I listen to a lot of music. No, really. If I’m not catching up on what my dudes recommend with The Indie Inspection, Ska Punk & Other Junk, and Coolest Stuff, or doing homework for the Crushed Monocle Podcast, I’ve got my ear to the ground for what’s next. There’s just so much music out there it’s hard to keep a cohesive list. While the podcast is a great way to discuss a few records each month, I feel as if I’m undercutting some of the other records that gotta repeated spins. The remedy? This column! The Showcase.
Here is a list of the killer albums, EPs, splits, and singles I listened to between episodes. While I’m at it, I might as well elaborate on a few of the most recent episode’s recommendations! Welcome to The Showcase for April 2024!
Leather Lung – Graveside Grin
When listening to what some people call doom metal or stoner rock, the last word I’d typically use to describe such a sound would be “fun.” But I honestly can’t think of any other way to label Leather Lung. Although the album has all the chunky riffs and gnarly bass you’d come to expect from the genre, the raspy vocals and emphasis on cadence make Graveside Grin a romp from start to finish.
Early Moods – A Sinner’s Past
For the more traditional take on doom, look no further than Early Moods. With sinister riffs including but not limited to gallops, harmonies, and a melodic sense of dread, this band is everything you love about both the Ozzy and Dio eras of Black Sabbath. In a genre that’s difficult to find room to expand upon classics, I think A Sinner’s Past is easily one of the best records to come out of the scene in years. Maybe decades.
The Angies – Body Farm
Equal parts 45 Grave and The Plasmatics, The Angies combine elements of punk, hardcore, and good old-fashioned garage rock. The overall sound is as refreshing as it is threatening, but my favorite element of this band is the unbridled energy. Made up of 5 tracks and coming in under 14 minutes, Body Farm doesn’t mess around with pleasantries. The EP just gets to the point and leaves you wanting a full album.
The White Moth Project – Blue Chair
There’s just something satisfying about rattling guitars, oddball lyrics, bare-bones production, and trashy charisma. I don’t know much about The White Moth Project, but they’re like the bizarre love child of Bob Pollard and Jon Spencer. At first listen, I almost wrote them off as frivolous nonsense. But I found myself wanting to stick around to see where it went, and I’m glad I did because it’s just so much fun! Have I been brainwashed? I’m fine with that.
Nate Todd – Empty City
Be it indie or mainstream, there is no shortage of singer-songwriter types in music. But there really aren’t too many whose main instrument is an electric piano. Nate Todd’s vibe is very late 70s blue-eyed soul. Each track on Empty City captures the bizarre loneliness of city life, corruption, and how ugly the world is. However, beneath the layers of trash sits a glimmer of hope.
Modern Drugs – Power Dynamics
With my listening habits always leaning hard into the snotty, violent, or experimental, it’s easy to overlook a good old-fashioned power-pop record. That’s really the best way I can describe Modern Drugs. It’s not punk, and it’s not brooding. It’s just comforting guitars, bass, drums, and hooks. Throw in a few synths and sugary sweet harmonies, and you’ve got yourself a solid project I’ll probably go back to the most out of this entire column.
Wick (TX) – Candlelight
If you know me, you already know I love a good throwback thrash record! Houston’s Wick leans a little closer to the punk side of metal with blistering tempos and aggressive vocals. But with gothic lyrics and just the right amount of Satanic panic vibes, Candlelight reminds me of pre-Rubin Slayer in both production and craftsmanship. You know, how all thrash albums should sound.
Spaced – This Is All We Ever Get
Few things make me happier than hardcore punk with a surprising amount of experimentation as an occasional seasoning. But make no mistake, there are zero soundscapes to be had on This Is All We Ever Get. Not a single track goes much past 2 minutes. Just like any good punk album, there’s too much at stake to meander around.
Kim Gordon – The Collective
After four decades of recording music, you’d think Kim Gordon would be joining the ranks of over-the-hill, once-edgy rock stars. However, her second solo record, entitled The Collective, sees Gordon still tackling toxic masculinity, excess, and the underbelly of the human condition with the fervor of an artist half her age. With stoic cadence, digitally processed beats, and larger-than-life guitars, Gordon sounds like she’s closer to a second wind than the twilight of her prolific career.
From Crushed Monocle Podcast: Episode 35
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
Despite not being well-versed in modern country music, I’ve always been a fan of Kacey Musgraves. I found her down-to-earth persona and her comforting voice very charming, but I’ve rarely connected with her music. However, Deeper Well hooked me from the start. The dry Rubber Soul-esque production and the lack of pop gimmicks let her personable beauty take center stage. While there aren’t many plot twists or obvious singles, Deeper Well is a collection of heartbreaking vulnerability and a particular brand of self-reflection nothing short of infectious.
Brute Spring – Turquoise Window
Allegedly recorded with free versions of Reaper and GarageBand, Brute Spring is a new side project of John Toohill (aka Science Man). The result is a bizarre mixture of krautrock, synth-pop, big beat, and industrial. But even with all those digital elements, Turquoise Window feels like a living, breathing entity. Try to imagine Suicide making a pop record.
Renewer – Sunne
Sometimes it can be a little difficult to describe a shoegaze record. Not just because it’s a genre one either loves or hates, but it’s easy to run out of adjectives for noise. Renewer may fall into that category, but they change things up enough to make Sunne an interesting listen. One minute, you’ll have heavy Deftones-esque guitars, but moments later, you’ll get a symphonic wall of almost angelic effects. Renewer might know all the best shortcuts, but this isn’t your run-of-the-mill shoegaze act.
Big Brave – A Chaos Of Flowers
With A Chaos Of Flowers, Big Brave delivers the violent droning, brooding atmosphere, and the angelic vocals they’re known for. As a companion piece to last year’s Nature Morte, Robin, Tasy, and Matthieu break out of the single-chord structure for something more expansive. Meanwhile, the lyrical content explores the darker nature of how corrupt the world has gotten as well as the xenophobic nature of society as a whole. But don’t take my word for it, let the band explain it in their own words!
Thanks for checking out The Showcase for April 2024. See you next month!
For context and further listening, check out Crushed Monocle Podcast – Episode 35: BIG BRAVE.