Ryan’s Music Picks: 11 July 2016

Howdy, y’all.

The Avalanches – Wildflower (Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify)new album came out last week. It’s basically all I have been listening to, and I’ll be listening to it for a while yet. I don’t have Apple Music, and it’s not yet on Spotify. I preordered it a few weeks ago, though, because of how much I love that band. This is only their second proper album but so far I love it, from the Biz Markie song The Noisy Eater to some of the quieter interlude bits. It’s heavy-sampled and heavily tropical with that same perfect nostalgia/sadness feeling that Pet Sounds really perfectly handles. This was the band I discovered when I first got into new music after high school and they remain one of my favorites of all time.

The Avalanches – GIMIX (link)A legendary mix put together by the Avalanches 16 or 17 years ago, in anticipation of their first album, Since I Left You (iTunes, Spotify). The track listing is bonkers; see it at the link.

Larry Gus – I Need New Eyes (Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify)Sadder and slower than the Avalanches, it still has samples, though they are incorporated a bit more carefully into these perfect pop tracks. Borders on balearic, but with a bit more sophistication and an underlying current of that motorik beat. It’s from DFA so you know it’s good.

TV Girl – Who Really Cares (Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify)Post-Postal Service Southern California break up pop, with equal parts broken heart, mean streak, and sad jokes. I know that means it sounds sad but really it’s pretty fun.

Zeal and Ardor – Devil is Fine (Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify)This is like if you took the darker parts of the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack and then asked a metal band to play underneath them. And then you changed the lyrics to be about the devil. That still doesn’t get to just how intense this is. I can’t stop listening. Start with Come On Down if you need convincing.

CFCF – The Colours of Life (Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify)It’s been a crazy week, and you need to take care of yourself. This album is pure self-care. It’s also the closest I will get to listening to straight-up spa music, but this has an undercurrent of something deeper. Highly recommended.