they want to be and what sounds they want to incorporate into what they're doing. You get 90s college radio, you get bits of shoegaze. You get kind of fresher rock sounds. You get lighter, poppier, vibier songs like Bottle Blonde interspersed through these heavier rock songs. To me, this was a no skips record.
- [08:42]
Mama
Am I losing you? Been a hard two months Do I blame it all on you? But I'm bl. Do you want me?
- [08:59]
Stephen Thompson
I'm so.
- [09:04]
Zach McCormick
I love that this band has sort of taken what they've learned on their last record. They had a breakout moment with this album called household name in 2022, and that, like a lot of bands, you know, success can be just as challenging as obscurity. And they were immediately thrown into a whirlwind of, like, touring. You know, they're younger bands, so they're still learning how to kind of navigate adulthood and their friendship. The main partnership between this band is guitarist, vocalists, songwriters Etta Friedman and Allegr Wine Garden. And they really had to kind of pull together and Figure some stuff out about their friendship in order to make this record. And you can really tell that, like, this was one of those situations where they would have either broken up or they were going to make the best album that they've ever made. We should also give some credit to the bassist and producer, Aaron Kobayashi Rich, who plays a big role on this record. He produced their last album. But the just night and day difference, sound wise, this record sounds huge. Huge.
- [10:00]
Mama
Full.
- [10:01]
Zach McCormick
I think about on a lot on a track like Rodeo, that kind of early 2000s, you know, almost like emo flavored radio rock, like a Jimmy World or something like that. Like this sounds like it could have, you know, put that band right next to that band on the radio back in that, you know, early 2000s mode.
- [10:26]
Mama
Everybody knows that I'm scared I guess it's just where I belong Are you thinking of me out there? All I know is you're throwing out I can't wait for you, you they all see it I can just let go But I'm tight, tight Cut me loose.
- [11:03]
Zach McCormick
And then of course, all the 90s references that they're making too. You know, Breeders Letters to Cleo Veruca Salt, I know is a big one for them too. And I love those bands. And so of course, when a band comes through with those influences, I get really excited.
- [11:17]
Stephen Thompson
Yeah, exactly. I mean, and we've. I just feel people listening to this being like, okay, I have to check this band out that is such an appealing assortment of influences. They're drawing from all the right things, but they're not copying any one thing.
- [11:31]
Mama
Take it apart and build it again don't call it a loss Call me instead.
- [11:43]
Stephen Thompson
There's also a song called I Want yout Fever. Like I Want yout Parentheses Fever. That is just. I didn't have to look up to see if it was the single.
- [11:52]
Mama
Everyone can see what this is all about. We're the talk of the I want you fever Pick up and leave her I want you fever Pick up and leave her I want you fever Pick up and leave her I want you fever I want you fever.
- [12:34]
Stephen Thompson
And then this record closes with a track called My Old Street. And, man, I'm such a sucker for just big, chunky swirly guitars. It just kind of ends on this encore. You know, you imagine them trotting it out at the end of a set and just letting those guitars go wild. Totally satisfying record. Like I said, no skips, start to finish.
- [12:59]
Zach McCormick
And I love that final song and the way they end it lyrically too. My Old street kind of going a little more personal on this track. They're talking about their hometown and their families. I remember reading some of the album materials where the band were saying, like, we were frankly a little nervous that, you know, people in our hometown would hear this song and think we were being judgmental or something like that. But they're kind of trying to give you a little bit of where they came from on the way to kind of show you where they're going on this new record, welcome to My Blue Sky. And what a great name for it, too. I think they got that from like a Gadget Stations sign or something. Sounds super profound. When you're driving by it at, you know, early in the morning on the way from one show to another or whatever.
- [13:37]
Stephen Thompson
It's. Yeah, that's such a road dog thing to call your album.
- [14:03]
Mama
Just Bury Me.
- [14:11]
Stephen Thompson
That is Mama. That's M O M M A. Their new album is called welcome to My Blue Sky. We've got some more great records that we're going to get to, but first let's take a quick break.
- [14:22]
Sponsor Voice
Support for NPR and the following message come from Betterment, the automated investing and savings app. CEO Sarah Levy shares how Betterment utilizes tech tools powered by human advice.
- [14:33]
Mama
Betterment is here to help customers build wealth their way and we provide powerful.
- [14:40]
Zach McCormick
Technology and complete human support where technology.
- [14:44]
Mama
Can deliver ease of use and affordability and the people behind that technology can.
- [14:49]
Stephen Thompson
Provide advice and guidance.
- [14:51]
Sponsor Voice
Learn more@betterment.com Investing involves risk performance, not guaranteed. Support for NPR and the following Message come from LinkedIn ads One of the hardest parts about B2B marketing is reaching the right audience. When you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals. Target buyers by job title industry, company role, seniority skills, company revenue, all the professionals you need to reach in one place. Get a $100 credit on your next campaign. Just go to LinkedIn.com allsongs Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads. This is a message from Noom. When it comes to weight loss, no two people are the same. That's why Noom's programs are personalized and based on your unique psychology and biology. With Noom, the days of starting and stopping weight loss plans are over. Start building better habits with Noom. Get your personalized plan today@noom.com from NPR Music.
- [15:54]
Stephen Thompson
It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Zach McCormick from the current in Minneapolis. Zach, you mentioned up top that you've been with the station for about a year. What all do you guys have going on? Right now?
- [16:04]
Zach McCormick
We are celebrating Minnesota Music Month here at the Current. We are featuring even more local music than we usually do. And the local show that we have on Sundays here on the Current has been kind of expanded. We're doing some shows around the Twin Cities area. And then we're also encouraging folks to check out our stream, which is dedicated to celebrating black music, which is called Carbon Sound. Hip hop, R and B, Afrobeat. They do such a great job of music discovery over there, too. That's carbonsound fm. You can find it on the Currents website as well.
- [16:33]
Stephen Thompson
Wonderful. Thank you so much. Well, next up, we've got a new record by the artist Lily Seabird. Lily Seabird has a new record called Trash Mountain.
- [16:50]
Mama
I wonder why you are Put a smile on your face I wonder if you changed or if you'd know me just the same what makes you happy I want my skull inside.
- [17:31]
Zach McCormick
So I've been trying out a little genre name for this style of music. I'm calling it Basement Show Americana or Punk House Americana. And it sort of fits especially well for Lily Seabird's record because the titular Trash Mountain, where she lives and kind of like wrote this record, is this ramshackle, pink sort of punk house in an artist's community situated on a decommissioned landfill site in Burlington, Vermont. It reminds me a lot of what I've heard about Wednesday and MJ Linderman's former compound, this place called Haw Creek. These artists living in these kind of semi rural homesteads outside of more expensive cities where they can afford to live and work and kind of just follow their muse without having to, you know, shell out a million dollars for rent every month. I really hear some of that Wednesday style on some of this Lily Seabird record, too. There's obviously big Thief comparisons to be made, but there's a little gnarlier of guitar stuff going on here as well. That really puts me in mind of that fantastic Wednesday record, Rat Saw.
- [18:48]
Stephen Thompson
God, I definitely got the big Thief connection. I got the Wednesday connection. Wednesday's a little more gnarled than this. The names that jumped out to me were Lucinda Williams and Jolie Holland.
- [19:01]
Zach McCormick
Oh, wow. Yeah.
- [19:02]
Stephen Thompson
Both Jolie Holland and Lucinda Williams have played that kind of warped Americana with a twang that bends. That bends a little farther than a twang usually bends. And it creates this kind of warped quality to the music that's kind of constantly threatening to teeter off the rails in really interesting ways.
- [19:20]
Mama
Look in the Windows of people's houses.
- [19:37]
Stephen Thompson
It was interesting kind of reading about her background. She has a background in environmental politics, became disillusioned, decided to become a musician full time, which is a great way to become disillusioned in a completely different way. She has said that this record was kind of the product of a process where she decided to start writing music not just out of emotional necessity, not just in the midst of a crisis, but writing music out of habit and writing music that is inspired by so many other things at the same. The track that really jumped out at me from this record is there are two kind of title cuts on this record. There's Trash Mountain, 1:00pm and Trash Mountain, 1:00am and Trash Mountain, one a.m. opens with this. I think I've used the word warped or gnarled so many times already talking about this record, but it just opens with this guitar line, like right out of Neil Young's Cortez the Killer.
- [20:59]
Zach McCormick
There's this muscularity to her style, either via the guitar or in the way that she sings. I thought Lucinda was such a great comp. There's. I hear a lot of that kind of drunken angel, you know, twang on a song like, you know, the 1am Trash Mountain, the version kind of staggers, almost seems on the verge of slumping over at the end of like, a long night. And the. The 1pm version, this sort of. The earlier in the day version is this really cool kind of observational slice of life storytelling about, I think, where she lives in that area. She's kind of observing, you know, an old man working through stuff. She's kind of writing, like you said, almost diaristically about the things that are happening around her. And compared to her previous record, which came out of a place of process and grief, this one feels, like you said, a lot more observational. And it really comes out in the 1pm Trash Mountain.
- [22:08]
Mama
Moment. So easy for you that I just forget things and remember them. Looking for something to do.
- [22:22]
Stephen Thompson
Trash Mountain by the artist Lily Seabird. Next up, an artist named Duendita. Duendita's new album is called A Strong Desire to Survive.
- [22:59]
Mama
Ignoring your story late at night we are fighting for love.
- [23:32]
Stephen Thompson
So Dundita is an artist from Queens named Candice Lee Camacho. She plays this. I would describe it as like, weird, atmospheric, layered R and B, but it's never keeping its footing in one place for long. These 10 songs go by in like 27 minutes, flowing together in this kind of glitchy but seamless array of sounds. There's A track on this record called Fry that has this really cool atmospheric vibe. And I was like, wow, that song really took me on a journey. And then I went and looked and it was 62 seconds long. And I'm just like, if you can take me on a cool atmospheric journey in 62 seconds, you have exceptional talent.
- [24:35]
Zach McCormick
I think Duendita has a little bit of background in performance art and poetry and you do get a little bit of that flavor on this record. Where the songs typically feature like atypical structures, like you were just saying, the hooks and instrumental sections kind of come and go unpredictably. And she seems to enjoy presenting a hooky sequence and then kind of quickly warping it or taking it away from you. Like, this was really catchy. I know you liked that. And now it's gone, you know, And I think like that's. That's almost like a sort of a magical, like a magic trick aspect of, you know, presenting these beautiful layered, sometimes choral harmonies and melodies and then kind of immediately taking a, you know, sidechain compression and twisting that into a never ending oblivion of, you know, noise or whatever. It really kind of takes a sweet moment and then warps it, which is a cool thing for a record to try to do to your ear.
- [25:57]
Stephen Thompson
And I mentioned this song, Fry, 62 seconds long. It's followed immediately by. By a song called Hammock, which has this torchy slow burn to it where it feels like the song is being beamed to you from some far away satellite. And it taps into what you're saying where like, it's almost like it's flipping stations, but there's still a real sense of purpose to.
- [26:52]
Zach McCormick
My favorite sequence on the record is this two song sequence. Baby Teeth starts with this beautiful vocal and piano ballad.
- [27:00]
Mama
Years I tried to clear it from my mind.
- [27:07]
Zach McCormick
And then there's this lovely sort of sung coda that leads right into a one minute track called Break the Silence. And the album notes that says that she recorded this kind of choir of nine people singing together in her bedroom, I would imagine in Queens, in order to kind of get this. And it's so cool, it's unexpected. Your ears are just sort of getting used to what they're hearing on Baby Teeth. And then she pivots to this other sound and then once again to another version of that sound. And it all happens in maybe three and a half, four minutes. It's like you're listening to an R B version of a Minutemen record or something like that. It's changing so quickly.
- [28:24]
Mama
Respect our boundaries.
- [28:28]
Stephen Thompson
Also, thematically, there's something I really appreciate about what's going on here. This record is called A Strong Desire to Survive. It's following on the heels of an EP she put out last fall called the Mind Is a Miracle. And you get a sense just from those titles that these are songs about kind of picking up in the face of hardship and kind of soldiering on and finding beauty and taking stock of the things that give us life. And so as much like cool instrumental stuff as is going on behind her, there's still these ideas tethering it to modern realities. And you really get a sense that this is somebody who is using art as medicine.
- [29:19]
Mama
Love, Throat CL had to run away from you my Lord Sweat under my skin, Sinking and drowning and groaning within.
- [29:46]
Stephen Thompson
It's called A Strong Desire to Survive by the artist Duendita We've got one more album that we're going to discuss in depth, as well as a lightning round of some of our other favorite albums out this week. But first, let's take a quick break.
- [29:59]
Sponsor Voice
Support for this podcast and the following message come from Lagunitas Brewing Company. Since 1993, Lagunitas has been challenging the status quo, brewing innovative beer and crafting stories along the way, featuring a wide range of craft brews, cult classics and non alcoholic options. There's a seat at the bar for everyone. Bring the dog too. Lagunitas Brewing Co. Because every great song deserves a great beer. It's good to have friends. Learn more@laganitas.com.
- [30:28]
Stephen Thompson
I'm Stephen Thompson here with Zach McCormick from the Current, talking about the best new albums out today, April 4th. Before we get to our lightning round of some of our other favorite albums, we have one other record we want to talk about in depth. It's by a band from Australia called Dumb Things. The album is called Self Help.
- [31:05]
Mama
If I was a smoking man, I'd spindle the dry sand season Blowing stone clouds at the ceiling and it's hard to know what to do when it comes for we've been used.
- [31:38]
Zach McCormick
If you're a fan of Australian guitar music, you're gonna find something to like on this record. I think of a band like Rolling Blackouts, Coastal Fever, a group that came out of Australia a few years back that had this kind of jangly thing going on. The Beths might be another group to compare dumb things to.
- [31:54]
Stephen Thompson
They're from New Zealand, so. And we don't want letters from angry New Zealanders.
- [31:59]
Zach McCormick
Excuse me, Apologies. Oceania and the Go Betweens from Australia would be another sort sort of Reference point for this band that I think of. It's jangly, it's catchy, it's not particularly heavy, but it's just got this, like, sunny day, let's hang out in the yard, kick back to some guitar music type of vibe. It is a really chill, really fun record. And it's also got multiple vocalists and multiple songwriters contributing ideas to the record, which really gives it kind of a fun sonic vid of variety. The song that really perked my ears up when I first heard it is Out Of Time. It's this lovely kind of jingle pop jam. Twinkling guitars, perfect harmonies on the chorus. It's everything that you need from a sort of a springtime, summertime guitar album.
- [33:02]
Mama
The same way Wondering what I've done in this last trip around the sun Dressed like Fred ast Waiting for the electric chair Feeling so at ease Burning up on re entry Feels like I'm running out of time Feels like I'm running out of time.
- [33:31]
Stephen Thompson
You know, this record could have come out anytime in the last 40 years. You know, you reference a band like the Go Betweens, which had this really long and glorious career of playing kind of chiming, charming, understated jangle pop. This is picking up in that vein in just really, really lovely ways. I'm glad you mentioned Out Of Time, which is a terrific, terrific song. There's another one that I wanted to mention called Insult to Injury, which has this kind of cool, low, ominous sound. And it recalled for me, the band Morphine. Do you remember Morphine?
- [34:06]
Zach McCormick
Oh, yeah. Love Morphine.
- [34:08]
Stephen Thompson
It's very stripped down. It's kind of taken down to its most elemental component parts. But there's this low, seething, cool rumble to it at the same time. Even as it's working in some of these darker textures, there is still this brightness. And there's a cleverness of town.
- [34:31]
Zach McCormick
A.
- [34:31]
Mama
Love smile you take a drag from a cigarette Crumbling as dancing on fake FL Now I'm smiling as you insult me did you ever wish you could? Bunch of memories.
- [35:04]
Stephen Thompson
You know, the. The title track from this record, Self Help, has the line, I've been reading Self Help, but I just can't help myself Lately I've been working hard on my personality.
- [35:20]
Mama
Cause you gotta keep it up, keep it together. Been trying to find the time to put the work in yeah, I've been working out how to work it out. And all this sunburnt weather makes me think we should get back together forever. Not all progress is progressive But I'm doing better, doing better and I've been reading Self Help like I just can't help myself. I've been reading Self Help like I just can't help myself.
- [36:17]
Zach McCormick
That first track, Self Help, really gave me a strong Wilco vibe, like sort of being there era, more guitar oriented Wilco. And I definitely caught just a little whiff of, you know, sort of midwestern rock influences breaking in here and there. Another one that I really liked, Cherry Blossoms, has this kind of acerbic talk sung observations about, I believe, a beloved music venue closing in Australia and being replaced by something kind of slick and unfamiliar. And the way that they capture this is via these kind of cool, oblique references to like pieces of decor that were located around the music venue. And they marry all that to this super catchy, you know, Jesus and Mary Chain style psych pop hook. There's this really funny Beach Boys, you know, deep low background vocals. At the end of the song, he goes, oh, wow. You know, like it's an animal collective song or something like that. It's just a lot of fun. That tune Cherry Blossoms.
- [37:21]
Mama
Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom.
- [37:39]
Stephen Thompson
The elements of this record that feel familiar, feel familiar in the best way. And sometimes like that's what I'm looking for, right? Like rearrange the familiar in ways that feel fresh. I found this record enormously charming.
- [37:52]
Zach McCormick
The guitarist and vocalist Madeline Kinonen is kind of the glue for this band. Her background vocals are these crucial harmonies that kind of tie the whole album together. And she does a couple of great leads vocals on songs like Windows and Doors. In her singing, I hear a little bit of that Belle and Sebastian Camera Obscura twee flavor in there as well. And she does the band's album covers as well, which have this cool kind of Keith Haring vibe that adds to the warm, pastel, sunny flavor of this record.
- [38:23]
Mama
You wrote me a letter in blue ballpoint pen and my hands got stained with news about the price of fuel where you live Avoiding hard questions On a faintly ruled page Written by the light Coming through Heavy blinds A dusty yellow stripe of day Windows and doors and no lean floors Memories wait until they stop paint Windows and doors the gnome flaws Memories wait until your stuff.
- [39:13]
Stephen Thompson
That'S self help by the band Dumb things Now, Zach, this is one of those weeks where we really could not get to every record that we want to talk about. We're not even going to get to Florist or Simmel or Jan Tierson, all of whom have good records out today. So take heed of this lightning round. There's some really, really good stuff in here. I'm going to kick us off with the band Sleigh Bells. It is hard to believe that the noise pop duo Sleigh Bells has been around for 17 years now, but they are back with a new album of Mile Wide Hook. Rich, bombastic songs that hum and swoon even as they're thrashing around. This new record leans a little more on the poppy side of things, but there's still a fair bit of heaviness here. It's called Bunky Becky, Birthday Boy.
- [40:20]
Zach McCormick
Joe's album the Crush. This is Joe Keery, the actor you might know from Stranger Things, and this record kind of marks a welcome shift towards maybe more organic sounds for his solo project. It kind of plays like a soundtrack for an imaginary movie. There's this broad range of styles, but my favorite stuff is the new wavy material that begins the album. I hear a lot of the Cars, a lot of Tom Petty, plenty of Aughts era new wave revivalism too. Julian Casablancis and the Voids, Bronze Show, White Reaper, groups like that. Joe Keery clearly has great taste and could turn a clever phrase. I just wish there was even more of this great uptempo material that starts off the record.
- [41:01]
Mama
Try for all of my life just to find someone believes on the light and thoughts about how I could spend this.
- [41:18]
Stephen Thompson
I want to recommend a new band from Berlin, Germany called Rumor. Rumor plays sweet, winsome, sometimes even ethereal pop melodies with with crushing guitar noise. You listen to a song like Nothing Makes me Feel and it's like getting the crap beaten out of you with a bouquet of flowers. I absolutely mean that as a compliment. Rumer's debut album, and that's R O O M E R is called Leaving it all to CH.
- [42:03]
Zach McCormick
Mike Scott's latest album under the illustrious Waterboy's name is this 25 track concept album about the life and career of Dennis Hopper. In fact, it's called Life, Death and Dennis Hopper. The album's storyline is told chronologically, sometimes via song lyrics, sometimes via narration, and the musical arrangements also follow that same kind of chronological track. They shift from mid century lounge to disco to 90s industrial over the course of the record. It is such a wildly ambitious passion project that I really can't help but respect it, even if it only sort of works as an album of songs. I understand that people who buy the album do get an annotated song list to help guide you through the Dennis Hopper story, which would definitely be helpful for those of us who haven't gotten to chance to read a Hopper biography yet.
- [43:14]
Stephen Thompson
Finally, if you're looking to spend a fruitful half hour in the chill out tent this weekend, set aside a bit of time to check out the electronic artist known as hxh. HXH plays drifty, thoughtful, expansive ambient music that'll go well with your Sunday crossword and your middle of the night doom scrolling. Their new album is just three tracks, but those tracks take you on a journey. That album is called Stark Phenomena and that is our show for this week. Thank you Zach McCormick, for taking time out of your week at the Current.
- [44:07]
Zach McCormick
Thanks so much for having me. It was a pleasure to be here with you.
- [44:10]
Stephen Thompson
It is a pleasure to have you. If you enjoyed this week's show, we always appreciate a positive review on Apple or Spotify or whatever app you're listening to right now. This episode was produced by Simon Rentner and edited by Otis Hart. The executive producer of NPR Music is Saraya Muhammad and her boss is Keith Jenkins, NPR's vice president of Music and Visuals. We'll be back next week to talk about the Pride of Wisconsin. Listen Bon Iver with Radio Milwaukee's Aaron Wolfe. Until then, take a moment to be well, throw your windows open and treat yourself to lots of great music.
- [44:44]
Mama
Throughout our lives, we will try to reorient ourselves back to our own resplendence because it's essential. It's essential to remember that in that moment, looking at the sky reminded me me of a moment I had in real life where I was on the beach and I was staring at the ocean like I was on the foot of the shore and I was looking at the ocean and trying to take it in and also was thinking about how impossible to take in it is. And I was thinking, if that's my birthplace, if that's my mother, what does that make me?
- [45:28]
Sponsor Voice
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