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 May 2024!
St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
Over the last decade or so, I’ve always felt St. Vincent is our artist closest to David Bowie. Not so much because she always adapts these unique personas, but more that she reinvents herself sonically with each album. With All Born Screaming, it feels like the personas have taken the backseat to her artistry. Haunting soundscapes and cinematic arrangements create a foreboding atmosphere, but there’s still just enough pop to keep things from being distraught. I expect nothing less from St. Vincent and All Born Screaming delivers.
The Acid Machine – Mushrooms
Not everyone considers “stoner rock” a genre, but describing indescribable music is what keeps the content flowing, so here we go. Hailing all the way from Brazil, The Acid Machine produces gnarly instrumentals perfect for the green stuff. But instead of endless drones of chunky chords, Mushrooms expands into other subgenres including progressive, heavy metal, and psychedelic. However, things never get heady enough to lose their pop sensibilities. Heady Metal? Whatever you want to call it, Mushrooms is a killer record!
False Flag – One Million Tons
Oh man, where do I even start? This grizzly slice of a thrash record is gnarled, abrasive, and all-around unpleasant. As quick and ugly as One Million Tons is, it’s remarkable how False Flag is able to maneuver between hardcore genres. One minute it’s skate punk, and the next it’s black metal – all without losing a second of momentum.
The TV Dead – Air B and E
As much as I love me some good ol’ offensive punk, not all of it has to be a battle cry for a revolution. Sometimes you just want to eat so much pizza you have to puke on the porch. The TV Dead is kind of like that. Part Gorilla Biscuits and part Descendants, Air B and E is an ugly little romp in the most endearing way possible.
Public Acid – Deadly Struggle
My good friend (and BGM contributor) Kendon has always said: “An album shouldn’t be over 40 minutes.” Those are words to live by. However, a good punk album shouldn’t be half that. Such is the case with Deadly Struggle. Clocking in just over 14 minutes, Public Acid doesn’t just kick you in the face, but it puts your head through the wall. That’s about the best description I can do here. It’s the soundtrack to being beat mercilessly.
Cloud Nothings – Final Summer
There’s something to be said about a comfortable band. As much as I’ve loved every record from Cloud Nothings, I have a hard time calling them one of my favorite bands. That’s not a diss! I promise! Upon release, each record rarely leaves my headphones or turntable. Final Summer is no different. Despite not reinventing the wheel or pushing anything beyond power-pop greatness, this particular record is the nice, breezy listen I needed this month. No ulterior motives, no thought-provoking debates, just a good old-fashioned alt-rock hug. Thanks, Cloud Nothings!
Winters Lane – Trails
Trails is an instrumental post-rock album from Winters Lane. Is post-rock even a real genre? [Editor’s Note: It is.] Who knows, but there are a lot of ingredients to add up here. The music of Cincinnati band features elements of pop-punk to shoegaze with some flirtation with progressive. Whatever you want to call it, it’s powerful, high energy, hopeful, and just makes me feel good! Isn’t that what music should do?
Old Ways – Cryin’ Poor Mouth
It’s a bummer that emo makes people think of Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, eyeliner, and Hot Topic. Old Ways isn’t that at all. Instead, Cryin’ Poor Mouth is a brooding collection of angst and the pains of the human condition. There’s even an alternate mix available where the songs have been slowed down for even more attitude. No matter how you slice it (just don’t slice yourself), Old Ways are the real deal.
Kerry King – From Hell I Rise
Check out my full review of From Hell I Rise here.
June Moss – The Sun Is A Knife
I don’t know much about Kevin Shubak, the mastermind behind June Moss, but the Bandcamp page claims multi-instrumentalist and session musician. This doesn’t surprise me, because The Sun Is A Knife is a glossy lot of high-production candy-coated rock songs. Every single track oozes personality from surgery hooks and R&B grooves, to tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. It’s a satisfying album I’ll be bumping all summer. Plus, 50% of all album sales are going to Tempo Music & Arts, a music camp for trans and non-binary kids where they can learn freedom of expression through music. I can get behind that cause.
Mothica – RED
Ahead of her upcoming album Kissing Death later this summer, the Oklahoma-born, New York native Mothica has released a 3-track EP. It’s already apparent she has evolved into something less pop with darker themes, a brooding aesthetic, and even more mature lyrics. Mothica is easily one of the most interesting pop artists in the industry and a worthy alternative to the Taylor Swifts and Ariana Grandes dominating the charts. (Don’t forget to check out Episode 22 of Crushed Monocle Podcast with Mothica as the guest!)
Transylvania Stud – Dead and Bloated
While we wait for the next proper full-length album from Andrew Godfrey’s Transylvania Stud, I suppose a series of covers will have to do. With “Dead and Bloated”, Godfrey re-imagines the Stone Temple Pilots classic as an even heavier stoner rock dirge. Be it STP, Soundgarden, Lynyrd Skynyrd, or Glenn Danzig, Godfrey’s covers are top-notch. But consider this recommendation as me tapping on his window and holding up a sign reading “NEW ALBUM PLEASE.”
FROM CRUSHED MONOCLE PODCAST: EPISODE 36
Melvins – Tarantula Heart
As a band with decades of experience under their belts, it’s astonishing the Melvins have anything left in them. Much less a record that takes them places they’ve never been while also being a perfect introduction to those who’ve never taken the deep dive. Tarantula Heart is an intense journey of the wicked, wild, and weird. However, that doesn’t mean these dudes are trying to reinvent themselves for a broad audience. It just represents the bizarre place they’re in. But don’t take my word for it, check out Episode 36 of Crushed Monocle, and let Dale Crover explain things himself!
Thanks for checking out The Showcase for May 2024! Check out previous installments here!
For context and further listening, check out Crushed Monocle Podcast – Episode 36: The Melvins