low fidelity
𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘴
hey there, it's ya boi, venus. there's not really much reason for this aside from me wanting to talk about new music i've heard recently, and i figured hey, it'd be really cool if others here on rpn would recommend new music releases as well. so this is my little music rec and mini album review thread! this doesn't have to be just albums, it can be singles and new songs as well. anything released after january 1st, 2020 is fair game. these are just my top three albums i've been obsessing over since they released, and of course, this is gonna be really biased and opinionated.
so yeah, here's my new music recommendations!
→ Jazzhound by The Buttertones (released april 10th.)
the buttertones have always been in my top 5 bands; the lead singer has such a great deep crooner voice, and their rock-and-roll, jazzy, doo-wop-y mix of music continues to pull me in. jazzhound was no exception to this. i think this album is them finally being able to piece together the best aspects of their music and improve on their overall sound. their last album (midnight in a moonless dream) was a bit less cohesive imo, but this album they're able to use those moody atmospheres and incorporate it much better. definitely a 8/10 for me, i'd recommend all of their albums, and my favorite songs from this album are Denial, You Win Again and Bebop.
→ Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple (released april 17th.)
fiona apple has always been a force of nature. her voice is lovely, her mere presence awes me, and she's one of the strongest musicians of our time. this album really blew me away because it's so raw and unflinching and uses different aspects and elements that you wouldn't expect to work so well (the banging of pots and pans as beats, meowing of cats, barking of dogs. it sounds weird, but she makes it work.) her lyrics are so exposed but so unbound, like a weight's been lifted off her shoulders and she can truly say the things she wants to say now. her songs threaten the status quo, but remain able to recognize the funny moments in life, and it just feels like an overall celebration of the everyday and the mundane. i've never heard anything like it. so incredible, so worth a listen, a solid 9.5/10 for me. my favorite songs from the album are Fetch The Bolt Cutters and Heavy Balloon.
→ Making A Door Less Open by Car Seat Headrest (released may 1st)
this is probably my most biased one because i absolutely love car seat headrest. the more i listen and explore their vast (and by vast, i mean at least thirteen albums vast) vast amount of music, the more my love for them grows. their frontman will toledo has repeatedly proved himself a singer with a great range, and even an greater songwriting lyrical force. i wasn't sure what to expect with this album, but it truly blew me away. the elements that have previously defined csh still remain -- indie rock, raw and emotional, lo-fi and pop, but with this album they've tied in EDM and electronica sounds from their jokey side project band 1 trait danger and it works so damn well. changing up their sound pays off because, if you're familiar with csh's reputation as a lo-fi bandcamp band that made it big with a record label deal, it makes you question the 'indie rock hero' that will toledo has been called ever since the release of their equally incredible albums teens of denial and twin fantasy. my questioning went from 'can they pull these kinds of changes off?' to 'what can will toledo not do?' they've worked humor into the mix of the usual recipe of self-doubt, feeling like shit, compassion, and cynicism (and while this is their "usual recipe", its certainly not repetitive.) and i feel like he's reached new emotional depths ranging from the most open-hearted song i've heard from them so far, martin, to the twins of the album deadlines (hostile) and deadlines (thoughtful). those two songs were the stars of the album for me, though i love the album in its entirety, because it's just another example of will toledo being able to endlessly work on song concepts and present interesting concepts. when toledo writes about wanting, desires, and longing, i feel like he's at his very best. deadlines (hostile) is a familiar tense thrumming rock song about forbidden attraction, and it brings in something darker that i haven't heard from them before. he pulls you into a trance. 'oh temptation, i can be a part of you.' and its counterpart deadlines (thoughtful) doesn't let up on that intensity, but instead of that rock and roll we recognize, we're thrust into a spectacular electronic pop-y sound, but still dark and seductive in a way. 'oh compassion, its transforming me into-'
while this album feels a bit 'smaller' than their previous works (and its certainly shorter - 47 mins in total, compared to the 1hr 11mins of twin fantasy's 2018 release), it's still a lovely album overall, and it's a refreshing change of sound for car seat headrest. this album is a 10/10 for me, and my favorite songs from the album were Deadlines (Hostile), Can't Cool Me Down, and Deadlines (Thoughtful).
if you read through all of my rambling, you deserve a cookie! please feel free to share your favorite new music releases here. c:
so yeah, here's my new music recommendations!
→ Jazzhound by The Buttertones (released april 10th.)
the buttertones have always been in my top 5 bands; the lead singer has such a great deep crooner voice, and their rock-and-roll, jazzy, doo-wop-y mix of music continues to pull me in. jazzhound was no exception to this. i think this album is them finally being able to piece together the best aspects of their music and improve on their overall sound. their last album (midnight in a moonless dream) was a bit less cohesive imo, but this album they're able to use those moody atmospheres and incorporate it much better. definitely a 8/10 for me, i'd recommend all of their albums, and my favorite songs from this album are Denial, You Win Again and Bebop.
→ Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple (released april 17th.)
fiona apple has always been a force of nature. her voice is lovely, her mere presence awes me, and she's one of the strongest musicians of our time. this album really blew me away because it's so raw and unflinching and uses different aspects and elements that you wouldn't expect to work so well (the banging of pots and pans as beats, meowing of cats, barking of dogs. it sounds weird, but she makes it work.) her lyrics are so exposed but so unbound, like a weight's been lifted off her shoulders and she can truly say the things she wants to say now. her songs threaten the status quo, but remain able to recognize the funny moments in life, and it just feels like an overall celebration of the everyday and the mundane. i've never heard anything like it. so incredible, so worth a listen, a solid 9.5/10 for me. my favorite songs from the album are Fetch The Bolt Cutters and Heavy Balloon.
→ Making A Door Less Open by Car Seat Headrest (released may 1st)
this is probably my most biased one because i absolutely love car seat headrest. the more i listen and explore their vast (and by vast, i mean at least thirteen albums vast) vast amount of music, the more my love for them grows. their frontman will toledo has repeatedly proved himself a singer with a great range, and even an greater songwriting lyrical force. i wasn't sure what to expect with this album, but it truly blew me away. the elements that have previously defined csh still remain -- indie rock, raw and emotional, lo-fi and pop, but with this album they've tied in EDM and electronica sounds from their jokey side project band 1 trait danger and it works so damn well. changing up their sound pays off because, if you're familiar with csh's reputation as a lo-fi bandcamp band that made it big with a record label deal, it makes you question the 'indie rock hero' that will toledo has been called ever since the release of their equally incredible albums teens of denial and twin fantasy. my questioning went from 'can they pull these kinds of changes off?' to 'what can will toledo not do?' they've worked humor into the mix of the usual recipe of self-doubt, feeling like shit, compassion, and cynicism (and while this is their "usual recipe", its certainly not repetitive.) and i feel like he's reached new emotional depths ranging from the most open-hearted song i've heard from them so far, martin, to the twins of the album deadlines (hostile) and deadlines (thoughtful). those two songs were the stars of the album for me, though i love the album in its entirety, because it's just another example of will toledo being able to endlessly work on song concepts and present interesting concepts. when toledo writes about wanting, desires, and longing, i feel like he's at his very best. deadlines (hostile) is a familiar tense thrumming rock song about forbidden attraction, and it brings in something darker that i haven't heard from them before. he pulls you into a trance. 'oh temptation, i can be a part of you.' and its counterpart deadlines (thoughtful) doesn't let up on that intensity, but instead of that rock and roll we recognize, we're thrust into a spectacular electronic pop-y sound, but still dark and seductive in a way. 'oh compassion, its transforming me into-'
while this album feels a bit 'smaller' than their previous works (and its certainly shorter - 47 mins in total, compared to the 1hr 11mins of twin fantasy's 2018 release), it's still a lovely album overall, and it's a refreshing change of sound for car seat headrest. this album is a 10/10 for me, and my favorite songs from the album were Deadlines (Hostile), Can't Cool Me Down, and Deadlines (Thoughtful).
if you read through all of my rambling, you deserve a cookie! please feel free to share your favorite new music releases here. c:
